The Beginning of Sunday Spread
Sunday Spread, Union’s worship gathering, began to take root in the summer of 2016 during an uncomfortable transition. Both Dallas, as a city, and Union as a coffee shop had something brewing. Union’s founding community curator, Mike Baughman noticed God’s work in this moment, and though it didn’t feel good, it could be good for Union and Dallas.
Making an Opportunity in a Transition
As a response, Mike formed discussion groups at Union. Baranda Fermin, Sunday Spread’s founding community curator, accepted Mike’s invitation in 2012 and has loved watching Union’s mission and theory of change develop ever since. Baranda began participating in several group discussions with other Union lovers and members over breakfast tacos about what was next.
Union Community Creates #BrunchChurch
With the support of Path 1 from the North Texas UMC Conference’s Center for Church Development, the worship planning team officially began the design of the initial Brunch Church in July of 2018. Sunday Spread, still affectionately known as #BrunchChurch, launched its test gatherings in the fall of 2018. Eventually, the UMC Conference along with its New Faces, New Spaces program officially recognized Sunday Spread in the spring of 2019.
The Meaning of Sunday Spread
In summary, the Sunday Spread worship community centers around brunch and poetry for boundary pushers and change-makers in the city of Dallas. We gather every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM for community, connection and discussion. Also, on the first Sunday of every month we gather for music, worship and BRUNCH of course!
Many of our community members use Sunday Spread as the primary worship experience. Others participate as an addition to their spiritual rhythm, a space they go to for refreshing and connecting with like-spirited folks. Since they're often the ones pushing the boundaries of inclusivity and diversity in their regular worshipping communities Sunday Spread offers a communal shared space.
We all feel a deep urge, a calling, that God has put within each of us a vision for how Dallas can be greater -- more inclusive, more equitable, more just. Many of us believe we can't do that without God, and for better or worse we know we can’t do that without each other. God is ever-present and continuously inviting us to the table -- together. We look forward to meeting each other around the table every week because we know the work of changing Dallas for the better feels a bit easier when we have food and mimosas as a part of the equation.
Join Us at Sunday Spread
We believe that hard work protects the best parts of Dallas. Additionally, that work will change the aspects that don’t truly reflect the Divine spark in each of us within our city, our churches, our neighborhoods, our relationships, and ourselves. We believe that Jesus would want us to do this work together. As a result, we meet for this reason. We come together and share this amazing spread because of this belief. To support the core of our community and find ways to move forward together – as our logo the Siamese Crocodile displays.
So, welcome to Sunday Spread, Dallas's inclusive brunch church where we believe that change-making should light us up, not burn us out. We believe community can lighten our burden, not wear us down. Sanctuary has never tasted this Sweet.
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