Sometimes when we talk about community, its kind of a buzz word that people like to toss around. We’re not always clear on what it means. Living Water Community Church focuses on walking the talk, translating community into reality. This week I’m offering a few snapshots from our life as a way of getting beyond the buzz words.

Wednesday afternoon, 4:35 pm

In what appears to be a gang related incident, two young men walking by the corner across from the church and shot twice at teenagers hanging out on the corner where I live and work. I wasn’t there at the time, but Charletta was in the parking lot behind the building and my friend Charles was in the front. No one was hurt, but it still shakes up folks. Charletta, Charles and a few others from church gathered outside immediately after for watermelon while debriefing the incident.

Wednesday evening, 6:30 pm

We gathered for our weekly potluck with a lovely spread of food. Some of the food was gleaned from local grocery stores, some of it was fresh off the stoves of church members. My personal favorite is the spinach, walnut and carrot salad that shows up every week without fail. After eating, 15 of us practice a simple dance to song “Go Down Moses” to be used during worship on Sunday morning.

Wednesday evening, 8:30 pm

We had a the final gathering of the small group that Charletta and I have been attending since January. Our mission was to discuss all 24 articles in the Mennonite Confession of Faith. We got through 19 of them and along the way, we shared deeply from our lives and had many lively discussions about our faith. We closed the evening by sharing communion with one another. There was plenty of bread left over for a second round.

Thursday evening, 6:00 pm

On the corner across from the church we gathered for a church-sponsored block party to listen to the music of a steel pan worship band from Trinidad. For me it was significant that we were in the same space where 26 hours ago a shooting had occurred. We took back the space with wonderful Caribbean music, dancing, and stories from Living Water folk. It was a joyful, life-giving and healing time.

Saturday afternoon, 4:30 pm

Twenty of us gathered to share banana bread and hear from a couple in our church who are considering whether God is calling them to move elsewhere. It was a reminder for me of how seriously people take their commitment to the community and accountability to one another. I was struck by the compassion and thoughtfulness of people as they shared thoughts and counsel. I was also reminded of how good Living Water folks are at making banana bread.

Sunday morning, 9:30 am

Photo by Peter Anderson

We met for worship together. After a group of us danced our way through “Go down Moses” the whole congregation followed us through the parted red sea.

Sunday afternoon, 1:00 pm

A group of us gathered by the lake to share an informal potluck picnic. We shared tortilla chips, quesadillas, gleaned apples and cantaloupe. This has been a regular Sunday tradition through the summer and it was wonderful to enjoy one more sunny, warm afternoon together at the end of September. It was also special to have three refugee families from Eritrea with us. They settled in Rogers Park at the beginning of the month and have been attending Living Water since then.

Sunday evening, 7:00 pm

A small group of us meeting on the corner outside the church for prayer as we welcome the new week together.