The dictionary's first definition of "community" leaves much to be desired: all the people living in a specific locality. The second is not much better. It is, a body of people having a religion, a profession, etc., in common. It is not until you reach the third definition that the sense of the meaning of "community" becomes evident. Here, "community" is defined as "fellowship" or "similarity."
The root of "community" is the same root that gives us "communication," "commune," "communion," and even, "common." The root com means with as in together. The English combination of "com" and "mun" comes from the French comun, and conveys the idea of two or more people involved in deep intercourse, or conversation, with each other. "Community," then, in its truest sense, is that group of people who are in deep intercourse – think in terms of relationship – with each other. The operative word, here, is deep.
A few years back as part of a work-related project, Urban Paradoxes spent several weeks in 26 Cleveland neighborhoods talking with residents both individually and in groups. Everything that we heard from these conversations could be summed up in three words, "We need community. I have been thinking much about community lately, especially the lack of it in our lives. One reason for the lack of community in our lives is simply that we have lost the ability to deeply commune with each other, to share in each other's pain, hurt, joys, and celebrations. We have become a me society— "It's all about me" is our mantra, consciously, or not. And in the process, I think we have lost the ability to define community, let alone build it. "Community" has devolved to meaning the people living in a specific locality or part of a common organization, and nothing more.
Community building has to be a group effort. However, because our definition of community has degenerated into something less than it truly is, we are often at a lost to know what real community is.
- Frank A. Mills
"Community" brings to my mind an image of people gathered at the Memorial Day celebration in a small town. Diverse people who all know each other. They are all there to watch their kids march in the parade, to show their grandkids the fire trucks, to listen to the speeches and remember the soldiers who didn't come back. As they wait they talk about things that concern them all, the price of gas, the school levy, the business that failed, the new business that's starting up, the latest scandal, the newest baby.
Community makes me think of the noun commune, of the verb commune and of "communion." In every case people have something in common. They have given up some of themselves and have shared what they had with the others. In community, people share food, recipes, help, advice, knowledge or any number of other things, including childcare and chicken pox.
Community has dried up in many places in the past 50 or 60 years. People wall themselves in and jealously guard their privacy and their stuff. They don't know the names of their neighbors. Everyone is a stranger. Every stranger is viewed with suspicion and fear. People don't share things in common. There is no common ground, no common cause and no common grace.
Real community is always good because it is based on love. Love your neighbor as yourself. Care for him as you would want him to care for you. Share, build up, help out, look after and care about the other person. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.
All of these are biblical values stemming from Divine commandments. In a secularized world of naturalism, materialism and Darwinism, community is crippled. Witness the savagery and disparity in Socialism, Communism, and Free Market Capitalism. As economic systems they all work to some degree – but as community they all fail because there is no cause bigger than an individual. We are denizens of the jungle where the fittest survive by making the weak a prey. It’s a dog eat dog world.
In this world we are taught that we have absolute autonomy. The world is all about the individual. I don't have to answer to any god and all the people around me are competitors for the world's scarce resources. Selfishness, violence, apathy, hopelessness and lawsuits are the order of the day. Buy good locks and a gun. Don't get involved.
When disaster strikes, people still band together as a community. There are communities of people helping others who have the same addictions, disabilities or illnesses. There are communities of colleagues in schools and workplaces. There are even neighborhood communities. It is a natural thing – built into our consciences.
From my perspective, the very best place for community is the Church. For one thing, the values that promote real community are biblical. For another, in a local church you find a group of people who have more in common than the average neighbors – they have the same world-view and religious beliefs. Finally, the church is built on communion – a fellowship of God with people and people with each other because of what God has done for them.
"That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."
(1John 1:3-7)
- David Denny, Pastor, Canton, Ohio
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We asked,
"Tell us about community."
Here's what you said ...
It use to be that a community was an area of neighbors that helped each other and looked out for each other, a bunch of friends. Over the years though, it seems as though the people have given up on being a community and started looking out for themselves and their family (and some times not even them, but rather just themselves). I don't know what has happened over the years but I sure as hell wish people would start acting like the "old school" community again.
Maybe I am not seeing it the way it really is, but in today's society, it sure as hell appears that I hit the nail right on the head. If you ask me, it is a sad way to be if I
am right about it all. - Joe (42)
Community … takes some effort, some heart, some time and some great characters.
I've always said my home is wherever I am, house, apartment, whatever. It's me that
makes it a home. Comminity is the same concept. It's each individual willing to be part of
a whole that give it shape. In my little end of the hallway here we have a community.
You'd love my neighbor Mary, almost 91. She cooks and bakes for me, and I do the same
for her. She is very hard of hearing and very sweet. On the other side of me is Dave,
divorced and newly diagnosed with prostate cancer. He's been in the building as long as Mary.
Across the hall is Kelly, a single junior high school teacher. We all take care of each other.
Like family. Like a community should.
Your community writing … have you thought about including how community changes when we
divorce. How we lose our community and have to find/create a new one. How with the dating
experiences community is always shifting. We have to be our own strong community first before
we can blend and meld with anyone else's community. Part of my garden and grave thing. My
friend Crystal stuggles with community. She was married for a long time, raised three girls then
left her normal, nice husband for a woman. Now she doesn't fit or belong anywhere. She
struggles with that. Some of the strongest communities are created because of a loss.
- Mary Anne (50)
When I think about words like "community" my mind goes fuzzy. The same thing happens
with "real estate law" and "articles of the confederation." They don't stick to anything.
So to make "community" stick, I'm going to have to re-name it. But what to call it?
It's more than family – that is, it reaches beyond the family. It's more than neighborhood, too,
for the same reason. It's bigger than those things.
But it's small too. It can cross over an ocean and land in my laptop inbox.
I guess it's a sense of belonging. Community is belonging to a group of people who share
some kind of bond with you, be it geographical or emotional. Yes, I'll go with "belonging."
Well, I've defined the term so it can stick, but now what does it mean in my particular
circumstances? I'm going to have to sleep on that one! - April (42)
Well being from Cleveland born and raised ... it seems there was alot more involvement in
neighborhoods when I was young, block parties, church picnics, helping the elderly, pot
lucks and food drives for the hungry ....today it seems most folks tend to keep to themselves.
I'm sure crime has alot of folks scared to get involved. (no name, 34)
Thoughts on community??!! ... scary to tell you the truth ... today is not how I remeber it to be..
people are angry it seems .. there are alot of nice sentiments out there..but not many live
up to them...that old adage ... action speaks louder than words ... hmmmmmmmm..and the action
these days is pretty scary, to me anyway! I don't get a real sense of it (where I live). My impression is that people have become more individualistic and tend to do their own thing. If it fits into the community, that is all well and good but if it doesn't, people do what they want anyway. - Denise (56)
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