Drew University Library : University Archives : Theses and Dissertations
    
author Hyesook Kim
title Family Community Ministry through the Meal Table
abstract Family was the core of God's creation plan. The creation of humans was the creation of the family, and the expansion of the family was the root, stem, and fruit of God's planned creation history. The family, which still plays the most important role in human history, is both a problem and a solution to human life. In this sense, the recent disintegration of the family is not a simple sociological problem or malady. This is a crisis for humanity. Furthermore, the crisis of the family, which forms and preserves the essence of faith, is directly connected to the crisis of faith.

When we think of family, we naturally think of biological family with whom we share blood. This sense of family must be part of the mystery of creation. However, the family that God intends goes beyond this boundary. As we will discuss in the text, God's understanding of family is so vast that we cannot follow it with our narrow thoughts. Restoring this family should be the direction and purpose of family community ministry. This study finds its significance in restoring the family archetype for family community ministry and aims to focus on the meal table of the family community to achieve the above-mentioned purpose. The meal table occupies a central position in the creation story, in the relationships and roles of family, and in the entire history of rebellion against God and salvation. Based on this understanding, we would like to examine the theological meaning of the family community meal table. We will attempt to reconsider the value and meaning of the meal table by studying the process by which the community gathers around the meal table and maintains a relationship with God through the meal table. And we will present food stories from the Bible for family community ministry. Focusing on important meal tables that appear in the history of the Bible, we will propose a learning method to remember and put into practice God's story by replacing the food of that time with the food that can be rediscovered on today's meal table.

school The Theological School, Drew University
degree D.Min. (2024)
advisor Leonard Sweet
committee Byoungho Zoh
Younglae Kim
full textHyKim.pdf