This past weekend, forty women traveled to St. Simons Island for our church’s annual women’s retreat. The theme was “Storytelling: Weaving a Tapestry of our Belonging,” and each of our retreat sessions included several participants telling a five-minute story around a particular topic. Some of them were funny; some were poignant; all of the stories gave the other attendees a glimpse into the storyteller’s life and faith in a way that deepened our relationships with each other. As often happens in the telling of stories, each listener found some point of connection to her own experience, something that made her say, “Yes! Me, too.”
I’ve been attending FBCX women’s retreats for 20 years now. It’s one of my favorite events of the year, and not just for the beach time and the good seafood (though that doesn’t hurt!). Women’s retreat is special in the way that it brings together a unique collection of people spanning generations, classes and groups within the church, long-time members and newbies, folks who are outgoing and out front, and those who would rather remain quietly behind the scenes. The scheduled retreat sessions and the informal opportunities for conversation provide space for us to get to know each other in deeper ways, strengthening our bonds in the community of faith once we get back to Macon.
I’m more and more convinced that engaging in these kinds of small group opportunities is essential for finding one’s place in the church family. We share holy moments when we come together as a congregation in worship, but we find true connection when we get to know each other as individuals outside of that space. Smaller groups allow us to find our places of authentic belonging.
I encourage you to find a smaller group to plug into within our church community. It could be a Sunday school class or the choir, a mission team, a group that goes to Sunday lunch together after worship. If you need help finding your place, I’d love to have a conversation with you about what might be a good fit. Or, you can join us on Sunday night, September 29, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall for our “Get the Scoop!” event. We’ll enjoy homemade ice cream together, and representatives from several missions or education groups will be present to share what they are doing. And if you don’t find something that fits, you are empowered to start something new! Most of the groups who meet in our church were born out of someone’s passion or interest, and they brought others along with them for the journey.
Nurturing authentic belonging is a part of our church’s vision statement. We want each person here to feel that true sense of belonging within this community. Let’s work together to make it so.