This article will first be published on September 11, 2013, the twelfth anniversary of the attacks on our nation by a small group of terrorists. While the immediate response to the attack was to draw all Americans together in community, it was not long before it began to tear our nation apart. What I mean by that is that many of our citizens began to look suspiciously at any citizen who appeared to of Middle Easter origin. People refused to fly with women in hijabs or Sikhs in their traditional turbans. Entire communities rose up against the legal building of mosques or Islamic centers, claiming that they would be breeding grounds for terrorists. This fear and its accompanying rhetoric then extended beyond those of Middle Eastern background to anyone who did not look "American" enough. The challenge that is still before us is to continue working toward building community in which all human beings are valued for their innate worth as children of God.
We begin building this kind of community by connecting ourselves with God who created all of us and who loved the world enough to send the only Son into the world in order to save it. Connecting with God comes through an ever deepening life of prayer and meditation, and regular attendance in worship (we have covered both prayer and worship earlier in this series). These actions attune our lives to God and God's desires for us. They also allow us to respond to God in thoughts, words, songs and actions. While these practices may seem somewhat awkward to many of us because we may never have practiced them, over time they can become an important and meaningful part of our lives.
We continue building community by developing caring relationships within the body of Christ. We can do this through interacting with others before and after worship, being part of a Bible study, Dinners for Eight or covenant group (you can find out more about these in First Things), coming to church events, assisting with our All Abilities Inclusion Ministry, or volunteering for one of the various mission activities in which the church engages. These activities allow us to come to know one another on a deeper level than would otherwise be possible through a Sunday morning greeting. By so doing we can share our hopes, joys and sorrows in such a way that we are bound together as authentic community.
Community occurs not only within the walls and activities of our church but it is built within the community. Part of our tradition as Presbyterians is that we are to be engaged in the wider community. We have founded colleges, universities, community assistance programs and have been engaged in the political process. We do so because we believe that God calls us to be making a positive difference in the world around us. Thus part of being in community is to connect and work with those who are striving to bring about meaningful change in our world. This can be done by engaging in Interfaith work, volunteering or sitting on the boards of helping organizations, tutoring at Alcott Elementary School or in any number of other ways.
Being in Community continues with building community internationally. While the problems facing our world often appear overwhelming there are simply ways in which we can build a closer knit community. One of my favorites organizations (and there are many, many others) is KIVA (kiva.org). KIVA allows individuals to make loans (as small as $25) to farmers, small entrepreneurs or homeowners all over the world. As the loans are repaid (they have a 99% repayment rate) you have the opportunity to loan the repayment to others. In this way it is possible to be in community with people across the globe in an ongoing fashion.
Finally being in community means taking care of the world in which we live. Whether this looks like being active in environmental organizations, participating in River Rouge cleanups, recycling Styrofoam here at the church or going green at home, we can be in community with God's creation of which we are a part.
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