God Has Claimed Us as Beloved Children
Over Thanksgiving, one of you sent me a very interesting YouTube video from Chelsea Fagan of @thefinancialdiet. She spoke about the loneliness epidemic, how we now have to pay for so many things that used to be free, and how this is related to the loss of community through the decline of involvement in religion, unions, social organizations, and so on.
She rightly notes that many people have left religious communities because of exclusionary practices, judgmentalism, and so forth.
I have met so many people who can’t trust churches. Religious trauma is real, and people have been hurt in terrible ways by congregations and/or their religious family members.
Other people haven’t had first-hand trauma from churches but have heard a lot of bad things and have not heard enough good things to be open to connecting with one.
I would never want to impose faith on someone, but it breaks my heart to see people suffering, knowing that a church like Our Saviour could help them through their pain.
Church is a place where we can connect to the Holy and hear stories of liberation and hope. We can discover that we matter, not because of our wealth or status, but because God has claimed us as beloved children. We can make friends with people of different ages. We can call on each other when we are going through a painful time and can find kindness and often practical help as well. We can play board games or break bread over a potluck. We can volunteer to help our neighbors while strengthening our bonds with each other. And no one is barred from participating due to a cover charge.
If you know people who might benefit from connecting to a faith community, here are some things you could try.
If someone has had bad experiences with religion, treat their story with great tenderness. Just listen.
If someone is curious about church but nervous, invite them to watch some of our services on YouTube, so they can decide for themselves if our church feels safe enough.
Let them know I’m available to talk one-to-one, in the way that feels comfortable for them. I do in-person visits, Zoom calls, and phone calls.
In Christ’s peace,
Malia