Princeton Community Table reopens with new venues

The Princeton Community Table (PCT) will reopen for its free fellowship dinners on the fourth Thursdays of every month. The first dinner will be on May 23 from 4:30 -6:30 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 401, Eighth Ave. S, Princeton. PCT paused its dinners in October 2023 upon the sale of its venue, Trinity Crossing. Its reemergence is the result of a new cooperative effort among four Princeton churches. The dinner schedule will remain the same with a new twist in location: dinners will move from one church kitchen and dining space to another. May, June, and July dinners will be at Immanuel Lutheran; August, September, October, and December dinners at Trinity Lutheran (cohost Christ Our Light); and January, February, March 2025 dinners at New Life. Each church will handle its own food preparation, serving, and financing, but previous and new volunteers are encouraged to help at all dinner locations. Volunteers are needed for set-up and serving/clean-up shifts on the Thursday of the dinner as well as for food preperation the day before. All volunteers and families eat before or after their dinner shifts.

PCT, an all-volunteer organization, was the brainchild of Pastoral Associate Molly Weyrens of Christ Our Light Catholic and Pastor Chris Manisto of Trinity Lutheran in 2015. With advice from St. John’s Lutheran of Zimmerman, PCT’s founding “mothers” from both churches, Patty Jo Budeau, Char Kramersmier, Dana Thul, Barb Egbert, Deanna Louie, Mary Johnson, Darcee Larsen, and Kaye Backlund, offered the first dinner on the fourth Thursday in March 2015, at Trinity Crossing. PCT managed to weather Covid and now, the loss of Trinity Crossing. At its pre-Covid height, PCT often served over 300 per dinner.

With its new multi-church dinner locations, PCT looks forward to much wider guest attendance and volunteer participation. Attendees and volunteers should look forward to meeting new people, making new friends, and increased menu variety. Contact any of the precipitating church offices for more information. Immanuel Lutheran - 763-389-1420; Trinity Lutheran - 763-389-2671; New Life - 763-631-4858; Christ Our Light Catholic - 763-389-2115. Or check out PCT Facebook page with a volunteer sign-up link, its menu, and other PCT information. Watch for PCT announcements in your own church publications.