Community – Part 2
April 24th, 2007 § 1 Comment
If you know anything about the recent happenings in my church you might argue that we have already received a jump start, as our minister and us have parted ways, but I think it is what we do now that will really affect what we become in the future. If we are to move in any direction, other than to our doors to close them permanently, then this is the time.
Tomorrow evening, I will introduce the class by exploring what we consider a community, the different communities to which we belong, what we look for in a community, and maybe we’ll even see what the Good Book has to say about the subject at hand. It should be interesting. If you’re in the area, I encourage you to stop by and participate.
If you are unable to stop by Glendale, perhaps because you live in Colorado, Texas, or somewhere just as far, I encourage you to post your thoughts on community here. I’ll do my best to blog about our discussion before and/or after each class.
Here is a sampling of questions to ponder this week.
What is a community?
How/when are communities formed?
What are some communities to which you belong?
What benefits do you receive from those communities?
What do you contribute to those communities?
What do you look for in a community?
Post your thoughts and I’ll bring your input into our discussion at church.
I’ve been reading about community this week. I like Josiah Royce’s stuff on being a community of memory, of hope, or becoming (as MLK hoped) the Beloved community. Any chance you guys get to tell your story together and imagine the shared future ahead is going to be great, I’m sure. There’s a good little book called Memories, Hopes and Conversations that describes a way of directing a jump-start like this.