Autumn Community Events
TikTok. Facebook reels. Short videos. Advertisements. These platforms are everywhere, trying to grab our attention. They feed us notifications or short clips of information in hopes that it will distract us, grab our attention, retain it. When what really draws us in is emotion, and bonds that forge into relationships. You don’t even need scientific data to prove this. Prayer proves this. Dinner together proves this. Mass proves this. Community. Relationships. Emotional connection.
In September, our Pastoral Team gathered with the neighboring team of Georgetown United Methodist Church (which they lovingly refer to as GUM) for a potluck. This potluck again proved that what draws us in is community. God calls us to community. “For wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I, in their midst.” Matthew 18:20.
During a prayer vigil on 7/30/2016, Pope Francis spoke: “This is no time for denouncing anyone or fighting. We do not want to tear down, we do not want to give insult. We have no desire to conquer hatred with more hatred, violence with more violence, terror with more terror. We are here today because the Lord has called us together. Our response to a world at war has a name: its name is fraternity, its name is brotherhood, its name is communion, its name is family. We celebrate the fact that coming from different cultures, we have come together to pray. Let our best word, our best argument, be our unity in prayer.”
After our two teams gathered for a meal, we received quite a few compliments via email from our neighbors. These solidified the gathering and friendships forming:
“Everyone was so welcoming and warm. What a joy to meet next door neighbors. I’m always a little nervous going into new situations, but we were met immediately by Fr. Phong’s friendly face. It was delightful to hear so much laughter among your staff. We love laughing too.”
“The amount of laughter and fun that we had were epic. The sharing of ideas and planning of events was exciting to think about. I am hoping that our communities will love one another and share memories together over time.”
“Here we were, together, forming friendships and shared experiences. I think our lunch also went a long way in highlighting our similarities instead of our differences. “
“I believe God was smiling to see His people come together for a meal. “
You will begin seeing events between our two communities. All are welcome.
7:00-7:30pm Nov 3: Taizé Prayer Service at Georgetown United Methodist Church (Right next door to us!)
6:00-7:30pm Nov 16: Community Thanksgiving, Potluck Style! Click here to bring a dish to pass, if able.