My first awareness of General Assembly occurred when I was a young child in the late 1950s. I had opportunity to visit the office of my pastor. On the wall was a picture of a great group of people meeting in a large auditorium. I asked about the photo and was told it was a meeting of Nazarenes called a “General Assembly.” Later, my father provided a little more detail. I was mostly amazed that there actually were that many Nazarenes on the face of the earth. In my local church—and even in district gatherings—there didn’t seem to be many of us. It didn’t help that whenever friends asked me where I attended church I always had to explain what a Nazarene was.
From that initial fascination with the idea of a large gathering of Nazarenes, I began to appreciate opportunities to find out more about this broader community. As my family traveled across the United States on vacations, my parents always seemed to find a local Nazarene congregation for Sunday worship. Since my father was Sunday School Superintendent at our church, we were also committed to attending Sunday School wherever we went—and getting cards signed so we could keep up with our quest for attendance pins.
Being a shy, introverted child, I found these excursions into strange territory brought some anxiety; however, I still recall how the warm acceptance of these strangers relieved those fears. Even though we were miles from home, we’d found folk like us with whom to worship. I learned that the kinship of our denominational family extended way beyond the 100 or so people of my local church.
We Nazarenes have changed a bit over the decades. There are more of us, we come from more places, and there is more diversity in our demographics. For all of that we can say, “Thanks be to God.” However, as diversity increases we might be tempted to discount the value of larger and more inclusive gatherings in favor of smaller events. Some people tend to prefer smaller groups which display an affinity for the things with which they are most comfortable. While there is a place for such gatherings, in order for the greater body to truly be community, we need to be together and experience the enormity of what God is doing to reach the whole world with His love. Building community is hard work which can be seen especially when we expend the effort and expense to come together in one place as one people. We need to be careful not to confuse the cost of a trip with the value of an experience.
We have just come through the celebration of our centennial. We have heard stories of the early days of our denomination. I like what archivist Stan Ingersol says about how the Church of the Nazarene started more as a marriage than as a birth. Our beginnings were forged in the uniting of groups that had commonalities of faith and mission, but also had some unique differences. Like most marriages, there were some issues of shared space that needed to be addressed. Such matters were often addressed by articles in periodicals and letters among leaders. However, they were probably best resolved in assemblies of community—gatherings marked not only by spirited debate, but by spirited worship, hugs, and handshakes. It is difficult to forge community without personal contact.
So, as we face difficult economic times and increasing challenges of travel, we might wonder if the effort and expense to get together is really worth it. I believe it is. I also believe if we truly wish to be a community of faith that continues to minister into the next century, we must be in touch with each other.
The Internet has provided an unprecedented ability to build social networks. Cell phones keep us in near constant contact. Teleconferencing reduces the cost of travel. However, there is still no good substitute for a shared meal, a collective worship experience, or a warm handshake.
I’ve wondered recently about the early beginnings of the Christian faith. St. Paul often wrote letters, but he also spent a lot of time traveling to build, minister to, and connect with a growing community of Christians. In his letters, he frequently lamented about delays in being able to visit his brothers and sisters of the faith. Even if Paul had owned a cell phone and a Face Book page, I believe he still would have made every effort to be together with other members of the faith.
Over the past year or so, the high cost of fuel has affected travel plans, but I hope we will see the value of investing our participation in the 2009 General Assembly and conventions. There is a unique value of presence when building community. As the old adage goes, “you can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to be there.”
Don Walter is director of Pensions and Benefits USA for the Church of the Nazarene.
Filed under: Uncategorized |
