"Intentionally Building Community!"

I don't know about you, but I was raised to be a good American, loyal to the flag and friendly to my neighbors. I grew up in a small town in northern Connecticut and I remember delivering newspapers with my brother (regardless of the weather), shoveling out neighbors who were snowed in, raking big piles of leaves so that we could jump in them, and enjoying the hospitality of neighbors whether we were invited or not. Times seem to have changed across the country, but our need for community has not!

One of my favorite books of the Bible is the wisdom literature of Ecclesiastes. In this book, the author states, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). In this passage we read the importance of community, of relationships, in our lives.

When times are good, it seems that we can make it through life without anyone's help. Have we experienced the slow unweaving of the strands of community in America during our times of prosperity? These were times when people could afford to stand alone, when people were seduced by the idea that they could get back up without help from their neighbors.

I cannot believe that hard-working Americans intentionally unwove their neighborhoods or their communities; but with greater prosperity came greater opportunities for more travel, more activities, and bigger houses with bigger fences with automatic garage door openers. Success led to isolation!

Did we lose focus on the importance of community in the midst of prosperity? And now that times are tough, and people are falling all around us with bankruptcy, underemployment and unemployment, repossessions, addiction, divorce and infidelity, are we struggling to know how to be neighbors and communities?

How do we reach out to help? Not just one day a year, though every effort is wonderful and necessary. I applaud the recent Day of Caring that united our citizens to help their neighbors and I anticipate the upcoming Faith in Action focus of local churches to get out of the church and be the church to bless our community. Thank you and please keep making intentional efforts to build community!

How do we get to know the names of our neighbors and know one another's needs? Whether in times of plenty or want, sickness or health, the reality is that we need to be intentional about building community! We may not know our great need for friends and neighbors until it is too late.

Don't wait for hardship to hit your front door and then realize you have no one who will love and support you. If you are already experiencing hardship and feel isolated, please reach out to your neighbors or reach out to a local Bible-teaching Christ-centered church. Community is essential, so let's start building it together, one neighborhood at a time, one relationship at a time.