Sisters offer advice on making people welcome at holiday gatherings
Four sisters who grew up in Lexington steeped in faith want to share their collective perspective on ways to bring families and communities together for the holiday season.
Kendall Grubb, Lin Story-Bunce, Daryn Stylianopoulos and June Bunce, often known as the “Bunce Girls” when they sang together at Coggins Memorial Baptist Church, started an inspirational website called the Welcome Table a year ago, when pandemic restrictions kept people physically apart and cultural and/or political divisions often kept them from communicating.
Their first project was an Advent reflection series available as an eBook. This year, “Advent at the Welcome Table” is available as a printed book on Amazon and through www.thewelcometable.co.
“We knew the holidays were going to be looking different for us and other families, too, so we wanted to do something to bring us together as a family and to help bring together communities at the holiday,” Grubb said of the original Advent series. “It’s kind of evergreen so we re-edited it from last year and made it available to purchase and share. We added a couple of extra reflections for the new year.
“It has daily reflections to inspire more hope, peace, joy and love this holiday season,” Grubb, CEO of Welcome Table, said.
She noted 10 percent of book sales will be donated to Feeding America, a national nonprofit network of 200 food banks.
“Just as food is necessary for our body, togetherness is necessary for our soul,” Grubb added. “We’ve been immersed in church and faith our entire lives so we hope the Welcome Table mimics the way Jesus opened his table to others — an open space where people can come just as they are. While TWT is faith-based, our larger goal is always to bring in others to the table regardless of religious beliefs or political affiliation.”
The Bunce sisters were inspired by Sunday afternoon conversations around the dinner table with family and friends. Their grandfather, Dr. Dearl Bunce, was pastor of Coggins Memorial and their mother, Anita Bunce, was its music minister. Their two late grandmothers, Betty Lou Bunce and Patty Jung, were also music ministers. Their father, Linwood Bunce, is a local attorney.
After the original Advent series was well-received, the website began offering “Table Talk at the Welcome Table,” a weekly blog post of reflections not only from the sisters but also clergy members and readers who wanted to join a platform for fostering conversations that bridge differences.
Two of the sisters are pastors and some of their colleagues have become blog posters as well. Story-Bunce, chief communications officer for Welcome Table, is pastor of College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro. Stylianopoulos, development director, is pastor of First Baptist Church in Needham, Mass., a suburb of Boston.
Grubb is a singer-songwriter who lives in Nashville and Bunce, who lives in Lexington, has been an actress for the past 13 years and a drama instructor for organizations such as Harlem Children’s Zone and the YMCA. Bunce, project manager, works as a personal injury administrator at the Barnes Grimes Bunce & Fraley law firm.
The format of the weekly blog is “Setting the Table,” in which a poem and/or scripture is offered; “Food for Thought,” a personal story from the writers about ways they have experienced welcome; “Blessing,” an offering of thanks; “Table Talk for your Table,” discussion questions readers can take to their own tables to incorporate with their own gatherings; and “Kids Table,” which allows parents to engage the topic with their children if they wanted to make it a family affair.
“We have close to 800 people joining us on this journey,” Grubb said, noting the organization is on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Bunce is amazed at the geographic diversity of readers from all across America as well as Canada and even Lebanon. She said readers contact them and let them know how their personal stories of vulnerability have touched their own lives. “It has really strengthened my faith more than ever.”
Story-Bunce said growing up in Lexington and attending Lexington Senior High School taught all the sisters about diversity and how to listen and try to understand people from all walks of life. “We wanted to put that into the world together as a family and a community. There’s been a growing division of people and so much healing is needed in the world around us.”
Stylianopoulos was touched to learn some of her colleagues in the clergy have incorporated lessons about welcoming people in the blog posts into their own services. There have even been emerging “dinner churches” in which people get together to share a meal and welcome others in their community, either as a whole congregation or as a ministry of the church.
When readers sign up for the free weekly email series, “Table Talk at the Welcome Table,” they can also receive a free new eBook called “Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays.” Since this may be the first time many families have gathered for the holidays since the pandemic started, the sisters felt it might be helpful to offer guidelines on how to navigate the space where differences can bring anxiety.
The eBook suggests five main ideas for creating your own Welcome Table. Each is accompanied by practical suggestions designed to guide people in setting a welcoming space before guests arrive.
