We have some big news. It's so big that, even though like all healthy things it will start small and with love and nurture grow into whatever it was created to be, I am writing with some trepidation.
Ever since we articulated a framework for the kind of intentional community we wanted to be the catalyst for (and wrote it down here) a year and a few months ago, we've been hoping for some joiners. "God, please--send your people to us!" has been a raw cry more than a few times since then.
We didn't really want to move here and do what we're doing outside of that kind of community, but we didn't have it where we were, so we came on down to SLU, hoping that others would join us.
And while it's been a great year and two months, and God has surprised us with community in many amazing ways, we haven't had any joiners. Nobody has said, "Yes, I'm a questioner, follower, seeker, lover, and/or doubter of Jesus and I'd love to come together with you guys to live in close geographical proximity, support one another through regular community practices, and connect ourselves and our resources to the people in the neighborhood."
Well (drum roll)....we have some joiners! Matt and Marilee, together with daughters Mira and Lina, found us on the Intentional Communities Directory, and wondered if what we are trying to be in SLU would be a good fit for their family. After a lot of emails, a few gatherings, continuous prayer, and a pretty sweet apartment vacancy in our building, they're selling their house and moving in! You can read more about their process on Marilee's blog.
Needless to say, we are totally thrilled and looking forward to working out what this intentional community will really be like for our two families (while being open to other joiners as well). Not only do we have affinity for each other, but we've also all felt an overwhelming peace about the idea of doing this together, even though we don't yet know each other well. God is at work here, no doubt about it. We are thankful and humbled by the intersection of our lives in this peculiar way.
Together with the excitement, there's a vulnerability for all of us in this that sometimes feels a little scary. What if something really bad happens? What if we get close and one of us leaves? What if we have conflict (that's not a "what if"--all people in community have conflict)? What's it going to be like to forgive and be forgiven with people outside my own family? Will we really be able to do that? We have so much to learn--not only about one another, but about being in community.
It's big. It's right. It's humbling. It's happening.
Thanks be to God.
