Church Community

Today, my Dad and Shannon came to visit Micah. While they were here, Mary Derksen came over to pick up her casserole dish from a meal she had cooked earlier in the week (thanks again!). I told them that the church provides a weeks worth of meal (thanks for organizing that Greg and Karmen) to a family after they have a baby. Shannon exclaimed to my Dad, "See! That's why we should join a church!"

Her comment stuck with me. We are blessed to be a part of a church community that values one another. We take care of each other.

My dad's comment afterward floored me. "But then you know who would be calling. People would want us to cook for them too." In his selfishness, he missed the point. Community is about helping one another and being helped. Its about giving and taking. Its about caring for one another. Little does he know, but not 8 weeks earlier, we were the ones bringing the meal to another family who just had a baby (hi Darnell and Christina). Its a reciprocal gesture.

Community to us has always been important. We can't imagine having to cook meals after just having a baby. It would be too much work and we'd probably end up "finger cooking" (ordering in). We've heard many stories of people who had to cook meals for their entire extended families 24 hours post-partum.  (Can you imagine?) Many people we've talked to have been amazed by the generosity of the church. And to be honest, we are too. We don't take it for granted. We are truly blessed by the community that surrounds us. And the best part? It goes beyond just meals. Its the warmth you feel when they offer to get groceries for you. Its the thought behind the question, "Do you need anything?" Its the blessing of having them run after your toddler when you are 9 months pregnant. Its the smiles and hugs they give. Its the encouragement they give you with a squeeze of the shoulder when your unruly toddler is fussing in church (thanks Margaret). Its the joy you see in their eyes as they watch your family grow. It the desire to hold your newborn and play with your toddler. Its the laughter you see when your toddler makes a break for it during the service.

Its a blessing to us to be a part of a church community and all that it entails, both the giving and the receiving, the joys and the sorrows.  Perhaps they should join the church and see what community is really all about.