The Power of Faith Community

  Come in, come in and sit down,

you are a part of the family.

We are lost and we are found,

and we are a part of the family.

1 You know the reason why you came,

yet no reason can explain;

so share in the laughter and cry in the pain,

for we are a part of the family.  R

 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about[d] these things. As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.                 Philippians 4: 4-8 NRSVue 

On Sunday morning I walked into the Trenton United Church sanctuary a few minutes early and noticed a sixteen-year-old in a pew so I went over to say hi. He's a quiet and yet open guy and I chatted him up for a few minutes about school and this-and-that. He kindly asked how things were going for me and I appreciated the exchange in terms of what I received. Then I took my place nearby with the blessing of our thirteen-year-old grandson sitting beside me. 

There were 15 young people and children in worship, a happy reality  in an aging congregation. Does this qualify as a United Church miracle?  Half a dozen of them were teens, which is remarkable. 

I give a lot of credit to Pastor Isaac, who is our son, but the congregation is very welcoming and supportive of children and youth in many ways. They are included in every aspect of congregational life, including decision making. A couple of the teens sing in the choir, which is astonishing. Several are involved in leading Sunday School, as was the case this week.  Isaac preached on a theme which is important to one of the teens and a woman in her eighties who have connected on the subject. Ike will often pause and affirm  one of the kids who has a point to make and it is delightful. You can tell that they assume they will be heard and respected. 

Isn't this what we hope for in our life together as Christians? I came across this post below and I would caution that secular kids do often have strong family and community connections and some communities of faith are just not welcoming or can be coercive. Yet I can't help but feel that there is something to what Haidt observes, someone who has devoted a lot of time and focus on "the anxious generation."

In most of the congregations I served there was a strong emphasis on inclusion of young people and that made a difference to our life together. There weren't there as ornaments or as our future. They were "part of the family", then and there, and we all need community in these anxious times. 

For what it's worth...

Camus

@newstart_2024

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Apr 26

Religious kids used to be noticeably happier than secular ones. After 2012, that gap exploded. Jonathan Haidt dropped this on The Daily Show: Religious children have built-in community, rituals, and traditions that anchor them. Secular kids, especially those handed phones and iPads early, are left floating without real roots. Haidt (who’s an atheist) says non-religious parents now have to work much harder to intentionally create stable social connections, because a network of strangers, bots, and algorithms is not a community — it’s crazy-making. In the smartphone era, the protective effect of community and ritual has weakened dramatically for everyone, but especially for kids growing up without traditional anchors. We traded thick, real-world belonging for thin digital freedom — and we’re watching a generation pay the price in anxiety and meaninglessness. Do you think religious community still gives kids a real advantage in 2025, or can intentional secular parents create equally strong roots without it? What’s worked (or failed) in your experience?