Blog Archives

Ministries Unlimited Thought For The Week (#21)

Building Stronger Communities

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about the church as a body, with each member serving as a different part of that body. The human body has many parts, each with its own function. All parts work together for the benefit of the whole. If the entire body were one part, such as an eye or ear, how would we hear or see?

What if we look at our community as a body? The people, libraries, schools, churches, and businesses make up the body of our community. Each has a role to play, and how we interact with one another helps define the community we share.

We live in small towns that are growing, sometimes in ways we may not agree on. How we work together, help one another, and build stronger relationships is what makes our community a better place to live.

I grew up in Cahokia which is steeped in history and is one of the subjects taught in the schools. Learning that history gave me a feeling of belonging to something bigger. We knew everyone in our neighborhood and helped look out for them. The neighbors behind us were the same age as my grandparents. I can remember my parents telling us to go over and see how they were doing, mow their lawn, rake their leaves, or just talk with them.

They also sent us down the street to another family with no kids. We loved going there because Mrs. M always gave us something! She always had candy, cookies, lemonade, stickers or stuffed toys for all the kids. She took time to play games with us and asked about our day.

I had a paper route, mowed grass, worked in the library, and went to SIUe. These were great times and I felt like part of a community. Unfortunately, the community started to drift away from close-knit caring neighbors who supported one another and the local businesses.

So, I moved to a smaller community, Troy. It was so nice to breathe fresh air and have more space. I realized it was also very quiet and not always easy to get to know your neighbors. At the time, I had a full-time job at Jewish Hospital, led two Scout troops in Cahokia and Highland, served as the outdoor coordinator for Troy Girl Scouts, and volunteered for other Scout functions.

One of my neighbors tried for three months to introduce themselves but never caught me at home. It wasn’t that the neighbors weren’t friendly or didn’t want to know me. It was a matter of time.

I had very little extra time.

Being a member of a community is about making time to be a part of that community. Whether it is talking with your neighbors, interacting with people at local businesses, or volunteering. It takes a commitment on your part to get involved.

When I married and had a small child, time was even shorter. But I made time to get to know others through connections at daycare, school, and even sports events. The more people we interact with, the wider our circle of community becomes.

As our circle grows, it begins to overlap with the circles of people we know, who in turn know others. It’s fascinating to look at diagrams of these connections and realize that sometimes it only takes a small circle of people to be connected to everyone in our community.

As our community grows and we meet new families, we learn why they chose to move to Troy. Reasons vary from close to a highway, small community, Triad school district, or close to SAFB. Whatever the reason, one thing plays an important role in shaping a community’s reputation: word of mouth.

Troy has a good reputation in neighboring communities. It is one of the reasons our small town is growing. Our community works together to make our town better. We look out for our neighbors and take time to talk with them. Local businesses band together in support of community events and non-profit organizations. A network of connections working behind the scenes that most are unaware of.

How do we make this a stronger community? Through the ways we communicate with and support each other every day. We begin by teaching our children that we are all connected. As adults, we model love and respect for our families, friends, neighbors, and community.

In the 36 years I have lived in Troy, I have seen a change in how neighbors interact with each other. There has also been a change in the landscape along the main routes into town and downtown.

We want the convenience of local businesses but sometimes complain about the prices. Local means smaller. Smaller means less bargaining power. Less bargaining power means slightly higher prices. Yet, when we choose to shop locally, we help support the businesses that contribute to our community.

I do more local shopping now than in the past. The main reason is that I am greeted personally when walking into a store I frequent. At larger stores, I may be just another customer. At a local business, someone may recognize me and take time to talk with me.

It is those personal connections to the businesses, churches, library, and people I interact with every day that make this a better community.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 states “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.”

I challenge you to reach out to someone you may see regularly but have never really interacted with. If you’re at the library, sit down with someone working on the puzzle and start a conversation, or ask someone about the books they enjoy reading. If you have a neighbor who seems to be struggling, offer to help.

One kind act can make someone’s day brighter. If we help brighten the days of more people, imagine how much more our community will shine!

Getting to know the people around us builds stronger bonds and reminds us that we are all connected.

I leave you with these words from Psalms 133:1 “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”