Community is Key

I like to think I can do it all on my own. As a 35-year-old single woman, I have done a lot on my own. I rearrange furniture by myself. I replace lightbulbs. I pay the bills. I moved to Africa for a year, and I consider myself to be rather independent.

But the truth is, I can’t do everything on my own. Despite the hurts I have faced in the past, I can’t do church alone. No one should do church alone.

I get it. It’s difficult, sometimes, especially when you’re new in town. Being new in town is a role I’ve played five times in my adult life, and I did get to a point where I tried to “do church” on my own. Go on Sundays, avoid eye contact with people, worship, listen to the sermon, and sneak out as quickly as possible after the last song.
Somehow, the Holy Spirit convinced me that I needed more. I needed community. I was horrified. Community means vulnerability, which had hurt me in the past. Was I ready for that again?

I decided to take the plunge into the ECC community by joining an IF:Table in the summer of 2015. It turned out to be exactly what I needed for my spiritual life. Simply coming together with fellow Christian women for a few hours every month had a profound impact on my walk with Christ, and it continues to do so to this day.
And talk about vulnerability. We’ve shared some of our deepest hurts, confessed sins, and even leaned on each other when two of our group members had miscarriages.

My IF:Table group is what community is all about. If you walk into a church and expect community to magically happen, it likely won’t. What are you doing to be a part of, or even create, a small community who can be vulnerable with each other?

It’s imperative that we find smaller groups to be a part of, so we can truly support one another. Don’t do church alone, and don’t let your friends do church alone. There’s a community of love and support that will welcome you with open arms if you allow yourself to go.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2