A Place Where Even Introverts Feel At Home

Every Sunday, I marvel at the uncountable opportunities to connect with people at church.

I am very blessed to have experienced both numbers and depth in relationships. A simple "hello" and self-introduction is often enough to add another person to the list of people I can greet by name when we meet in church. It gives me a sense of rootedness to know that these people I see week after week are people whose beliefs and values I share, and who, in their own unique way, reflect something of the glory of God.

In serving together or when meeting up at the coffee table, God brings individuals into my day and shows me how to make room for that special one-on-one conversation. Sometimes my words don't flow or I say something unintended. Sometimes I get an extra-special bonus, like when a young person comes and chats with me about career plans.

I particularly appreciate talking with the very young and the very old. The young carry with every step and gesture all the excitement and passion of dreams, ambitions and beliefs about how immortal they are and how they are going to change the world.

The old carry with them their life stories and a hard-earned collection of wisdom. When I talk with them, I can't help but fast forward to the future in my mind. At some point, I will be that elderly person, perhaps in a motorised scooter, coming to church and going home for a quiet Sunday afternoon and thinking wistful thoughts of when my home was noisy and full.

At monthly Family Luncheons, there is always a chance to meet a new person or new family.

Just yesterday, I was able to sit down with L and M and their children C and D, who live on our street. The boys had come to Sunday School for the first time that morning, so we were able to build on that initial contact and keep the momentum going. Sometimes, that can be hard when you're meeting someone new. But with L and family, it has been fairly easy, because they are so friendly and easygoing.

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a sister recently. Commenting on what she likes about HXUCA, she observed that if a newcomer does not make the effort to plug into the community and just sits around moaning that "Nobody is talking to me", he or she could so easily miss out on a chance to be part of something wonderful and vital.

How true that is. What you sow is what you reap. The best antidote to loneliness and depression is to get out there, embrace the vulnerability of not knowing what might happen, and just make yourself available. You could be someone's new friend and answer to prayer.