THE VILLAGE ILWIDIOT
Walt Wiltschek
“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” —Amos 3:3, NLT
In a recent magazine article, Eastern Mennonite University president Susan Schultz Huxman talked about “the power of place,” pondering the locations and settings that are important in our lives.
Years ago, for example, early Brethren who migrated to the US decided where to live and, eventually, where to plant congregations, and later where to locate colleges and camps and retirement communities. As Brethren moved across the country, “Western” Brethren often had views that diverged in places from their Eastern counterparts.
Our experience as Christians here is very different than it is for our brothers and sisters thousands of miles away in Nigeria, who have faced recent persecution and loss of life and property yet have found ways to continue to be the church and thrive in the midst of it. The economic situation for most of us is much less tenuous than it is for those in Honduras, where Bill Hare (Polo) recently wrote of those he has encountered in his work there who have “less than nothing” and lack proper nutrition and health care.
Closer to home, recent studies in this country have highlighted differences between “blue states” and “red states” and the divides between those who live in large cities versus small towns and rural areas. Some people live much more in a technological and digital world than others. For better or worse, our communities shape who we are and how we interact with one another.
Reflecting on some of those varied settings, Huxman noted research that suggests “coffee shops are a special venue for bridging difference. They function as social magnets, attracting conflicting actors to put off their differences in lieu of community building. They are also safe, vibrant gathering places which allow (people) to converse and commune with ‘the other.’ These places give us a sense of belonging and shape our sensibilities as a civil society that prizes difference.” She calls it a way of “practicing shalom.”
Our district includes urban, suburban, small-town, and rural congregations across hundreds of miles. We have members from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, younger and older. We hold views all over the theological and political spectrums. We have long-time Brethren and those who are newer to our faith community. And yet, most of the time, we seem willing to “hang together” and even to enjoy being together.
While we don’t have any Brethren coffeeshops in the district, we do have places like that where we come together and form community: the biennial Potluck Experience, for example, which we’ll gather for again on April 22 at Dixon; our district conference each fall; the coming together at our camps, Emmanuel and Emmaus; traveling on disaster relief projects, mission trips, and workcamps; and other occasional events and gatherings along the way.
There is indeed power in our places of connection. I’m grateful for this one that we call the Illinois/Wisconsin District, and I hope we continue to gather around the tables to better know and appreciate one another as we follow Christ together.
“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” —Amos 3:3, NLT
In a recent magazine article, Eastern Mennonite University president Susan Schultz Huxman talked about “the power of place,” pondering the locations and settings that are important in our lives.
Years ago, for example, early Brethren who migrated to the US decided where to live and, eventually, where to plant congregations, and later where to locate colleges and camps and retirement communities. As Brethren moved across the country, “Western” Brethren often had views that diverged in places from their Eastern counterparts.
Our experience as Christians here is very different than it is for our brothers and sisters thousands of miles away in Nigeria, who have faced recent persecution and loss of life and property yet have found ways to continue to be the church and thrive in the midst of it. The economic situation for most of us is much less tenuous than it is for those in Honduras, where Bill Hare (Polo) recently wrote of those he has encountered in his work there who have “less than nothing” and lack proper nutrition and health care.
Closer to home, recent studies in this country have highlighted differences between “blue states” and “red states” and the divides between those who live in large cities versus small towns and rural areas. Some people live much more in a technological and digital world than others. For better or worse, our communities shape who we are and how we interact with one another.
Reflecting on some of those varied settings, Huxman noted research that suggests “coffee shops are a special venue for bridging difference. They function as social magnets, attracting conflicting actors to put off their differences in lieu of community building. They are also safe, vibrant gathering places which allow (people) to converse and commune with ‘the other.’ These places give us a sense of belonging and shape our sensibilities as a civil society that prizes difference.” She calls it a way of “practicing shalom.”
Our district includes urban, suburban, small-town, and rural congregations across hundreds of miles. We have members from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, younger and older. We hold views all over the theological and political spectrums. We have long-time Brethren and those who are newer to our faith community. And yet, most of the time, we seem willing to “hang together” and even to enjoy being together.
While we don’t have any Brethren coffeeshops in the district, we do have places like that where we come together and form community: the biennial Potluck Experience, for example, which we’ll gather for again on April 22 at Dixon; our district conference each fall; the coming together at our camps, Emmanuel and Emmaus; traveling on disaster relief projects, mission trips, and workcamps; and other occasional events and gatherings along the way.
There is indeed power in our places of connection. I’m grateful for this one that we call the Illinois/Wisconsin District, and I hope we continue to gather around the tables to better know and appreciate one another as we follow Christ together.
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