by Dr. Robbie Lloyd

Getting to know your wider community sounds easy. Just walk around the streets and say hello! But for many of us “community life” is a concept we have heard of, but few practice.

Churches and schools can be just as cut off from their wider community as individuals and families. It actually takes a conscious effort to go out and introduce yourself to “strangers” and prove that you are genuinely seeking friendship and mutual understanding.

Whether it’s across cultural, class, belief or even political boundaries, we all have a tendency to “stick with our own”. Luckily COVID has made everyone face the fact that we are Stronger Together, even when socially distanced.

So now is a good time to explore who and what exists around your area? And might there be ways you can join forces to improve the quality of life for your general community?

It could be by improving the local environment, or addressing the needs of homeless people, or becoming advocates for refugees and new migrants in your area.

By choosing one or two issues that your group agrees “need fixing” in your area, you’ve created a readymade menu of things to explore with the people nearby who may be waiting for you to say hello.

Let us know if you feel the need for any help from the JPO, but in most cases “You’ve got this.”