Auburn | Introduction to Building Community

Reflections on Community

1. What are the communities of which you are a part?

• How have they shaped you and how do you shape them? 
• What makes your community/ies strong and resilient? What weakens or dissolves them? 
• How do you understand identity or identities in the context of your community?
• What community holds you accountable and whom do you hold accountable? 

2. Dr. Reyes speaks to society's temptation to focus on the single glittering star rather than the constellation. He observed, "Our work to bring about a more just and equitable society is not about extracting a start out of the sky to claim as our own. By valuing the whole constellation, we can begin to reimagine what is good. Excellence is no longer defined by single leaders but by the health and thriving of the whole...The challenge for us now is to find the constellations in our communities and in our streets." On a piece of paper, sketch out a constellation of your institution, congregation, or community of which you are a part and to which you can bring attention. 

3. Reflect and, if you wish, share your response to this question with the Forum Community: Dr. Daley-Harris shared words from Peter Block, "To belong is to act as an investor, owner, and creator of this place," and "To feel a sense of belonging is important because it will lead us from conversations about safety and comfort to other conversations, such as those about our relatedness and willingness to provide hospitality and generosity." She also shared Letty Russell's definition of hospitality: "The practice of God's welcome embodied in our actions as we reach across difference to participate with God in bringing justice and healing to our world in crisis." How would you define hospitality? How do the elements of belonging and hospitality contribute to building community in your experience?