What's Been Missing

It's been so long.  I had forgotten what it looked like; what it felt like.  Community.  Real community.  And, oh, how I've missed it.  It's been so inspiring to see and experience first hand the benefits of living in community.  I've been blessed to be a part of a local church (Imago Dei) that strives for community.  Authentic community.  A lot of churches say that it is one of their purposes, but rarely have I seen it come to pass.  For example, when we moved, only ONE person (and her husband) from our church helped us load up the moving truck (in addition to about 6 other folks not from our church) , verses FIVE strangers from Imago who helped us unload here in Portland. What's wrong with that picture?  As much as we enjoyed our time at our church in AZ, and met some great people, it really never felt like a community to us.  No matter how hard we tried, we never felt a closeness to the people there that we did in our churches in Santa Cruz and SLO.  And at Imago, its been the same.  We felt, almost immediately, like a part of a community.  Both at the Sunday service and within our home community group, which meets weekly for fellowship and a meal.  These home groups function so differently from any small group we've been a part of--it feels like a family get together.  And Sunday gatherings have this unique intimacy, not often seen in a megachurch (Imago has about 2000 members).  I have been brought to situations far outside of my comfort zone among these people, and yet, it's so comforting to be a part of this body of believers.  It's an answer to a longtime prayer.  I am so grateful.

One of my Christian friends told me before moving here that Portland was "Godless" (she was referring, I think, to the people--it is much more liberal and there are a lot less Christians here than AZ).  But, I disagree.  In the month I've been here, I've seen more of God than I ever did in the nearly 6 years in AZ.  In the nature yes, but also in the people, Christian and non-Christian alike.  Portland functions so much more like a community.  People rally together to take care of each other and the community.  They care about the earth, God's creation.  They care about justice, fairness.  They care about preservation and humanity.  I don't want to get caught up in the politics of it all but rather, just rejoice because I definitely see God at work.  And not in the most obvious of places or people.  I don't want to focus on the differences that might exist between myself and the typical Portland citizen.  I want to work together on the platforms where we have common ground: living "locally"; caring for the environment; sustainable farming/food production; healthy eating; combatting homelessness, hunger, poverty, crime; caring for our neighbors; etc., etc.  Our church does work with local non-Christian organizations to serve in these areas.  Its so wonderful to see!  And to see different church bodies uniting as the "church" to serve the community has been inspiring.  This is what God intended for His church.  ONE body.  And I've been missing it for so long and so excited to be a part of it again.

I don't want to sugar coat it, because Portland has its fair share of issues: crime, drugs, unsafe neighborhoods--no different than any other major metropolis.  The difference I've noticed is that the community is working together to try to improve those situations, to make Portland an even better place to live.  I am excited to be a part of this movement.  And I feel privileged to be a part of a true community once again.  I heart Portland!