The Skyliner

Issue date: 4/12/06 Section: Opinion

This week I worked on a photojournalism project; I was able to photograph the Greenville Drive. I spent Thursday preparing and that evening I went to the field and spent time with other photographers and then photographed the opening ceremonies.

During the opening ceremonies, I noticed that the crowd was supportive. The Drive and the change of downtown has helped to create a community for Greenville. Sometimes events don't pan out for different organizations because there are variables that contribute to a break down in a community. What I saw at the Drive game was a group of people who rallied behind a new baseball team and for the length of the game they were a community. There were the drunken fans yelling, the kids asking for autographs, the rich press box types, everyone contributed their personality to the greater community. Most would become rather incongruous once the game was over, but all of them tolerated each other and together cheered on their team. There are legendary communities like the Boston Red Sox or any soccer team. People come together for sports.

Community is what drives people. Without a community we won't have friends or people to help us. We isolate ourselves and become invisible. So often churches lack community. People go to show their perfection in Christ or they go out of habit not because they want to be there. Churches should be the ultimate community; the first churches were amazing at community. People should find the church simply irresistible.

I love my church, Catalyst, for that reason, we are a community and we are based around small groups to help grow the community. At Catalyst there are very few things that I don't look forward to, even waking up at 6:30 in the morning to setup for church isn't all that bad. I get to see friends and joke around until church starts at 10 a.m. It's three and half-hours of community for me.

The church along the way has lost its original appeal; it's become more or less impotent in its impact in the culture because it has become an exclusive community not an inclusive community. In the basic structure of church we should look at how we create a community and how that affects future growth, relationships and people's want to be there. A true community will draw people in and the world will view it as simply irresistible.

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