Do you Facebook?
I've recently been introduced to the relatively new internet phenomenon of
Facebook. You register online, write a profile and then develop a virtual
network of friends. These friends are people you know or have known in
'real life'who also have set up a profile at www.facebook.com, but can
grow as other people come across your profile and ask to 'be your
friend'. You can swap news, upload photos, share movie reviews and, if you
happen to be online at the same time, you can even 'poke'one another!
You might think that this new craze would be limited to the younger generation
- but amongst the first people I was able to link up with on the site was none
other than Rev. David Lewis!
The desire to 'connect'with people is as new as the twenty first century, and as old as time. Right at the beginning of the Bible we hear God telling us "it is not good to be alone"and even the most introverted of us needs to relate to others at least some of the time. It is our interaction with others which, in part, define who we are whether it is members of a family, players in a team or regulars at the social club. Psychologists will tell you that we all have a need to feel that we 'belong'.
Although some will look at the 'virtual friendships'on Facebook and make the judgement that they can never replace 'the real thing', its amazing growth in popularity is clearly an indication of something that has been missing in today's society. Many people who have lived in the village for decades will tell you how the 'sense of community'is not like it used to be - now the definition of a 'good neighbour'is someone who keeps themselves to themselves and doesn't cause us any bother. We're too busy to connect - our lives have become so full of 'doing'that we've got no time for 'being with'. Even when we're relaxing at home we tend to do so as individuals in our separate rooms or in front of the television - not really connecting at all.
I'm not sure whether we'll ever 'do community'like we used to, or whether Facebook is a suitable replacement. I do think, however, that church should try to be a place which explores what community means and seeks to model the principles it discovers. It should be a place where we can journey together, not as individual 'consumers of spirituality'but as people learning to relate to one another better as we seek also to 'connect'with the one who designed us for relationship in the first place.
We welcome you to any of our services or other midweek activities. Morning Worship every Sunday at 10.30am with Sunday School, except for the 4th Sunday of each month when we hold our monthly mini-holiday club at Bottisham Primary School.