Dining

Food plays an important role in everyday Brethren life, and members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church love to cook and take joy in breaking bread together.

Extended families, visiting church members, and friends from the congregation are regularly welcomed for shared meals.

To view some of our recipes, please go to the Inside Brethren Kitchen series.

Many Brethren homes are designed, or sometimes redesigned, with open layouts and generous table space to accommodate the large gatherings that are central to community life.

Because Plymouth Brethren beliefs treat sharing a meal as an act of spiritual fellowship, members make a commitment to dine only with those with whom they would celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

In practice, this means Brethren members don’t typically sit down for a full meal with people from outside the church. That said, having a coffee with a neighbor, colleague, or business contact is a different matter, and many members do so regularly.

There are no specific dietary rules within the Plymouth Brethren faith that prescribe or restrict types of food.

What ends up on our tables reflects the rich, diverse backgrounds of a global community with members in North America, Caribbean, Argentina, Italy, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries.

Like in the rest of society and many other Christian denominations, alcohol consumption within the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is a matter of personal choice.

Some members choose to drink while others abstain. Neither is required by Plymouth Brethren rules or guidelines; the emphasis is placed on personal responsibility and making choices that align with the broader values of the community.

Members support one another in making choices that reflect their shared Christian values, and that includes how, and whether, they drink.