Interview with Bill Varner

Bill Varner has served as an elder at Calvary for three years. Like Adam, he was involved in the formation of Table of Life since the idea of a church plant was first introduced. He says that it “became clear to me that God wanted me to be part of the church plant,” and that “[Zach] really didn’t have any choice but to take [himself and his family] with him.” While Bill didn’t have a clear vision of Table of Life right away, he did imagine it to be “a group of believers on a mission to love God and serve His people.”

Bill says that Table of Life is different in that one cannot simply come and sit. Rather, it’s a very involved church, with everyone contributing to the gatherings in some way and “walking with Jesus together.” However, Bill points out that this is a potential difficulty for the church, with people more accustomed to a sit-down-and-listen church and not “understanding the high level of participation required to fulfill Table of Life’s mission.”

Bill says that he hopes Table of Life’s future involves “lives changed, people coming to faith, and a body of believers walking together to grow in Christ.” He already sees this beginning to play out in how families from different backgrounds are coming together as one family in Christ at Table of Life.