Our Community?

It is ironic that often it is in the church where we are least open and honest with each other, unable to share and deal with the concerns that touch people most deeply. Part of the meaning of fellowship is to know and be known by others. Within this fellowship we should be able to share from the depths of our souls. There should be no pretending. Before God all our attempts at self-protection are worthless anyway. We cannot fool God and it is questionable whether we will fool others either….
         
In community we can take off the masks and give up defense mechanisms, as they are no longer needed. In community we can overcome the gap between our public face and private face, the difference between the way we act at home and the way we act with others. We can feel free to share both who we are and what we have, our strengths and weaknesses, assets and needs. We can completely give ourselves to each other.
          ~ Source: Arthur G. Gish, Living in Christian Community (Herald Press, 1979, p.65).
            From Plough article Communion, posted March 7, 2024, https://www.plough.com/en .
           
So, by Gish’s definition of community, is Old Chatham Monthly Meeting a true community? Hard to say, but certainly food for thought.

~ submitted by Richard Russell