Every Wednesday evening at the Bastrop Farmers Market, something powerful is quietly happening.

For the past eight months, we have been setting up tables, grills, and tents — but more importantly, we have been showing up. What started as a new site has grown into a weekly rhythm of service, conversation, and community that continues to deepen and stretch us.

In the photo above, you will see our site coordinators, Cody and Michele, leading one of our Table Talk discussions, a 30-minute conversation we have each week before serving begins. These are not lectures. They are real, honest, and relational moments where volunteers and guests alike are invited to reflect on what God is doing in their lives. It is a time to share stories, ask questions, and explore how we can take what we are learning and live it out that very evening, as we serve burgers, listen to prayer requests, and engage with one another across the table.

This kind of intentional space is what sets Feed the Need Missions apart. We are not just feeding people physically, we are creating a place where people are seen, known, and invited into something deeper.

 

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another…”
Hebrews 10:24–25

Over the summer, we have seen a significant increase in guests, from longtime locals struggling to make ends meet to newcomers still trying to find their footing in the community. The need is growing. So is the opportunity.

We have also seen an influx of volunteers serving to complete community service hours, from students building resumes to individuals walking through brokenness and challenges. Many of them are unfamiliar with Jesus or unsure of what it means to follow Him. This has opened doors for deeper conversations and real discipleship. It is stretching our team in the best ways — teaching us to listen better, serve more intentionally, and recognize that every interaction is a ministry moment.

 

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Luke 10:2

Even among our volunteer team, something beautiful is taking place. Most of our core team did not know each other before launching this site. But week after week, we have watched friendships form, leadership grow, and people step up in unexpected ways — helping with food prep, leading discussion, praying with guests, and simply being present. It is a picture of what happens when the body of Christ comes together with a shared mission.

 

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
1 Corinthians 12:27

This site is also a first for us in another way: it was launched by our Missions Council — a group of local leaders committed to planting and sustaining sites in their region. For over a year, they prayed, planned, and prepared. And now, that investment is bearing fruit — not just in meals served, but in lives touched and disciples made.

We are still learning. We are still growing. But we are doing it together, and God is using it.

If you have ever driven by on a Wednesday night and wondered what’s going on… come see for yourself. Grab a burger. Join the conversation. Ask questions. You might just find that God wants to use you, too.

As Jesus said:

 

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35