The Sunday House Family

Before there was The Sunday House, there was just our dining room table.

Honestly, it spent a whole lot of time just sitting there looking pretty 😂. But eventually, that table became the place where we gathered every Sunday just eating whatever I decided to whip up that day. Slowly, we realized that maybe God was doing something bigger we hadn’t noticed yet.

This story is about who we are. A family that prayed for purpose and found it right here, in our kitchen, through the simple act of serving others.

Why Sunday House

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

If you’ve ever sat at our table on a Sunday, you know it’s not fancy, but it feels like home. You’ll probably smell bacon, biscuits, and coffee before you even hit the door. Someone’s always laughing, someone’s always late, and somebody might show up still wearing pajamas. It’s come-as-you-are, stay-as-long-as-you-need; just the way we like it.

It’s at that table, with that feeling that The Sunday House began.

The Prayer for Purpose

Before the ideas, printing equipment, journals, or designs existed – there was just a prayer.

Jacob and I had both felt restless for a while, like God was stirring something new in us but hadn’t yet revealed what it was. I kept praying, “Lord, what am I supposed to be doing with what You gave me?” I knew the bigger answer, serve Him, build His Kingdom, help point people toward Jesus; but I didn’t know what that was supposed to look like in my actual life.

Apparently Jacob had been over there having his own little conversation with God about the same thing. One day, he said it simply, “I want to print t-shirts.”

At first, I brushed it off thinking the market is oversaturated but then started seeing this wave of Christian-based merch on social media and thought, wait… maybe this is something more. Y’all already know Big Brother is always listening … but so is Jesus Christ.

Through prayer, the Lord connected the dots in the simplest way: our gifts were already being used every Sunday, we just hadn’t seen them that way yet.

The Table That Started It All

“The Sunday House” isn’t a clever name. It’s literal. There is rarely a Sunday where our doors aren’t open. We cook, we eat, and we slow down long enough to enjoy each other’s company.

Sunday brunch actually started because our kids were getting older. They had jobs, friends, plans, cars… all the things that slowly make your house a whole lot quieter than it used to be. Jacob had the idea that if we made Sunday lunch a standing thing, maybe everybody would keep coming back. We wanted to create something steady that said, no matter how far you go, there’s always a seat here for you.

Over time, that weekly meal became something bigger. If we ever skip a Sunday, people notice. Our most recent break triggered a text message from John, “Jess, I’m hungry”. Brunch is just a given now. And that’s exactly what we love – that people can rest and reset here. Romans 12:13 (NLT) says, When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. That’s what this house stands for: rest, reset, and relationship.

The People Who Fill the Table

This brand was born from our people – the ones who’ve shown up, prayed with and for us, laughed with us, and let our home become theirs.

• Tammy (Mom & Mammy) & Dean (Pappy): A source of understanding and peace.
• Donna (Mom to many and Grandma to many more) & Ray: The ones who make you feel like you belong and are loved beyond measure.
• Kayla, John & Sully: Always bringing the laughter and the heart; reminding us that family is supposed to be fun.
• Our kids — Hannah, Natalee, Eli, and Reed: Our reason for it all. Our life’s work and greatest accomplishments. We started brunch so they’d always have a place to come home to.

We have started plenty of things around here. And by “we,” I mostly mean me. I’ve gotten wildly excited about something, bought all the supplies, made a logo, and then moved on to another idea six months later. 😂 It is a known issue. It’s actually become a running family joke.  When I told Reed about The Sunday House, he said, “Again? You’re just going to quit.” Honesty, fair. Completely fair. But this one felt different.  It didn’t feel like we were trying to manufacture another business idea. It felt like we were finally noticing something God had already been building.

From the Kitchen to the Kingdom

So yes, we make journals and shirts and whatever else God lets this little thing grow into. But the point was never just to make stuff.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

If something we create starts a conversation, encourages somebody, helps them spend more time with God, or simply reminds them that their ordinary life can be used for something bigger — then we’re doing what we set out to do.

The Sunday House is a reminder that everyone is called by name to the table, with a purpose.

If you have a place, you have a purpose.

The Founding Blessing

Lord,

Thank You for giving us the gifts we didn’t always recognize.

Thank You for pairing our strengths and weaknesses so that, together, we can serve You more fully.

Bless this house, this brand, and this family; both ours and every one that connects with it.

Let our work be a reflection of Your heart. Let every sweatshirt worn, every meal shared, and every word written point back to You.

May The Sunday House always be a place of peace, laughter, and belonging. And may every person who finds their way here remember that they have a place at Your table too.

As Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT) reminds us: Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people… The Master you are serving is Christ.

Amen.