image: freedigitalphotos.net:xedos4
Two contenders this week for bloggers who've made me stop and think. 'Community' is a bit of a buzz word nowadays. What exactly is it? How do we define it? Why do we need it? Is it the answer to all ills? Was there ever a 'golden age' when everybody was enveloped in a caring, sharing, loving community like the folk in the above picture, neighbours dropped in and out of each others' houses to borrow a cup of sugar and we all watched out for the children? And now, in the age of the so called nuclear family, where is 'home' and how do we 'do' community in a new way?
That churches have and should take the lead in this seems to be a given. Franciscan Ponderings reflects on what we can offer here. This is the ideal, yet as LutheranChik in Losing My Religion; And What Does Community Mean? and, I'd suspect, many many of us have discovered at some point, even or more especially they all too often fall short of this ideal. You can preach it, teach it, but, (excuse the tired cliches here) when the chips are down and the rubber hits the road, all that matters is IMO, do you do it? Does your church, organisation, group, really reach out to everyone as in the illustration? All of the time? Are you sure? Or might it sometimes appear more like this? (And before everybody rushes to say 'hypocrite,' yes, I'm as guilty of neglect as anyone.)
image: freedigitalphotos.net:savikeatavee
Or even - and here's the downside of modern technology - like this?
image: freedigitalphotos.net. renjithkrishnan
I'm fortunate - my present church is pretty good at watching out for folks. That's not been my experience everywhere, though, sadly. I don't think it needs to be an emergency necessarily either. To me, the true test of community churchwise is - when it all goes pear-shaped or simply a tinge of grey, 'Who you gonna call?' Or even better - 'Who's gonna call you?'
And no, there are times when a FB 'like' just doesn't cut it.
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