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Shepherd's Table · A community meal of Anniston First

The table is being reset.

Since 2018, Shepherd's Table has put hot meals in front of neighbors who needed one. This fall we're rebuilding it in a renovated kitchen here on our own campus, and we're aiming to open the doors again on December 1.

Target launch December 1
Help us get ready Looking for a meal?

Where we've been

It started with an empty weekend.

In 2018 the Anniston Soup Bowl fed people through the week and closed on weekends. That left Saturdays and Sundays with nowhere to eat for a lot of our neighbors. So a few of us started cooking.

Over the years the ministry grew into a partnership with United Way of East Central Alabama, serving the residents of Martha's Hope shelter. When Martha's Hope closed at the end of July 2026, we had to ask an honest question: does Shepherd's Table keep going? We asked the volunteers, partners and church members who had carried it. The answer came back clear. Keep cooking.

2018Weekend hot meals begin while the Soup Bowl is closed.
The United Way yearsMeals for residents of Martha's Hope shelter.
July 2026Martha's Hope closes. We pause and listen.
December 2026Shepherd's Table reopens at Anniston First.

Where we are

The road to December 1

A revitalization is mostly unglamorous work. Here's where it stands.

  1. Decide whether to continue

    Done

    Volunteers, partners and the congregation talked it through and reached strong agreement to keep the ministry going.

  2. Approve the kitchen renovation

    Done

    Our Board of Trustees approved remodeling the Epworth kitchen so it can serve as a ministry kitchen and a fellowship space for the whole church.

  3. Equip the kitchen

    In progress

    We're gathering bids on commercial appliances and inviting members and friends to sponsor them, one appliance at a time.

  4. Build the teams

    Up next

    Cooks, servers, setup and cleanup crews. No restaurant experience needed, just a willingness to show up on your day.

  5. Open the doors

    December 1

    Our target for welcoming neighbors back to the table.

What we're building

Here's what we hope it will look like.

These digital renderings show the plan for Epworth Hall and its kitchen once the renovation is finished. The final space may differ in the details. Every gift, whether it sponsors an appliance or supports the ministry, moves the real room closer to the picture.

Rendering of Epworth Hall Digital rendering of the renovated Epworth Hall fellowship space Rendering
Epworth Hall. The fellowship space where neighbors will eat, and where the whole church will gather for meals.
Rendering of the Epworth kitchen Digital rendering of the renovated Epworth kitchen Rendering
The Epworth kitchen. Where Shepherd's Table teams will cook, equipped one sponsored appliance at a time.

Sponsor an appliance or give

If you need a meal

There's a seat for you.

Shepherd's Table is for our neighbors. You don't need to be a member of this church, or any church, to eat with us.

9:00 AMServing days will be posted here before December 1. Check back, or follow Anniston First on Facebook for the announcement.

Epworth Hall · Anniston First United Methodist
1400 Noble Street, Anniston

If you want to help

Three ways in.

  • Sponsor an appliance or give

    The renovated kitchen needs commercial equipment before the first meal can be served. You can sponsor one piece of it, or make a gift of any size to Shepherd's Table.

    Give to Shepherd's Table →

  • Join a team

    Cook, serve, set up or clean up. Teams take turns, so you won't be asked to give up every weekend. Julie Talley is putting the teams together.

    Email Julie: julie@annistonfirst.info →

  • Pray and pass it on

    Pray for the people who will sit at this table. Then tell someone who needs a meal that it's coming back.

You prepare a table before me. Psalm 23:5 · the Shepherd's table

Why we do this

The ministry's name comes from the psalm. The Shepherd sets a table, and the guest doesn't earn the seat. We try to set ours the same way.

A meal won't end hunger in Anniston, and we won't pretend it does. Hunger here has causes that deserve harder work than a plate of food. But a table does something a program can't. People learn each other's names. The ones serving and the ones eating start to look less like two groups. John Wesley sent the first Methodists to the poor in person for exactly that reason. You can't love neighbors you never sit with.

So we're bringing the table home, to our corner of downtown, in a kitchen the whole church will share. Generations together, around one table.

December 1

We'd love for you to be part of the first meal back.

Whether you're coming to cook, to give, or to eat, there's a place for you at Shepherd's Table.

See ways to help

Your contact

Julie Talley

Julie Talley

Minnie S. Banks Director of Children and Community Ministries

Julie is a credentialed medical social worker who has served in medical missions abroad and served alongside the residents of Martha's Hope. She is building the Shepherd's Table teams and can answer your questions about the ministry.

Office
1400 Noble Street, Anniston
Email Julie to join a team