Strange Places

Last night, we found community in a strange place: the emergency room. Our 15-year-old son broke his collar bone in a football game in St. Cloud -- and we got the dreaded call from the coach: "No need to be overly concerned, but we just packed your son in the car and he's on his way home. Meet you at the E.R."

We walked into what must be the busiest place on a Sunday night in the suburbs...small feverish children, bleeding and limping adults, worried family members. People were speaking at least three different languages. The nurse told everybody the same thing. "Make yourself comfortable, because it will be a very long wait."

So we did. We sat. And waited.

And we watched as people continued to stream into the place, each one with a story. But here's the strange part. That waiting room was very different from other waiting rooms where people sit in close proximity to each other, trying to pretend the other people in the room don't exist. You know how it goes? You sit down, bury your nose in a magazine, and say nothing to the people around you. Last night, I noticed that the people in that room felt connected to each other. We were all in the same boat. We all had very long waits, we all were suffering, and we all had a story.

So, people started talking to each other. Listening to each other's stories. Offering words of sympathy and hope. Rejoicing with each other when a name was called and someone finally got to see a doctor. 

It was kind of cool.

As I have been talking with people in Dakota County about our new church, I hear many people saying that they are tired of being in close proximity with neighbors and not feeling connected. There is something almost universal about the need to tell your story to someone who will listen and understand. It's good to know that you are in the same boat with others. The Christian church is in a unique position to offer just what people are hungry for. And soon, the newest church in Dakota County will be able to offer a different kind of answer to suffering: the strange power of community.

We will begin building community on Wednesdays, starting Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at Southern Hills Golf Course on Hwy. 3 in Farmington. We'll have a supper together, followed by casual worship and learning for all ages. It's going to be food for the body and for the soul. We'll gather on Wednesdays through November; then comes something even more exciting...Sunday worship in December.

I can't wait.

Deb