It's not just about going to church. For many people parish life means going to church on Sunday, and maybe attending special services. Certainly worship attendance is an important part, but parish life is much bigger than just "churchy" events. Christ the King is not just a place to worship, it is a community of people who share a common faith in Christ Jesus, who worship, work, and play together. We share in each others, joys and sorrows, successes and failures, triumphs and tragedies.
It's a scary thought to some people. In the modern world we have become accustomed to our privacy. We don't need some "busy-body" poking around in our lives. We want to maintain our ambiguity, controlling what other people know about us. We certainly don't want just anybody to know that our lives are anything less than perfect. However, this warm blanket of anonymity has a cost. It leaves us alone, in a seclusion and a silence that even Facebook cannot alleviate.
The beautiful thing about parish life is that you are only as alone as you want to be. Nothing is forced. Its not a support group where everybody has to "share," or where you have to participate in everything or else people think something is wrong with you. Its a community where you can belong without having to be anyone other than yourself. Everyone already knows that you are not perfect. Nobody is. We have found in Christ Jesus, real life, and peace. He welcomes us just as we are. We are learning to walk with Him, and He is teaching us to love again. You really don't have to figure it all out on your own. You can walk with us if you want to. Come on, give it a try. It'll be great.
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