One of the very cool things about the city in which we live in is the sense of community that permeates it [which is pretty rare for living in South OC]. Every year there are a few events that the entire community gets behind that reinforce this value. One is the 4th of July at Lake Mission Viejo. The other is the Walk Against Drugs.
Every year over 5,000 Mission Viejoians gather to walk from Mission Viejo High School to Newhart Middle School, all in support of Red Ribbon week. Last year, I was the only "no show" from our family [for the life of me I still can't remember why, though]. So I knew that this year needed to be different.
So last Saturday morning we loaded the family into the van and headed for Newhart, where we would catch a bus that took us to the high school. There was a rally planned at the stadium, but we skipped it to get in the front of the line of the soon to be throng of people - right behind the OC Sheriff Hummer [yeah, cuz you know that you REALLY need one of those here! Right!]
The walk itself only took about 20 minutes, but it was cool to be involved in something that is importatn to our community. We saw so many people from the community that we know, which gave us a sense of community that is all too often rare today.
It got me thinking all day... how can our church be a part of the community? Our desire is that the SCU community be the kind of place that is serving and loving the larger community, giving itself away in transformational and redeeming ways. We firmly embrace the reality that the church is at its best when it is giving itself away, not because of an agenda, but purely because that is where Jesus would be. I just find it fascinating how the church often positions itself in relationship to the greater community around it. Far too often the church is seen as being over and against the greater community, playing the roll of the "safe haven" or "judge" of the faults of the community at large.
It should not be odd then that we have a certain reputation, true? Perhaps we've brought in on ourselves. No?
Anyway, to read more about the event, you can check it out here.
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