Monday, March 9, 2009

Church as family?

People often talk about how they feel like church is a family. I don’t feel that way, myself. That there’s a set of shared assumptions that gives a head start on decent friendships, sure, but family?

1 comment:

Heather the Mama Duk said...

I'd've been so totally with you... until I moved into our current ward. People in the ward we grew up talked about it being a family, but I never felt it. Lexington Park ward was the same. Crystal City and Alexandria II no one had any illusions whatsoever that the wards felt like family. It was more like veiled hostility for everyone else.

Then we moved to Springfield Ward. This ward has felt just like a family. Everyone is so friendly, and loving, and willing to jump the moment someone else has a problem. Also, the focus is on the active members and making sure they are happy and their needs are getting met and they stay active. It's really an amazing ward, and, sadly, I think unique.

I heard someone say something interesting the other day. They said in Utah your family is your family, but elsewhere your ward is your family because your family isn't nearby. Of course I had to snicker and immediately think of you since you were far from family in Utah, but whatever. And never mind our ward has four or five sets of three generations and several grown sibling sets living within the (rather small for the area - just a few miles all around) boundaries. The person saying it was born and raised in UT - where I presume her family still is.