Tim and Wanda Madden came to town this past Sunday, so we had a small “Community” reunion of couples (Gerry and Judy Gothro, Steve and Marilyn Herwaldt, Allan and Diane Knapp, Pat and Judie Quinn, plus the Gothros’s daughter Jennie and her two kids) who lived in the same Lansing, Michigan neighborhood circa 1977-1987.  Community was our best effort at living out all the “one another” commands in the New Testament – love one another, bear with, encourage, admonish, teach, forgive, honor, serve, etc.  See Colossians 3.12-17.

We all attended University Reformed Church and developed special bonds of friendship during those years.  We had not seen the Maddens in at least ten years – the last time they came through town, the party broke up when a phone call came that the Herwaldt’s dryer had caught fire – but it was easy to catch up on kids, work, church, and lives.

Community was not perfect.  There were times of conflict, and at least three couples involved over the years ended their marriage in divorce.  But we remembered several excellent activities we shared:

–          Work and Feast Days.  One house was chosen each summer month.  The owners made a list of fix-ups they would like to accomplish, and they bought materials.  Two or three people created activities and crafts for the kids.  Most people worked on the house tasks, providing tools, sweat, and fellowship.  A couple of people made lunch.

–          Weekly meetings.  The location changed over time, but there was always a Bible study, prayer time, and excellent singing.

–          Welcome Back from Vacation.  When a family would go away, the others would stock their refrigerator and provide a meal on their return.  Sometimes the house would also get cleaned, but food was the real reward.

–          Daily / Weekly Morning Prayer.  The men would meet to pray early in the morning, some years every weekday, sometimes once a week.

–          Shared Raising of Kids.  So many babies born and grew up in the neighborhood, and they learned to play with one another – Hot Lava on the hill, Fox and Hounds in the school yard, pretend games galore in back yard play areas. And the parents learned wise ways of teaching and training.

–          Special Rescues.  There were a couple of stories of Mom Melt Downs that required immediate attention.  “Intervention” was not a popular word yet, but we knew how to do it when the baby rolled down the stairs in her walker or the wringing washer quit in the middle of six loads of jeans.

The evening ended with much appreciated “prayer for one another”,  including thanksgiving for abounding grace in our lives, supplication for family and friends in need, and praise for the creator who brought us all together back then, and on Sunday.