No one likes to eat alone; to approach a table filled with people, only to be told that despite the open chairs there isn’t room for you. The rejection stings. It leaves a mark. Yet this is exactly what the church has been saying to far too many people for far too long: “You’re not welcome here. Find someplace else to sit.”

How can we extend unconditional welcome and acceptance in a world increasingly marked by bigotry, fear, and exclusion? Pastor John Pavlovitz invites the audience to join him on the journey to find or build a church that is big enough for everyone. He speaks clearly into the heart of the issues the Christian community has been earnestly wrestling with: LGBT inclusion, gender equality, racial tensions, and global concerns.

Author of A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, Hopeful Spiritual Community, he asks if organized Christianity can find a new way of faithfully continuing the work Jesus began two thousand years ago, where everyone gets a seat. Pavlovitz shares moving personal stories and his careful observations as a pastor to set the table for a new, more loving conversation on these and other important matters of faith. He invites us to build the bigger table Jesus imagined, practicing radical hospitality, total authenticity, messy diversity, and agenda-free community.

Riverside Hotel (Boise)

5:45 – 6:45 p.m. no-host reception with John Pavlovitz in the Fireside Foyer & the adjoining outdoor terrace (weather permitting)

7:00 – 8:30 p.m. “A Bigger Table – Conversation with John Pavlovitz” (tickets required) in the Tamarack Room

Tickets: $15