NETWORKS
Often people ask what denomination The Feast is. While we are part of some important networks for our church, we try hard to merely be a group of people living out God’s story in our day, time, and city. The networks we are part of tell some of our story, but not all of it. As much as we love our friends, we hope you will get to know our church, not just size it up by its network connections.
Locally, we have many good friends in the city and state with whom we share life. The Borchers began their RI journey in Cumberland, at the Blackstone Valley Church. Over the years they have been great cheerleaders for The Feast. Sanctuary Church and the staff there have been good friends to our church and helped in many practical ways. Caleb has preached at services for both Blackstone and Sanctuary. Renaissance Church has also been a powerful friend. Caleb regularly prays with the staff there and looks to them for guidance and advice. We also know the staff at Christ Community Church well, and they have helped from time to time with practical needs.
Regionally, The Feast is part of the Kairos Church Planting Network. While Kairos coaches plants all across the nation, more specifically a northeastern network is developing. This network includes plants from Seattle to Boston. Caleb also regularly meets with preachers across New England in a variety of contexts.
Nationally, The Feast is connected to a network of churches. The Borchers and most of the Feast leadership grew up in mainstream, acapella Churches of Christ. The financial and spiritual support for the church has come largely from that movement of people. CofCs (as the cool kids call it) have some distinctive features, but are all autonomous congregations with no denominational board or controlling entity over the network. In many ways we look like most CofCs, in other ways we don’t. (Some New Englanders have experience with the International Churches of Christ or Boston Movement churches. We are in no way affiliated with that denomination.) Congregations providing significant support of our work through the years include Care Church, in Richardson, TX; the Church of Christ at White Station in Memphis, TN; the Senatobia Church of Christ in Senatobia, MS; and New Garden Church in Nashville, TN.
While much of our leadership come from one network of churches, we have important members of our community who were raised in a wide variety of backgrounds, denominations, and religious beliefs or unbeliefs. We celebrate the diversity that exists in the body of Christ and are thankful for all the people and perspectives that have joined our story as a church.