There were things I loved about this book and things I wasn't sure what to do with. Let me say, Anna's idea of loving others and reaching out in love to everybody is something that I feel a lot of churches are missing these days. It was so encouraging to hear of the work this church was doing and the people it was reaching - people that might not ever set foot in the average American church. That said, her theology didn't line up with mine completely. That's not a terrible thing - it means this book might make you dig a little bit and think about why you believe what you believe. Theology aside, we all can learn something from this book about how to love others well. For that, I'm thankful to have had the chance to read this.

Good stories grow from this garden. I adore Anna’s stories of unconventional church around a stump, in a garden, on a derelict urban west coast lot. She writes of compost and communal meals and cross-cultural love, and the world needs more of this. Even (especially), as we grow our way into new seasons of life together and apart...

My feelings on this book are very mixed, and I'm not entirely sure if I've processed them all yet. Let me start by saying Anna Woofenden is a fantastic writer. Her words and reflections are beautiful and easy to read. One of the things I most appreciated about this book is the way she endeared many of society's most vulnerable (unhoused, mentally ill, etc.) To the reader and showed their importance, humanity and value to God's Kingdom. I also appreciated Anna's passion for doing church in a unique way and her transparency about some of the challenges that come with that. With all that in mind, I still can't wholeheartedly embrace this book. I struggled with some of the theological viewpoints that shone through in this book - Anna's uniquely shaped theology (through Swedenborgianism and other traditions) often clashed with my own, and even at times, what I would consider orthodox. I found myself diving more into some of the views she expressed to try to understand them better. So, this was an intriguing read- but I did have some hesitancies about it.

This is a great story of God being found in the midst of normalcy. Normal neighborhood, normal people, normal garden, normal food. But amidst all this, a unique community gathers together sharing in God’s goodness, thus creating a pocket of heaven on their street for all to join in. If you want to read a creative narrative of God working amongst his people, this book is it!

The highest compliment I can give this book, it made me want to visit this church. Not once but for at least a month, so I could really feel I was a part of it. An honest telling, about the hard work of starting a church plant, ministering to those with low or no income, working in a urban environment, etc. I love Anna's words and her heart for God.

This book is a must-read. If you are longing for hope and connection in the dark times that we're living through, this book will be comforting. God is with us, around us, caring for us. We are valuable to her.
This book is a salve, caring for my wounds that I have experienced at the hands of organized religion. So glad to call Anna Woofenden my friend, and I'm so glad that you can share in part of her journey through this book!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Though I'm not familiar with Anna'a faith tradition, I was encouraged by the story she weaves together through these pages. It all comes back to the table, to seeing each person's worth and value, and choosing to love one another. For a book of this length, it didn't seem to drag out until nearing the end. I read this one quickly, eager to know what happened next and encouraged/intrigued by the message.

I did not know of Anna Woofenden before I read this book, but wow, what a powerful personal story and a story about a church/garden and garden/church. I appreciated that her church was born out of a particular Christian denomination of which I know nothing about beforehand, but its purpose extended outward to people of various Christian backgrounds. It was a great time of year to be reading this book as it is Lenten season. Anna beautifully explains a new to image of God as a composter; God takes all our mess and says Let's see what new and wonderful thing I can make of you, all the brokenness and struggles. This is a wonderful explanation of what means to come and eventually return to dust.

Anna Woofenden was called to start a church. Raised in the Swedenborgian Faith (which she graciously explains to her readers), Anna felt God was open to everyone. As she grew up, she was confused that women didn’t seem to have a place to lead and that many people seemed to fall by the wayside in traditional churches. Within San Pedro, Anna and a community of volunteers and misfits, created something beautiful in the Garden Church. The once overflow parking lot with a dinosaur soon became a place where folks grew fresh vegetables, ate together, and welcomed those who had been displaced from their homes and those who had plenty. The new book This is God’s Table tells the story of how an empty lot is now a church home to so many people.
If you like unpretentious writers who truly have faith in something greater than themselves, this book is for you. If you’d like to read about Christians who walk in the faith they preach about, this book is for you. If you’ve often wondered what a church would look like that freely welcomed people of the LGBT world, the displaced, and the refuge, this book is for you. Readers who like the works of Nadia Bolz-Weber and Sara Miles are going to feel right at home with this book.
Fair warning, the descriptions of the meals shared in this church will have you drooling. Anna describes baking scones for coffee time and fresh baked communion bread for her congregation. There’s something so genuine about this book, which can sometimes be hard to find in the world of religious books. Anna doesn’t force Christ down the reader’s throat, but rather invites them to sit down and enjoy a meal family style.
This is God’s Table is a book I flew through in a day, with basic breaks for human needs. It is powerful, smart, and left me wondering how I can do more for the community around me.
This is God’s Table is available April 21, 2020. I’ve bought an extra copy to give to a friend, just in case.

I've been fascinated by Garden Church ever since I first met Anna Woofenden a couple years ago. This story of its origins and development is challenging, heartwarming, and inspiring. There is so much to learn from here, even (maybe especially) for those who don't share all of Anna's theological convictions. The value of the table cannot be overestimated and nothing binds people together like shared work and shared meals. Although Anna and Garden Church are well-known in certain circles, I'm thrilled that this book will introduce them to a much broader audience.

If you are even a remote acquaintance of Anna Woofenden's, "This is God's Table: Finding Church Beyond the Walls" will not surprise you.

It possesses her intelligence. It possesses her insight. It possesses her passion. It possesses her compassion. It possesses her humility. It possesses her deep awareness that a church is far more than a building or a sanctuary or anything that can be or should be confined within four walls.

If you are not an acquaintance of Anna Woofenden's, then rest assured that what you read within the pages of "This is God's Table" radiates her deep commitment to life and love and God and the earth and ministry and so much more.

I am a passing acquaintance of Woofenden's, someone who has met her on a couple of occasions and someone who would likely stick out in her memory more because of my being a double amputee and in a wheelchair than because of my personality or any connection I've had to her life. We attended neighboring seminaries - she Earlham School of Religion and I Bethany Theological Seminary.

I was honored to be able to read an Advanced Reader's Copy of "This is God's Table," a book that I would easily label as an essential read for this interested in church planting, creative ministry, progressive theology, and the memoir of a pastor.

"This is God's Table" is all of these things. It's a beautiful example of the trials and tribulations of church planting. In this case, that church is San Pedro, California's The Garden Church, an outdoor church planted by Woofenden that continues even as Woofenden's time with the congregation has now ended. "This is God's Table" explores the theology behind planting the church, but also delves into the challenges finding volunteers, finding congregants, solving practical issues, raising funds, and more.

"This is God's Table" is also a wonderful book for those who seek to explore non-traditional ministries, yet want to have ministries rooted within ritual. Woofenden, who is ordained within a progressive branch of the Swedenborgian faith, develops the church's beliefs and practices from a variety of faiths, inspirations, mentors, and other sources.

"This is God's Table" explores Woofenden's theology, a unique weaving together of the somewhat conservative and somewhat progressive branches of the Swedenborgian church in which she grew up and a faith that has grown into her own expression. While there are many resources available for church planters, Woofenden's more progressive theology is a welcome addition to the subject.

Finally, and perhaps most successfully, "This is God's Table" explores Woofenden herself. As a female pastor, Woofenden writes honestly and authentically about her development as a pastor, her growth as a pastor, her inspiration, the practical aspects of her ministry, and her growth into a relationship with her eventual spouse. It's refreshing to see a book so openly address the subject of love and relationship, an important subject that is so seldom addressed.

Woofenden writes in a way that beautifully weaves together both spirit and intellect. She writes with tremendous humility, often acknowledging her own flaws as a pastor and as a human being while also being open to lessons learned even from those she serves including many of San Pedro's unhoused residents. Woofenden references quite a few contemporary Christian writers throughout "This is God's Table," yet seldom simply makes statements or references without providing resources and/or scriptural references for additional follow-up.

A mutual friend who unexpected passed away, Tracy, is mentioned eloquently in "This is God's Table" while Woofenden isn't shy about writing on those situations where she questioned herself, her words, and her actions.

With "This is God's Table," Woofenden paints a vision of church done differently and it's a church that she and God and volunteers and the diverse residents of San Pedro brought to life. She paints a vision of a church without walls where you can find both God and a garden. She paints a vision of hope for pastors who wish to be different and for those who've been hurt by church that they too might find a place where they truly can belong. She paints a vision of abundance redefined. She paints a vision of church planting that is realistic yet visionary, challenging yet possible, unpredictable yet sustainable, and filled with all the harsh realities of life yet also filled with so much love.

"This is God's Table: Finding Church Beyond the Walls" is an insight, engaging, and truly enjoyable read that radiates God's love in each of its pages and will leave you feeling better after having read it. A refreshing new theological voice in literature, Anna Woofenden has crafted a book about reaping what we sow and sowing what we reap all in one.

If you appreciate Christian writers such as Diana Butler Bass, Rachel Held Evans, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and Sara Miles then "This is God's Table: Finding Church Beyond the Walls" is most definitely a book to add to your collection.

I received an advanced readers copy of This is God’s Table written by Anna Woofenden. I was intrigued by the concept of the subtitle - Finding Church Beyond the Walls. Anna did a beautiful job describing how she was led by God to begin a unique approach to “church.” By following her heart and God’s will, she managed to establish a community of people from all different backgrounds, ages and status as they turned an empty lot into a thriving church. A church that may have not looked like your typical pulpit and pew, but certainly one that impacted the world around them. Through stories, examples and a willingness to share her heart, Anna inspires us readers to think outside the “four walls” of church and what it should look like and instead dream big and start small, being confident that God has a place for His Church in every aspect of our world.

This is Gods Table by Anna Woofenden was a very interesting read. The book was different from what I was expecting.
The description of the book reads:
This is the story of an audacious journey. It’s the story of what happens when people garden, worship, and eat together—and invite anyone and everyone to join them. In This Is God’s Table, writer and pastor Anna Woofenden describes the way that the wealthy and the poor, the aged and the young, the housed and unhoused become a community in this once-empty lot. Together they plant and sustain a thriving urban farm, worship God, and share a weekly meal. Together they craft a shared life and a place of authenticity where all are welcome. Readers of Nadia Bolz-Weber, Sara Miles, and Diana Butler Bass will find here a kindred vision for a church without walls.

As churches across the Western world wither, what would it take to find a raw, honest, gritty way of doing church—one rooted in place, nurtured by grace, and grounded in God’s expansive love? What would it take to carry the liturgy outside the gates? What if we were to discover that in feeding others, we are fed?

This is God’s table. Come and eat.

I gained new perspective and all in all enjoyed this book.

This was an interesting read. I appreciate the authors outreach to her community in San Pedro and the concept of a garden church. She obviously loves Jesus and believes that He was God incarnate, died for our sins and rose in victory over death and to give us life. I am disappointed in her universalism. Jesus was very clear that He is the way, the truth and the life and apart from Him no one can know the Father. It's convenient to believe that all will be in heaven, sharing the Father's love, but it isn't truth according to our Lord.
I received this book as a gift from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

earc from netgalley.

this was actually really interesting to read- i liked getting to hear about something I did not know anything about before.

Can a garden frown in an abandoned alley on a street in LA?
Can a church grow amidst the plants and colorful characters that find themselves in this garden?
This is the questions Anna asks as she plants a community garden/church in LA. This book is so rich. If you find yourself more on the traditional side of faith, prepare to be bothered. If you find yourself open to new ideas and finding God in the ordinary, thin spaces of life, prepare to feel at home. I loved her story. I loved their story. And I loved being able to find myself within its pages. I will press this into the hands of so many friends.