Table 14 Moves Across From Campus

Reported by: Aurora Biggers                  

NEWBERG, Ore. – Table 14, a new nonprofit in Newberg, has moved into a space across from George Fox University’s (GFU) campus. The nonprofit aims to create space for conversations surrounding “Jesus, justice, and inclusion,” according to their biography.

Table 14 was founded by former GFU professor Steve Sherwood, alumni Daye Thomas and Frances Bunday, and student Carly Sweet. Their hope is that the nonprofit will be attractive to GFU students.

Table 14’s name comes from a Biblical concept: “the great banquet.” Sherwood said the name is an invitation, welcoming people to a space where they can be “fully themselves.” Sherwood said a “gap” Table 14 sees within Christian churches is a lack of space for people to wrestle with theological issues and be open about their identities. 

“We all have questions. We all aren’t sure what we believe day to day,” Sherwood said. The nonprofit hopes to provide a safe space for theological questioning without fear of being kicked out of or let go from employment at a church.

While the nonprofit plans to host an array of events on faith and inclusivity, Table 14 was born out of a desire to create a safe Christian space for LGBTQIA+ and marginalized individuals. 

Sherwood has worked with college students for over twenty years, through Young Life, church work, and his employment as a professor. One thing he noticed is that marginalized people tend to question if there is space for them in Christianity. “In a way, they ask ‘is there a place at the banquet table for me?’” Sherwood said, “and my answer is ‘Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.’” 

“Every human being deserves respect and safety,” Thomas said. As a racial equity intern for Wayside Church and former president of Common Ground, a student community for LGBTQIA+ individuals at GFU, Thomas has experience teaching about racial and gender equity. 

After a GFU student came out during the Lip Sync Battle in 2019, Thomas began thinking about how LGBTQIA+ students could be supported better, especially after an increase in queer students needing to find alternate housing in the aftermath of the event. “After the Lip Sync Battle … I was ready to jump in full-heartedly,” they said, “this [Table 14] was something that needed to happen … we deserve safety.”

Table 14 plans to provide resources, such as finding housing, healthcare, and career support, according to Thomas. Wifi is another benefit of visiting the Table 14 house. “We want it [Table 14] to be a landing space for people,” Sweet said. In a recent post on Instagram, the nonprofit advertised their new house and invited students to “study, relax, and chat with friends, right across from campus.”

Sweet, who runs the website and social media for Table 14, among other things, also emphasized that Table 14 is committed to making their events safe spaces for everyone who attends. For starters, they won’t take any photographs or post attendees’ personal information or identifiers on social media, and they will be following COVID regulations.

“It’s not a space where students have to hide, and I think that’s really awesome,” Sweet said, “Everyone has something that sets them apart; everybody has something that gets them set aside, and so to be in a space where ‘oh, I’m going to be totally affirmed as a human being, as a whole, no matter what I bring to the table,’ that’s really special.”

Their new space isn’t open yet, though Thomas says it will be soon, but Table 14 has already hosted two events. “Response has been more than we expected,” Sherwood said. He estimates that 70 people attended the first event and 20 or 25 attended the second. 

While the nonprofit has strategically placed itself to attract GFU students, they emphasized that their events are not exclusive to college students. “I would love to see more folks from outside the George Fox community,” Thomas said.