COMMUNITIES OF CONCERN

There is a practical way of accessing the viability of a community, especially a Christian Community. It is to simply determine the amount of time, energy and money that is spent on itself and the amount of the same resources that are spent on others outside the community. If our resources are for the ‘meeting,’ the ‘meeting leaders’ and the ‘meeting place,’ then the obvious determination is a community dedicated to ‘the meeting’ as a community. A community of concern is certainly one that is concerned about the local flock it gathers. But, as Palmer points out, our health and healing come from helping others as well as ourselves.

Parker Palmer, Quaker author and teacher wrote:

“So we must learn, in this twisted age, that the ultimate therapy is to identify our own pain with the pain of others, and then band together to resist the conditions that create our common malady…as we learn to see our own plight in the lives of our brothers and sisters we will begin to find health. Therapy involves identifying and building communities of concern. Only so we can heal ourselves.” (From ’40 Day Journey’)

This makes a Community of Concern a real concern.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” Jesus