04 Nov A Word From…
Community
The Community Committee has not been too busy (Sounds bad, right?). We have had our regular potluck meals on a monthly basis. Other than that, not much has been planned. Over the summer, we had a few extra events, but since the fall semester started, the calendar has felt somewhat full all by itself. Is this a bad thing? I would argue not (Although, if you’re interested in seeing some other church-wide activities, please let me know. We’d love to have you on our committee!).
One thing that I’ve been learning lately is that community does not have to be planned, and it also does not need to be prominent. When I place too many things on the calendar (church or personal), they become tasks on a list and often lose their intent. We show up and do the thing, but for me, too much of a good thing means I get caught up doing the right thing.
One of my goals for the Community Committee is to create and hold space for us as a church to know each other and be together (Maybe that’s 2 goals…). This can look like the monthly church potluck or bread club. It could also be 2 people meeting together one-on-one. Or running into someone at the coffee shop or grocery store. It doesn’t always have to be scheduled and on the calendar.
I see this over and over again in the stories about Jesus. Traveling from this town to that, someone approaches him. Surrounded by a crowd of people, he both hears them, stops his travels, and attends to them. Jesus carried the world on his shoulders, yet he wasn’t too busy.
Can I challenge you? Hold space for one another. Clear your calendar if you need to, to allow yourself to BE. To be present. To be compassionate. To be real about your joys and your struggles. To be attuned to one another. One of the greatest commodities we have to offer one another is our time. When we fill our days or minutes to the brim with tasks, we leave little room for the community that comes naturally when we are not in a hurry.