 Our
Purpose:
St. Martin's Table is an outreach ministry of the Community of
St. Martin. It is a bookstore and restaurant open to the
general public. St. Martin's Table strives to be a center for
peacemaking and justice seeking. This focus springs from the
Community's faith, centered in the life and teachings of
Jesus, and so we seek to provide hospitality to all people in
their journeys toward peace, justice and wholeness. To
describe the Table, we use words Books, Food and Conversation.
The resources in
the bookstore are chosen to reflect the values of the
Community and staff -- values such as inclusiveness,
nonviolence, justice and intentional care of creation.
The food served
is a celebration of God's gifts to us. To that end, St.
Martin's Table serves vegetarian meals with and emphasis on
locally grown and organic food. Volunteer servers not only
contribute their time, but also contribute their tips to
programs that alleviate hunger in the global community.
Conversation
takes place not only around the table at noon, but also during
evening programs centered on peacemaking, justice issues and
community-building through the arts. St. Martin's Table is
also available for study, worship, fellowship and special
events for the wider community.
St. Martin's
Table strives to be fiscally sound and to be a good steward of
all resources, especially as they relate to the long-term
vitality of the Table. As an alternative business, it is our
priority to model a more just way to live and have that
reflected in the relationships we cultivate. The Table strives
to be a place of peace where creative visions for a world of
justice are welcomed and nurtured.
Our History:
St. Martin's Table was founded in December 1984. St. Martin's Table still upholds the initial
vision of creating an alternative business that emphasizes people,
peace and the ideal of living simply. Every year, more than 25,000
individuals come to St. Martin's Table to buy books, cards, eat lunch,
or volunteers. As a result, more than $603,657 from lunchtime tips to
volunteer servers has been given to hunger causes locally, nationally
and around the world.
The Table rents
its space from Trinity Lutheran Congregation, whose members
have encouraged the Table's activities from the start. In
addition, countless volunteer hours and two grants from church
organizations have helped to create the space as it now
exists.
Our Name:
The restaurant/bookstore, like the ecumenical community, was
named for five Martins who have been models of change, truth
and resistance in the Christian faith:
- Martin Luther,
the 16th century
reformer who taught the theology of the cross
- Martin Luther King, Jr.,
for his
leadership in nonviolent protest to end racism and injustice
- Martin of Tours,
a fourth century
Roman soldier turned pacifist
- Martin de Porres,
a Spanish-Indian
healer who served the poor of Peru in the 1600s
- Martin Niemoeller,
a German pastor
imprisoned for his nonviolent resistance to the Nazis during
World War II
For more information, call us
at: 612-339-3920
Map to St. Martin's Table
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