When you and I said an eternal YES to Jesus, we became a part of the universal community of faith. That means:

You and I are stuck with each other. There’s no way biblically you can justify turning your back on me and no way I can ever give up on you.

You will never walk a single day through a single storm alone. You will never walk through the deepest darkest valley by yourself.

Your joys will be my joys, your sorrows will be mine, and your burdens lightened because I will share your load.

You can be yourself, warts and all, and I can do the same, and neither one of us will ever have to fear judgment or condemnation.

We will speak the truth in love to each other and gently guide the errant ones back on to the path and keep each other honest, transparent, and steadfast with our eyes on the prize.

Since this community of faith is made up of broken and imperfect people, we will often hurt and neglect each other, but the hallmark of this community is forgiveness and second chances.

We have one God, one Savior Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism, one goal, and one love to share with a fragmented and scarred world.

Every single person matters, and every single person is essential to the community bringing forth the visible image of God into our world.

You can only be you and I can only be me. We each have a unique place in the mosaic of faith that no one else can fill, and a part to play in God’s unfolding drama that no one else can play.

The Church is all of us. The Church is not you and the Church is not me. Alone, we are vulnerable and susceptible to enemy attack, but standing together under the banner of Christ, nothing can overcome us or separate us from God’s love.

Community means all these things and much more. Community means that you and I are unique and special. That we are not alone. That we are wanted and deeply loved by the Father who called us all into this koinonia, this fellowship of saints.

That’s what community means.