Come Together

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This past weekend was packed full of events where people were coming together. The City of Franklin put on their annual Main Street Festival. Our church had Serve the City, where over a thousand volunteers went out to do just that – serve the city. Discouraged Predators fans got together and hoped that their cheers would be heard all the way in California (unfortunately, this didn’t work out so well).

While all three of these events were for different purposes, they all had one thing in common – community.

Main Street brought people together to showcase the community’s talents – whether that was through homemade soaps, ACE’s kettle corn, or my all-time favorite… distressed wood signs that say “Nashville.”  The festival showcased artists, singers, and performers from all over Middle Tennessee.

Serve the City brought people together for the purpose of serving other people. It consisted of volunteers giving up their Saturday morning to pick up trash, clean up yards, and fix up homes – all while giving back to the city they call home. Serve the City was a showcase of the change, both physical and emotional, that can happen when people come together.

Believe it or not, despite a losing effort, the Preds even brought people together. Yes, these get-togethers probably consisted of a little more food, a few more beverages, and possibly a few choice words; but, it was a place of community all the same. For our group, the Preds gathering involved the guys cheering in the living room and the girls sitting on the back porch sharing life stories and watching our talented friend design chalkboards. I honestly didn’t even realize the Preds lost until we got home later that night and noticed Adam moping around. 

 

The point of highlighting these events is to showcase our need for community. People like to be around people – especially people that encourage and challenge you. It’s important to value those people that God has placed in your life. It’s also important to recognize that community can be anywhere.

Not only can you have community at church, but you can also have community at work, at the gym, at your child’s school, or even while hanging with your friends on a casual Saturday night. And these communities give you a chance to make your mark. It can be in big ways, like organizing a platform for your co-workers to raise money for a local charity. It can be in small ways, like bringing hummus and pita chips (ok, ok… champagne works, too) to a much needed girls’ night at a friend’s house. It can even be as simple as picking up the phone and catching up with an old friend. The point is that you can build community through your work and through your love. Further, you can build God’s community when you live as an example of everything He can do. But I promise you – you can’t do it alone. You need community.

How can you contribute to building your community this week?