Friday, October 28, 2022

Why Saint John’s?

Megan Glenn

My family has been visiting Saint John’s on and off for several years, and more consistently for the past year or so. Since COVID-19 threw what community we had on it’s head, we have thought about what type of community we want to rebuild. With whom do we want to spend our time and how? The process of reevaluating our values and our goals has been both daunting and scary. But letting go of some things opened space for others. We knew that church was important for us, but I was not 100% sure why. Tradition? Community? Faith?

I was reading Anne Lamott’s book Traveling Mercies in which she asks the same question for her own family. Her answer resonated with me and when I read it, I immediately thought, “yes.” She writes: The main reason [I make my son go to church] is that I want to give him what I found in the world, which is to say a path and a little light to see by. Most of the people I know who have what I want—which is to say, purpose, heart, balance, gratitude, joy—are people with a deep sense of spirituality. They are people in community, who pray, or practice their faith; they are Buddhists, Jews, Christians— people banding together to work on themselves and for human rights. They follow a brighter light than the glimmer of their own candle; they are part of something beautiful.

I realized after reading this that the reason we continue to attend Saint John’s is because of the people we have found there. These are the people with whom I want to be surrounded by, the perfectly imperfect people praying, practicing, and sharing community together. Thank you!