God in Company

In this chapter Williams had a large focus on community. Community is very important for the Church and in our culture today. I forget who I heard say it but I once heard someone break the word community down and it was explained as a “common unity”. Community is created when there is a bond over something common to one another. When think about how this applies to churches we should want that common piece to be the love of Christ. With love at the center of everything we do, we will be able to connect with others and impact their lives. In a Christian community there must be times and places for worship, prayer, fellowship, and spiritual growth. There has to be a balance of all of them and focusing on just one can lead to problems. Also in the community we must understand the bigger picture. We must know the goals and plans for the future. We also must be careful. We must never let our guard down and know that evil is always trying to destroy or distort community. As Christians we cannot turn the community just into a safe place to hide and we cannot turn our fellowship into just a social club. As a community we must reach out to others and invite them in. We have to spread the love of Christ to others and be the hands and feet of God. By doing so we allow the community to grow and allow more people to have the same common unity of God’s love that started the community in the first place. Through community we connect people with Christ and we should always be trying to connect other communities with that same love.

           At MVNU I love the focus on community. It’s nice to know that there are people surrounding me that love and care for me. I know people that I don’t even talk to on a regular basis that would still be there to help me out in a heartbeat when I need it. Being a senior this coming year, I know that it is something I will greatly miss when I graduate. That being said I think it is a way that MVNU has prepared me for my future. By setting such a great example of community I know what to expect in a good community. I know what it takes to help create that. Through life, no matter where I am at I will have the skills to help establish a healthy community with those around me. No matter where I am, MVNU has taught me how to live in a community. Everything won’t always be what we want or expect it to be but I have learned how to take on those situations and how to handle them in a way that is in love to everyone.

            As the Church we must strive to create a healthy community that helps others grow in their relationship with Christ. I love the mission statement at my home church. It is “Connecting our community with Christ.” I think it is very fitting for what the Church has been called to do. By connecting the community with Christ and welcoming them into a Christian community we are sharing God’s love and helping others grown in Christ.