In an Atlantic Unbound interview on September 21, 2000, political scientist and Harvard professor Robert Putnam said about social connectedness that “School performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even simple human happiness -- all are demonstrably affected by how (and whether) we connect with our family and friends and neighbors and co-workers.”
It’s amazing to me that this statement from twenty-four years ago resonates with such an immediacy of truth that it could’ve been made yesterday. This is particularly true because of one of the things that we at St. Simon’s are frequently and joyfully saying about our community these days: St. Simon’s exists so that everyone can experience the abundant life Jesus came to bring. One part of that abundant life that St. Simon’s is called to bring about is that everyone is connected to community.
Since much of Robert Putnam’s work, included a new documentary, is about the idea of “joining,” it’s easy to focus on getting people to return to the practice of joining civic and religious institutions rather than focusing on the fabric of community that is woven because of the existence and work of such institutions. As St. Simon’s leans more deeply into our call to connect to community it might be easy for us, too, to focus on participating in community events as a means to get more people to join St. Simon’s. But, if we look back at the Discernment Team’s work, we’ll remember that it was all about discovering the ends we are called to accomplish in the world, rather than figuring out the means by which those ends might be accomplished.
While this passage from Mark’s gospel may not seem to be about community connection, I think it has something to teach us about our call to build community for its own sake:
Jesus sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” - Mark 9:35-37
Just before this passage, Jesus’s disciples were arguing with each other about who was the greatest. Doesn’t St. Simon’s want to be the greatest? Certainly we want our congregation to grow in numbers, and strength, and vitality, but it seems that the desire to be the greatest isn’t quite what Jesus is looking for. Jesus reminds his disciples - reminds us- of the call to servanthood, of the call to meet the other at the point of their need, regardless of any benefit to ourselves. In fact, this is so important to Jesus that he puts in front of the disciples a vulnerable child, someone who couldn’t help make any of them the greatest, and he says that when they welcome and serve that little child they are serving Jesus himself.
St. Simon’s is called to build community, to cultivate social connection, because the Crucified and Risen One whom we follow, Jesus, built community and quite literally gave all of himself for the life of that community, and for the life of the world. We are called to build community not so that we’ll be the greatest church in Arlington Heights or in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, but because Jesus has called us to do so.
We have an opportunity to be with our community and build social connection coming up in October. On Saturday, October 26, from 10am-12:30pm, we’ll be participating in the Village of Arlington Heights’s annual Trunk or Treat. At this event we’ll have the opportunity to connect with upwards of 750 families from our community and not only give out candy, but also offer messages of support and hope and let the members of our community know that St. Simon’s cares about them.
There are several ways you can support this (spooky) community connection work of St. Simon’s:
When you’re grocery shopping and picking up some items for the Wheeling Township Food Pantry, pick up several bags of Halloween candy and bring them to church. We need enough candy for 1,000 children!
If you’d have fun dressing up in a costume and handing out candy at the event, let me know. We’ve got a person or two committed to doing this already, and a couple of more would be wonderful, especially if you have a wild costume idea you’ve been waiting to try.
If you have a truck or other vehicle that would be great for decorating and/or you’d like to help decorate the back of a vehicle for this event (Trunk or Treat means you hand out candy from the decorated trunk of a vehicle), let me know.
Encourage friends and family with children to register for Trunk or Treat.
As we move into the “ber” months, when the sublime joys of autumn, the spookiness of Halloween, and the poignancy of All Saints Day are on the horizon, I’m excited to see all the places we’ll meet God “out in the neighborhood.”
In Gratitude,
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