1: a unified body of individuals: as
a: state , commonwealth
b: the people with common interests living in a particular area ; broadly : the area itselfcommunity>
c: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location
d: a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society community of retired persons>
e: a group linked by a common policy
f: a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interestscommunity>
g: a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger societycommunity>
2: society at large
3 a: joint ownership or participation <community of goods> b: common character : likeness <community of interests> c: social activity : fellowship d: a social state or condition
Community can be a bit of a loaded word for me. One of the first things we attempted at our church when we became members several years ago was to join a "community group." While different churches call these groups different things, at our church, they are essentially groups based loosely on geography that give you an opportunity to get to know other church members in a smaller group. To say that this first experience was not a positive one is an understatement. The group transitioned to new leaders shortly after we joined and one of the new leaders, for reasons I still do not know, could not stand me. She's Southern (note the capital S), so she tried pretty hard to disguise her dislike for me. But it was still evident to me and to my husband. To make things harder on me, it was a group where every other woman was a stay-at-home mom. At the time, I was working full time while my husband stayed at home with our daughter. I felt not only different, but like I was a poor mother.
The whole experience left me feeling a bit gun-shy about trying to make Christian friends. I thought that maybe being a part of Christian community just wasn't going to happen for me. Sure we're all sinners, but maybe I was just too big a sinner.
A few years after this experience, we moved to a different part of town and joined a new community group. I am so thankful that I was willing to try again because I learned so much about community from this group of people. I felt accepted, encouraged and included in a way I never had in the first group. I clearly remember one member of our group saying as we stood around in someone's kitchen, "This feels like family! It's so great when we're all together like this." And he was right, it did feel good. I grew a lot in that group, largely because I was able to be myself and be pretty honest about who I was and what I believed.
When the leader of that group moved to another city, she told me one thing she had always valued about me was my authenticity. It was funny to hear because that's exactly what I valued about the group.
After that experience, my husband and I led a group for over two years and are currently helping to build a larger community through a Sunday School class. It's amazing how a very negative initial experience has shaped my beliefs about community, my desire for it and my willingness to word towards it.
a: state , commonwealth
b: the people with common interests living in a particular area ; broadly : the area itself
c: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location
d: a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society community of retired persons>
e: a group linked by a common policy
f: a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests
g: a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society
2: society at large
3 a: joint ownership or participation <community of goods> b: common character : likeness <community of interests> c: social activity : fellowship d: a social state or condition
Community can be a bit of a loaded word for me. One of the first things we attempted at our church when we became members several years ago was to join a "community group." While different churches call these groups different things, at our church, they are essentially groups based loosely on geography that give you an opportunity to get to know other church members in a smaller group. To say that this first experience was not a positive one is an understatement. The group transitioned to new leaders shortly after we joined and one of the new leaders, for reasons I still do not know, could not stand me. She's Southern (note the capital S), so she tried pretty hard to disguise her dislike for me. But it was still evident to me and to my husband. To make things harder on me, it was a group where every other woman was a stay-at-home mom. At the time, I was working full time while my husband stayed at home with our daughter. I felt not only different, but like I was a poor mother.
The whole experience left me feeling a bit gun-shy about trying to make Christian friends. I thought that maybe being a part of Christian community just wasn't going to happen for me. Sure we're all sinners, but maybe I was just too big a sinner.
A few years after this experience, we moved to a different part of town and joined a new community group. I am so thankful that I was willing to try again because I learned so much about community from this group of people. I felt accepted, encouraged and included in a way I never had in the first group. I clearly remember one member of our group saying as we stood around in someone's kitchen, "This feels like family! It's so great when we're all together like this." And he was right, it did feel good. I grew a lot in that group, largely because I was able to be myself and be pretty honest about who I was and what I believed.
When the leader of that group moved to another city, she told me one thing she had always valued about me was my authenticity. It was funny to hear because that's exactly what I valued about the group.
After that experience, my husband and I led a group for over two years and are currently helping to build a larger community through a Sunday School class. It's amazing how a very negative initial experience has shaped my beliefs about community, my desire for it and my willingness to word towards it.
2 comments:
I can't imagine anyone not being able to stand you. What was wrong with that woman?? For the record, I'm very glad you're authentic because I like you just the way you are :)
Community is a hard thing. It took us four years to finally feel like we had a community here. Sometimes I still struggle with it. I wonder why it's so hard?
I think it's probably hard because true community shows us not just the best, but the worst, about ourselves. Whether we like to admit it or not, we're all imperfect mirrors of each other. I think it's harder for some people to "take off their masks" than others. I've never been a good liar - when I try to lie, it's written all over my face - so being authentic is just about the only way to go. Ultimately, I think that's a better choice, but that doesn't mean it's always easy.
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