I met the majority of my friends at church so we spent a lot of time hanging out at church and being involved with different clubs and groups on the church campus. It seemed like everyone knew about the church and it even had a nickname (six flags over Jesus) because of how big it was. Every time I said I go to FBCW someone would say "oh that's that big church right?" It is a really big church which is the reason why I was able to make so many friends and do a lot there. Church definitely provided a sense of community for me because it just seemed like everyone I knew went there or had been there at some point, it just drew a lot of people in. It just seemed like everyone gravitated towards the church and everything it represented, although its size did kind of scare people or make people nervous about going because it just seemed almost impossible to get plugged into such a massive church and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think the same at first. The more we went and the more people I got to know, the easier and more natural it seemed to find my own place there.
One thing about big churches is that there is almost always something going on everyday so there is always something to be done or some event to go to. Now that I look back I am not sure if this was my parent's way of keeping me and my siblings busy but I really did enjoy going to the events, even though being drug to church at 8 am in Sundays was not my favorite I guess it wasn't so bad because it was just more time I got to spend with my friends.
In high school is when I especially spent a lot of time at church. I was there three to four times a week. On Wednesdays we had youth group and I was in the drama program so I was usually there right after school to around nine and then there was always a group of people that wen to eat after wards so those were definitely long days. Thursdays were my most favorite day of the week because that is when we would go feed the homeless in Atlanta, I met a lot of amazing people during the 4 years I did this and most of them I am still friends with or have contact with today. As sad as it was to see so many people in an unfortunate situation and in such dire need of help, I was so happy to be able to provide them with food and toiletries from time to time. I went every week and I know that if it wasn't for my church I wouldn't have the memories that I have today.
In addition to the daily activities I was involved in at church, I also went to a summer camp that the church held every year. For one week the whole youth group plus anyone that people invited would go to the beach and have church services and just hangout. You were in a group of 4 or 5 other people that you got to chose and those were basically your roommates for the week. One year there was a contest to see which group could get the most views on a you tube video advertising the camp in an effort to get more kids to come. Summer Camp video (My group won!) It was a time for all of us teenagers to get away from life and reality for a week and get a break while also learning a lot. I can honestly say that without these camps I wouldn't have the friends I have today. We still talk about meeting at camp and the many memories we have, for some of us this was the highlight of our year and we always looked forward to going back year after year
Although I haven't been back to FBCW in a while I have definitely realized that I can't talk about community without mentioning it because it had such a big role on my sense of belonging and what the word community actually meant. A lot of my memories, activities, celebrations and so on have something to do with the church. Basically I was either at church or with people that I had met at church and without it I often wonder what I would have had to provide me with the same connection.
No comments:
Post a Comment