‘We need a bigger table!’
- deansimpson7
- 41 minutes ago
- 2 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
There’s a saying that resonates at ‘The Village’ café run by The Salvation Army in Sydney: “When you have more than you need, build a bigger table, not a higher fence.”
That’s exactly the ethos of ‘The Village’, which opened in 2024 as a mission expression of Shire Salvos Panania, serving great coffee and inviting people into loving community and ultimately sharing the love of Jesus.
And community connections are growing exponentially. So much so that Panania Mission Leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Sandra Godkin, said one day, “We need a bigger table!”
“We already have a book club that comes here,” said Sandra. A Bible study also meets at The Village, and a group of retired officers meet every fortnight to encourage each other.
“We were getting very busy – all our tables were full, so we needed new tables and thought, ‘Let’s get a really big table that can be a focus point for the café.”
In true Salvation Army ‘thifting’ style, a table was discovered in the local area that someone had put outside for the local council to take away in a ‘clean up.’
Shire Salvos member and local builder, Luke Soper, got hold of it and worked alongside a teenage work experience student and another volunteer to sand it back and give it a new life.
“It looks lovely!” said Sandra. “It’s become a real focus on our verandah. A lot of parents gather there because it’s right near our play area.”
Last month, a new connection group started at the table, called ‘Connect at the Village’, run by a volunteer who is studying counselling.
“The Village is all about loving people and helping people to realise their full potential,” said former Panania Mission Leader Natalie Sheehan when the café first opened.
And that’s exactly what is happening, as the Holy Spirit draws more and more people to the table.
READ MORE: Café offers hope and connection
