Community of the Saints

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” (Acts 2:42- 46)

Each Sunday, we confess that historic statement: “I believe….in the communion of the saints.” What exactly does this mean? How should that statement affect our daily lives in the coming year? To answer that question, let’s go back in time and consider Raymond of old. Fifty or so years ago, most children attended the same school, and most parents cheered at the same games.Many of the adults worked in the area, rubbing elbows with their neighbors in both business and civic life. In the summer, our children were passed from church to church where the community of the school year flowed into our communion with the saints. On a whole, our society provided opportunities to build genuine community. Look around, and you can see the evidence thereof. Scores of friend groups from that period fill our community - men and women who got an education and, instead of looking for a better place, sought to make Raymond a better place. One father told me that he brought a house in Raymond so that his children could have the same childhood, the same community he had.

Now, fast forward to today. The children in Raymond attend at least eight different schools and play just as many different sports. The local communal gathering places are the Post Office and the Corner Market, not the schoolyard or the ball field. (Mind you, those two “watering holes” only attract a slim demographic of our community.") The rise of social media has replaced those old flesh and blood relationships with transitory, hollow “likes” and “reposts.” Our families work in different directions across the area, hollowing out Raymond for long stretches of the day. The combination strains what little time we have to spare, making us a far more fragmentary society. Those civic ties which bound us together as a people are no longer sufficient to keep us together now.

As a church, what should we do? How do we make our church into that community that binds us together to Christ and provides a place to where our children will come home? In a word, it requires intentionality. We must create the community of which we long to see passed down to our own children.

One, we must create opportunities where families are ingrafted into other families. One hour on Sunday is not enough to build a community, nor is it the precedent established in Scripture. Be in it Acts or in Hebrews, the emphasis falls on the word daily. Worship both Lord’s Day morning and evening, FEAST Groups, Sunday School, Hymn Sings, Game Nights, Festivities on the Farm, and other venues provide formal ways in which we building those friendships which will endure for decades. But what of the informal times? What of the play dates and lunches? The dinners and the sporting events? Or even better - the busted pipes and the weed pulling? These cannot be “programmed,” but they cannot be ignored. Those intentional moments of giving our time, our services, and our very selves builds the Christian community which will survive all of our society’s fragmentation.

Two, we must provide opportunities to belong. Part of building a strong community is developing a strong sense of place, of belonging. When we confess the communion of the saints, we include all those of every age that belong to Christ. The Westminster Confession of Faith states that “All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head….being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good.”Jesus Christ has blessed our young and our old with both gifts and graces to benefit the other. However, we have no problem asking the older to serve, but what of the younger? Be it something as small as teaching a young lady how to polish silver (which I have seen happen) or allowing them to help teach the catechism to the youngest of us, there must be a place for them among us. If we make no place for them in the church now, we should not be surprised that they see no place for themselves later.

Third, we must provide opportunities to share our stories. One of the joys of pastoring a small town is to see how much our stories tether us together. There is a bond strengthened when a story is shared over coffee that can never be replaced by sharing something on social media. Over five years, these stories have become my stories. In our own church, how many times have we shared the stories of items rolling under the pews, of the clock falling during service, of our faithful ladies attending every prayer meeting, and countless other stories? Some may be lighthearted, others serious; but both ground us in a shared life together. As Clarke loves to remind me, “We have to know our past if we are to have a future.” If this is the case, let us celebrate the past to make a future for our families.

Now, how are we going to accomplish these three opportunities in 2026? On the one hand, our morning and evening worship, Sunday School, Wednesday nights, FEAST groups, Hymn Sings, Work Days, and any other activities all provide the time and place for us to put these ideas into action. These are formal, scheduled events where we can both glorify Christ and strengthen His body, where we can develop a community of the saints. As much as possible, be present. Every handshake and hug strengthens the bonds between us.

On the other hand, I need your help. Raymond Presbyterian Church cannot schedule every phone call, dinner date, and text message sent by her members. We must intentionally be seeking opportunities to foster this blessed community given to us. On Sundays, talks to people outside of your circle of friends. Get to know them, ask how you can be praying for them, and follow up with them. Kneel down and talk to our children. Take a vested interest in their growth - spiritual or otherwise. Be their biggest encourager, and tell their parents all the good you see in them. Invite someone over for dinner, send someone new a message, build this community.

Community is not built by million-dollar investments; community is built by hard work and many hands. These small investments of time, trust, and tenderness build the place where even our youngest of children have a place to belong. Every time you show up, every time you reach out, you are building our church into a community that will be a sweet home and a strong refuge for our families. In 2026, would you do those things for us?