New Community Supper in Stow

A new community supper is coming to Stow, and everyone is welcome to the table. Guest Table at FPC will serve dinner from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the first Friday of the month at First Parish Church of Stow & Acton (FPC) starting Nov. 6. The first Friday of the month seemed to be an ideal schedule, as the nearby Union Church of Stow offers a community supper on the third Friday of every month.

Guest Table welcomes everyone, in or out of Stow, whether they’re looking for a sense of community, are feeling lonely, are having some financial difficulties, or just want a change of atmosphere. There’s no charge for dinner, but donations are gratefully accepted. Dinners will be nut free, with gluten-free and dairy-free options available. The possibility of including a sugar-free dessert at each meal is being considered.

The idea to create Guest Table began when community supper Open Table was displaced from Clock Tower Place in Maynard earlier this year. FPC members Mark Koenig and his husband Troy Liston have been volunteering for Open Table for a good decade or so. When they approached FPC’s members about using FPC as Open Table’s new location, the Unitarian Universalist church’s members were eager to oblige.

Open Table ended up relocating to Sudbury United Methodist Church, but some Stow residents who enjoyed those dinners couldn’t get to the new location. “Troy and I thought, since FPC was so eager to help and there was a need in Stow, why not do our own dinner?” said Koenig.

FPC’s members have embraced the idea, with a core group responsible for planning, others volunteering to cook, serve, or clean, and still others donating money and supplies. Its many musically inclined members, including the church’s own Parish Jazz Band and its lively group of uke-playing Uketarians, might also get involved, if Koenig’s idea to provide live background music pans out.

Even FPC’s youth could end up playing a role, possibly leading children in various fun activities at a special children’s table. “A woman came in to Open Table with six kids under the age of nine, and I thought, ‘How relaxing is that going to be for her?’” said Koenig. He hopes that a children’s table will make the meal more fun for children, while providing parents with a break and a chance to socialize with other adults.

To enjoy this new dining event, simply show up at FPC’s Fellowship Hall on the first Friday of the month, starting Nov. 6, at 5:30 p.m. FPC is located at 353 Great Road, Stow, at the intersection of routes 117 and 62. Its facilities are wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact fpcguesttable@fpc-stow-acton.org.