Community

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2: 42-47

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go to Rwanda. I will never forget the first rural church that we visited. We drove in down a long dirt track and parked some way from the church. It was a fairly basic affair, mud brick walls and a tin roof. We could hear the drumming well before we went inside. The volume was phenomenal. On stepping into the gloom I was surprised to see only about forty people inside, mostly women, singing their hearts out. Many of them were widows of the genocide, or with husbands in prison. On Sundays they worshipped together, for five days they worked the fields together and on Saturdays they built a house. Not for themselves, but for people around the village who were in need. They called themselves "The Fellowship of Believers". They welcomed us as honoured guests, but their simple community lifestyle put me to shame.

Last year I had the opportunity to work with a small team all dedicated to the same task. For seven months we worked together, prayed together, shared our hopes and fears, trials and joys together. It was one of the most enjoyable times I have ever had, despite coinciding with one of the most difficult periods of my life.

Last week I reached the section on community in Finding Sanctuary. I haven't really assimilated it yet, but it reminded me of these two incidents. It reawakened the desire in me to return to that close-knit team. Real community is not something that I know very much about. I am still fumbling my way to identify the biblical basis for it. Yet it seems, where it exists, to be such a rich source of support and enjoyment. I must maintain this note to self and explore it further.