We have 5 children that we mostly homeschooled through high school.  Three times a day, everyday, every week, every month, and every year, we sat around a table and had a meal together and talked about everything you can imagine.  A lot of the time we had family and friends join us for a meal and discussion.  Those conversations taught us that getting to know people and what they are facing in their everyday lives happens during a meal around a table.

If you look at the early church, that is exactly how the truth about Jesus spread and how God added people to the church.  They had a platform that was conducive to getting to know people.