Coffee and Community

Maui Coffee Company

A very dear friend permanently moved to Hawaii with her husband a few years ago. On one hand, I mourned the move because rather than being on the mainland and a few hours away by airplane, she was now an ocean away. On the other hand, I now have a friend to visit who actually lives in Hawaii. Not a bad thing at all!

During my last visit she took me to the Maui Coffee Company (more than once) where we enjoyed amazing coffee and various treats. There is something about drinking coffee with a friend, and sitting on a porch looking out over an old pineapple plantation. Heaven.

These meandering thoughts led to me think about community and why it’s so important, whether it’s as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend or joining in worship with our community of believers. During this time of physical separation, community is more important than ever.

I found an interesting article by Jeff Nieman that discusses why community is important for spiritual growth. He reflects that as western culture emphasizes the importance of the individual, that technology has distracted us and we have become more disconnected than ever.

He says ‘Christians have even incorporated this individualism into the way we follow God. Individual study and prayer are great, but if they are our primary methods of spiritual growth, we miss out on the important benefits of experiencing Christ with others.’

We need each other. We need to support and pray for each other. Jeff says, ‘We need to meet together to encourage and support one another.’ Meeting together is something that will happen when the time is right.

The good news is that 1st Pres is pretty brilliant when it comes to community. We have proven over these past many weeks that we can be separated and yet come together in worship, and in loving and supporting each other.

Well done 1st Pres!

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. Genesis 28:3
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In His Service, Janet

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Janet Starkey