By Rev. Bethany Benz-Whittington
Last week my family moved across the country. And by “My family,” I mean the WHOLE family. Not just my husband and kids and me, but also my parents. And almost as soon as we landed in Washington we went to my nephew’s baseball game. It’s good to be in the same vicinity as family. We haven’t had a true support system, the kind we can call up at a moment’s notice and say “We’re sick, please come help!” since we had our first child. And now…we can.
I’m convinced, more than ever, that community is one of the most important things we can foster in our lives. It’s why I’m grateful for people like Michelle Allen, who works tirelessly to create community for her church, for presbytery youth, and for our pastors. She has been a beloved source of community in PGV for me, too.
I’m grateful for Erin Jacobson, who not only called me to offer me a job, but has been a friend from the moment we said hello.
I’m grateful for Mindy Shaffer and Marcia Reiff, who have made every meeting we’ve had together such a joy. Their patience and tenacity, their love for God and one another, and their hope in the Lord Jesus Christ has carried me through in several moments.
I’m especially grateful for Lisa Morrill and Janette Henderson, stellar clerks of session who have not only supported my work and the work of the presbytery, but have done it with enthusiasm and grace.
If you haven’t taken the time to get to know some of these folks, you should. Experience the community they foster, and be filled. And learn from them. Create community in your own spaces and places. Especially now, in this time of intense partisan divides that keep us from each other. Find hope and joy and grace in one another. See God in each other. Build systems that lift everyone up.
For the sake of the risen Christ.
