I am grateful to have experienced a good deal of community in our town in a recent week. My calendar was full of opportunity to be with other people through a variety of occasions and events. I worked on a project with an old friend in another town, visiting with others while we are there, made some new friends and caught up with others in Montgomery, our state capital, spent time with my church family in worship and Bible study here in Atmore, attended our city’s National Day of Prayer service at the local High School, enjoyed our city’s spring festival with my son and daughter-in-law to be, experienced the Atmore Hall of Fame induction, honored our church’s high school and college graduates, and enjoyed participating in a baccalaureate ceremony. What a great week of community!
We humans were created for community, although according to a recent declaration, more Americans than ever are suffering from loneliness. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy stated that around half of all adults in our nation have experienced loneliness, and there is an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. He further declared this is bad for our health. (You can read about it at https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/03/new-surgeon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastating-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html).
God created us with the desire to have companionship. Originally, both man and woman were in constant companionship with God, Himself. Of course, man and woman enjoyed companionship with one another and with their children. People gathered with other people in community and pooled their resources to create tribes, townships, cities, and countries. We need community.
The description of a church centers around people. People are, in fact, the church, while the buildings in which we gather to meet are what we have come to mistakenly call, “churches.” In the early days of Christianity, people gathered in homes, having no buildings in which to meet. When we read the books of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and such, we read letters addressed to groups of people gathering as a church in those cities. These communities of believers met to worship God, love one another, and love others.
Cities like Atmore and others provide community, and I am grateful. Within a church and within a city, we benefit from combining our gifts, skills, experiences, and expertise to achieve much more together than we could achieve individually. We bring our resources, connections, and organizations to seek good and provide good for one another. Where one group is weak, another is strong. Where one person is lacking, another is blessed. We all come together in community.
As I reflect on a busy week of experiencing community, I had to admit I was extremely tired, but I felt extremely blessed. (The following week was terribly busy as well, but I felt just as blessed!) Here is my first question for you, though. Do you thank God for those with whom you are in community? Think about it…have you taken time to thank Him for all He provides through other people? Furthermore, have you considered how life would be without those people?
As I recall the faces at various gathering of that week, I remember their individual gifts and contributions to our community in both First Baptist and Atmore. I see some who organize and some who are hands-on. I see some who lead and some who lovingly follow. I see some who participate and some who enjoy observing. I see so many gifts, skills, abilities, and areas of expertise that come together to create community. Additionally, I see some who suffer from loneliness, no matter the cause.
As I remember the lonely people, I pose a second question to you. Have you done your best to extend community to those who feel left out? It is easy to be left out, even unintentionally. Let me tell you a story. I have served in churches since I was in college. It is what I do. One time, my bride and I had been called to serve on staff at a particular church. It was a fine church. It was a well-known church. We were glad to be there. On the Sunday we joined, we stood at the front and received many well-wishes and welcomes. The people were friendly and loving, yet they were also preoccupied. Each family or group that welcomed us was sincere, but they had failed to consider this young couple’s lack of relationships within their church. When the receiving line ended, we were left alone with our two children while everyone else went out to eat. This happened the first few weeks we were there. Finally, one week, a family asked us out after a service. We felt included. We began to experience community. We had longed for that.
Again, I ask, have you done your best to extend community to those who feel left out? I hope you have. It is easy to be preoccupied, having the best intentions, yet failing to look around and notice those who are disconnected. They need community, as well, and we have so much to offer! We have a fine community here. I love our community. I am blessed by our community. My bride is blessed by our community. If you live in our area you are part of that blessing. Together, let’s seek to bless others. We were created for community.
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