Finding Community Through Church
By: The Rev. Suzanne Harris
My granddaughters recently asked their mother why they had to go to church. They pointed out that their cousins (our other grandchildren) do not go to church, and they are still good people.
We have three families of grandchildren: only our daughter Amy’s family, goes to church and Sunday school at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Davidson, North Carolina. The other two, our sons’ families, live in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are good parents with good children. The children are intelligent but are somewhat clueless about God and Jesus.
While these two secular families do teach their children good values and find community through scouting, schools and friends, the Church alone teaches the children these key messages in community:
- You are accepted. You are a child of God.
- You belong. Through baptism you belong.
- Your community cares about the suffering of others and the world, the poor, the environment, justice.
- In your community, “losing” is OK. Unlike Vince Lombardi who said winning is the only thing, we know we can learn through losing, and that God can turn losing into winning.
- There is more to life than meets the eye. Church provides meaning and vitality to everything we do. We are a community that derives its meaning and energy from the teachings, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
- Every day is significant when we dedicate it to God.
- Every human interaction is holy.
- Every person we meet is precious.
- Every sorrow--even the most terrible things we may experience--can be survived, overcome and redeemed with God’s help.
- Death itself is holy and significant.
Significance and vitality are what we as a church community can offer the world and ourselves. I wish I could get the other families to find a church, but perhaps the children will be curious enough to find church later in their lives. I hope and pray so.
Tags: Stewardship Campaign / Life Together
