Stronger Together

Back when he was a college student, Deacon David said, “I lived at Canterbury House at the University of Kansas. We met once a week for worship, and four of us lived together.” Those memories, he admitted, “still bleed into what’s happening now.” What he remembered most was the power of showing up. “Back then, there was no internet,” he said. “If you wanted community, you went in person. That’s how you met people, learned, and grew.”

When David realized his Episcopal church was trying to start a new campus ministry from scratch, he questioned, “Why reinvent the wheel when something like The Open Table Connection already exists?” Instead of starting separate efforts, they reached out to Rhonda. “We said, we’d like to help you,” he explained. “From the beginning, we just wanted to be of assistance, to help make it strong.”

The first time David visited The Open Table, he immediately felt something special. “I was very taken with how warm it was,” he said softly. “I hesitate to use the word ‘family,’ but that’s what it felt like. I didn’t feel like I was intruding. I felt welcome.” That simple sense of belonging struck him as essential, “I thought, if I feel this way, anyone who walks through that door will too.”

Over the past year, that feeling has only deepened. David recalled one gathering after the presidential election when Rhonda invited everyone to draw or write about their fears. “It was very interesting to see how differently people interpreted that,” he said. “Some drew about the election, others about school or failing a class.” What touched him most was how “people in completely different places in life came together to share those fears and joys, without judgment.”

“That’s what makes The Open Table so powerful,” David reflected. “Even if you’re not on the same page, you can gather, share your life, and be real with one another.” He paused before adding, “In this age of technology, where we say we’re connected but really we’re isolated, a space like this matters more than ever.”

Now, when David thinks of The Open Table, he doesn’t just see a building or a ministry, he sees a living, breathing community. “It’s a place,” he said, “where connection isn’t just a word. It’s something you can feel the moment you walk in.”

Generations

Like his siblings, Rado’s first experiences at Luther House began in childhood. He grew up attending dinners with his mother, Rijasoa, and visiting his older sister, Ranja, during their time at Luther House.

“Before I started college, it wasn’t really my choice to go to Luther House. It was just a place that we went to eat and hang out,” Rado recalls. “After I moved in for college, though, it became my choice. I liked living at Luther House because I couldn’t drift too far away from my church. It matured my faith and kept me grounded. I basically came home to church.”

Rado is now an alumni member of Luther House/The Open Table Connection, and he and his family are part of a generational legacy in the campus ministry. Their love and welcoming spirit have helped shape its culture.

He remembers the radical hospitality he practiced as a student resident. “We would have all kinds of conversations about religion, sometimes late into the night,” he says. He laughs as he recalls one long, friendly conversation with other students who were evangelizing in the neighborhood. They ended up talking until around midnight and becoming friends. “I’m not sure where else that would happen,” he adds with a smile.

Today, Rado carries that same radical hospitality into his work and everyday life. He remains committed to his lifelong home church and credits the experience of living in community at Luther House with shaping and strengthening his faith journey.