Our joiners--Matt, Marilee, Mira, and Lina--have been here for almost two months. That means they moved in right in the middle of the holidays (yup, that was pretty crazy). Even after that settled, they had to get a few details ironed out before doing too much posting about moving, so as I'm writing this, their presence here doesn't seem new at all. In fact, having them here has been so natural and life giving that I don't remember what life was like without them, except a vague memory that it wasn't as nice. It is so good to finally be "doing community" even as we are starting in a pretty low-key way.
A lot of you have asked, "Have they moved in yet? How's it going? Are you 'doing it'?" The latter two questions can be tricky to answer. Here's what it currently looks like within the framework that is outlined on this blog in the top right corner (pasted in here in bold).
"We are heading up a group of questioners, followers, seekers, lovers, and doubters of Jesus coming together to:"
As we get to know one another better, we are discovering which of these labels each person most relates to in personal orientation to Jesus. Of course, we probably all experience questioning, following, seeking, loving, and doubting on some level, but there is diversity among us in which actions are most poignant in our current experience. I love this about our little group. I love that we can be oriented around Jesus without insisting, for example, that nobody wrestle or yell or be infatuated with him. Jesus meets each of us where we are and works from that place, all the while shaping the rest of the community through the experiences of the "other."
1. live in close geographical proximity
We live in separate apartments in the same building, on the same floor. Our place is near the middle and theirs is on the end, which means when we're not together we use different exterior doors to enter the building (the building takes up almost a whole city block). They have a bigger living/dining room. We have a bigger bathroom and kitchen. To get to each others' units, we don't have to use any stairs or open any hallway doors, but we do have to walk by several other apartments and go around a little corner. There's a community room on the same floor, but as nice as it seems and as cool as it is to sometimes see neighbors there, our apartments work way better for our little ones.
2. support one another through regular community practices
In addition to a fair amount of spontaneous seeing of one another when we're just around or happen to be in the same place (especially mothers and daughters), twice a week we've been meeting to reflect on our day together over a shared snacky dinner, alternating locations at each other's apartments. A fancy word for this is the Examen--the ancient spiritual practice of sharing consolations and desolations with community members.
We begin by lighting a candle and depending on who is leading, you might hear something like, "We've had good times and bad times today," or "The light of divine revelation in our everyday experience," or "We light this candle because God has been speaking to us all day."
Then we make sure to give the children a chance to share their highs and lows for the day (often, they do!) and take turns doing so ourselves (when the girls are done eating, they run off and play as they wish). We are a very chatty group, so although we make sure everyone gets a chance to share, there's a lot of clarifying, expounding, getting off topic, sharing stories, and let's not forget--being interrupted to help the children with this or that. As a result of all this, we are getting to know one another better.
I'm interested to see what "regular community practices" will look like in the months to come, but only time will tell. There are several questions before us to sort out, such as:
What other practices will work well for all of us, including our children and our diversity in orientation toward Jesus?
How often do regular practices need to be for this community to gel?
How does a person remain part of the formation of a community when out of town or working long hours?
When can the practices really be if some of us stay up late (guess who!) and others get up early?
What is the purpose of "practices" and how are they different from other ways of being together?
How will the practices benefit from leadership without one person taking over, but also while honoring the different gifts each of us has?
3. connect ourselves and our resources to the people in the neighborhood
We've has a blast introducing Matt, Marilee, Mira, and Lina to other families in the neighborhood at the weekly potlucks that happen at the center across the street.
Marilee and her girls are getting connected to the streets of South Lake Union by walking completely across the neighborhood and back again three times a week in taking Mira to school. She's written about that experience here. While Josh and I have gotten pretty entrenched in helping the community center across the street get up and going, Matt and Marilee are (beautifully and complementarity) more drawn to Immanuel Community Services, which is also across the street.
The longer they are here, the more they are learning about the place and getting connected (and of course, this is all happening in the midst of "daily life," which has included not only cooking, diapers, and clutter control, but also sickness, birthdays, and extended travel!).
I'm confident that as time goes on we will discover even more about how our different interests in the neighborhood intersect and enrich each other.
So, that's "how we're doing it" right now. Hooray for the joiners! Thanks for your prayers and thanksgivings as we continue this formation.
