We are Ryan and Cindy Neill, residents of Paxico, KS. After leading and participating in multiple small groups, discipleship groups, and regularly serving in the church, in July of 2022, we participated in a cohort called Pioneer Training. The cohort was an 8-month-long commitment where a group of 8-12 people came together every two weeks via Zoom for encouragement, support, and ministry equipping. It was a place to discover our calling, develop our ministry skills, and better discern how to reach people in our community with the Gospel in new ways. During the process, Cindy was hired to pastor two churches in our community. Thanks to the Pioneer Training and Cindy’s new involvement in our community, Ryan felt called to open up our home for a meal ministry. This allowed not only the two churches Cindy is pastoring an opportunity to come together for fellowship and discipleship but also provided an opportunity within our community for those with no church affiliations to come together in a setting outside of the traditional church building. Thus, 3-B Ministry was initially born.
3-B MINISTRY
3-B stands for Blessings, Bonfires, and Beef, which Ryan affectionately named because his father-in-law told him Wabaunsee County has more cattle than people! Ryan cooks the main dish, and everyone else brings a side or dessert that goes along with the meal’s theme. These community, potluck-style meals have allowed 40-60 guests to sit together, break bread, and have deep, meaningful conversations. There is a time for prayer, sharing testimonies, and activities for the youth to keep them engaged. Spouses and family members who do not attend traditional churches come to these gatherings. Friends and neighbors with no church affiliation attend these gatherings.
What began as a prayerful hope to bring a small group of people together for fellowship and discipleship has resulted in us outgrowing our current space in our home, and with the Kansas weather, we have been unable to host all of these gatherings outdoors. We are now able to expand our reach and capacity by hosting these gatherings in a local gymnasium in Paxico (3 miles from our home) on a monthly basis.
LOOKING AHEAD
What began as a simple way to bless our community has grown to be so much more than we imagined! The hunger we’re seeing for relationships and building community has inspired us to think bigger about what this ministry could be. So we have chosen to rename the ministry, The Shared Tables. We look forward to meeting you, eating with you, and sharing the love of Jesus together. See you soon!
