Christian Community

When I first became a Christian, my church encouraged me and others to go knocking on doors and passing out tracts on Saturdays. Unfortunately, I was sent out on my own and really was not equipped to have a conversation with someone about Jesus. I did not know the Bible very well and could not provide much in the way of arguments with people that questioned God. On the other end of the scale

A community to me is people coming together and becoming united to help better the environment and the geography around them. Interpersonal relationships play an especially important role. This group’s relationship binds people together with the social glue of concord this means that relationships are viewed as real, organic and ends in themselves. People feel connected to others because they feel a unity of spirit and personal connection. Relationships are core

Beginning just before my senior year I went through a series of trials that continued through most of my senior year. I wanted to do something for myself, and was encouraged to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). I decide to go, and so in January I set off for Indianapolis. Once at the conference, I listened to music, met other catholic high schoolers, and participated in workshops. I learned a lot about my faith, and about different forms of worship. This was something that I had not previously been exposed to, as while I was a member of one of the largest parishes in Central Ohio, it is a very traditional parish that had not exposed me to much more than the basic teachings of the church, and also had not demonstrated

Third, Community is your religion. The day you begin to realize what community means to you is the day you begin to believe in it. Anywhere you go, it will be an instinct for you to represent your community, whether it be through sports or just leisure travels. You represent what means most to you and will always defend it the best you can. Community is not an actual religion, but it is a personal religion.

Community can be an isolated form or in conjunction with religion and sensory pleasures. In terms of religion, from my own personal observations and experiences, modern escapes through religion is coupled with relationships you make within your religious community. Growing religious fervor and mysticism characterized the Middle Ages and the relationships with God. St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th century mystic, conformed his life in every act with that of God, abandoning a life of wealth and material satisfaction. As a mystic, his connection to God was direct and substantial compared to the common person. Societies used religion to justify world occurrences. However, as societies evolve, the way in which religion is used to give life meaning evolves as well. With the advancement of scientific knowledge and the evolution of religion, particularly after the Church was accused of corruption and religious hegemony waned – not entirely, but to some degree – many cultures enjoy the Church communities in addition to weekly liturgical practices. With the knowledge that some worldly occurrences are not the direct work of God, but by the doings of nature and science, can people rely less on God for prosperity and instead use religion as a tool to find meaning and solace. Moreover, while developing a relationship with God, one can find themselves forming relationships with those who are attempting to achieve the same objective. Sharing beliefs, in itself, also provides consolation and support amongst the terrors of history, suggesting that those in troubles are not the sole victims of these

I found this chance to help people a way to get to know the people in my youth group, but I learned so much more than I thought I would. What amazed me the most out of everything on this trip was the willingness of kids my age to help those around them. During that week in Denver, I also had the chance to meet some of the other youth from other cities in Missouri. A lot of them whom had remarkable stories. Their reasons for helping out during this mission trip were much greater than my own, I was astounded. They had told me about their past, the struggles and valleys that they had gone through that lead them to help those who are going through the same situations or worse. One story struck me the most. One about a boy and a past fight with drug abuse. He said that one day he felt this indescribable jolt and he just lost it. He broke down and asked himself what he was doing with his life. After asking around and seeking help, he went to the local church one Sunday. That was when he met the youth leader that helped him through his

Living in Christian community is a necessity for the everyday life of a Christian. Without community, the Christian has no one else to “sharpen” them, no one else to understand the everyday struggle of living in the world, sharing the Gospel, but not partaking in the sinful ways of the world. In “Life Together”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer explores Christian community, and presents not only the benefits of Christian community, but also the toxins that can destroy the community. Living in Christian community brings incomparable joy and community in and through Jesus Christ, but can be easily lost due to humanistic ideals, or “dreams”.

What does Christian community really mean? Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer gives insight into what Christians relationships were designed to be like. The main theme Bonhoeffer explores is Christ in the Christian community under the Word of God. Bonhoeffer explains God’s gift of community by arguing the following: “It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren” (Bonhoeffer, 1978, p. 20). In addition the author adds, “Christian community is like the Christian’s sanctification. It is a gift of God, which we cannot claim. Only God knows the real state of our fellowship, of our sanctification” (p. 30). Overall Life Together is biblically

A sense of community is something almost everyone can relate to. Community brings a sense of belonging to a person, and it affects each person differently. Walking on a Rolling Deck and The Madonna of 115th Street offer similar ideas with two entirely different paths. The two texts are eye opening as to the different means of living out a value in the Christian story. Everyone 's path is different, but we have the same goals.

Covenant encourages prayer, reading, and learning about God’s word. As indicated in Davis’ book, “Every member of the community needs to be growing in the Word. This has implications for our individual habits with the Word and for the way we use the Word inside and outside the classroom” (pg 60). Furthermore, according to In All Things Christ Preeminent, “Communal meditation on the Scripture is vital to Covenant’s academic life” (pg.61). In contrast, my experience with peers at LaFayette High School presented a greater challenge as a follower of Christ. Christians were a minority at LaFayette High School and were scrutinized for professing their faith in Christianity. Teachers were also discouraged from spreading the Word of God and faced job termination for doing so. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) was the only type of Christian bonding within the school and even then, it was mandatory that it be student lead and

Living in community will expose selfishness, ambition, jealousy, dissension and impurity in ourselves, allowing us to experience loss, despair, and stress. Even so, all of this is important to our spiritual formation because we mature as Christians,

A feeling of community is a part of worship which can only be shown and not felt through televised worship. This feeling of community envelops around me everytime I’m singing during worship. To feel the whole congregation lifted up in song and singing with all of their might to the Lord presents a feeling like no other. You can almost feel the Lord rejoicing with you. It definitely is something you can’t get from television. It is something that has to be felt in the presence of people and a sense of community. In a study that was done by the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, one participant was quoted as saying, “[Singing with other people] is kind of a group expression an[sic] it’s kind of like bringing everybody together and foeed[sic] on one thing.” Another participant was quoted as saying, “I feel God’s presence in the communion with the congregation, the caring and the friendly open feeling of the congregation to

Community is family. To me community has never been about the proximity of one person to another, but of the connection that those two people share. What makes community special is the idea that a collective group of diverse people that all share different attitudes, interests, and goals can come together and unite to bring something into existence. Members of a community are expected to look out for one another and work in solidarity with one another for the community. As a human being, it is imperative to be a member of some sort of community because, in a similar way of being part of a family, the experiences and ideals shared within the community give people a sense of purpose and place within society.

Community is when people come together as one for a common good or goal. I give back to the community because I think I my success are not all because of my ability. I have the people who helped me and taught me lesson in life that help me reach my success today. I have given back to the community by volunteering on Sundays to teach confirmation. Teaching on sunday gives me a chance to know my parish better and also teach the students more about their faith. I think it is very important to have bond with those who you go to church with. This summer I

A community is established when more than two people share the same values and through time this personal connection evolves into a fellowship governed by rituals, traditions, and a particular form of communication that when taken together makes a group of individuals whether living in a specific geographical area or connected by ideals so distinct that their distinguishing marks allow them to stand out from among the crowd. They do not just believe in something like an organization but they need each other to survive and thrive. A good example is the Old Order Amish Mennonite community wherein the community serves as source of identity, strength and provides the reason why they should sustain the community’s way of life.