I don’t focus on this much on this blog, because this isn’t a “religious” blog, but I am a Christian. It’s not what this overall blog is about and it’s not what my works typically focus on, but it is who I am. As such, the remaining good parts of our time in Boston all come from being a part of a church.
In my previous posts, I mentioned there were only five good parts of our time in Boston. One was a great coffee shop, which provided space to sit, read, eat, and had a biweekly writer’s night. One was a great gaming shop where I could go and play games. These last three I can sum up as being part of the church, but they also reinforce the central theme of what the others provided as well: community.
1. The Church
One of the first things I tend to do when I know I’m going to move to a new location is look up some options for churches. Besides being a place to reinforce and grow my faith, it is also a place to meet other Christians. One of my favorite aspects of Christian life is when I can gather with other Christians outside of the Sunday service. Coming to our Boston church, Church of the Cross, is how we found the other two communities.
They also saved us when times got tough… probably the toughest in our lives– but that is a story for another time. It is likely one I can’t tell widely until some time has healed some wounds.
2. Neighborhood Group
Back in our home church, these were called “community groups,” I know some other churches that call them “small groups,” but the principle stays the same: a group of Christians who gather together during the week to discuss the sermon, read the Bible, pray, and live out life together.
Our neighborhood group met about 10 minutes from our house and were patient with us as we were often late. These are the people who we caught some rides with to church. These are the people who made us meals when we got really sick. These are the people who connected us to the church directly more than anything.
3. Dungeons and Dragons
Oh, you thought I wouldn’t work in Dungeons and Dragons, especially in a post involving the church?
I get it. There’s a lot of history there.
Part of being in the church is connecting to others and, even though it’s usually just a handful, there are often some other nerdy Christians somewhere in the church who want to play Dungeons and Dragons; like many people who want to play, there isn’t anyone who wants to step up and DM. What is more, I’ve usually found my Christian players to be the kindest sort of players to play with.
And so, just in time for several other aspects of our life in Boston to implode, we had gathered a small fellowship of adventurers to face the forces of darkness. My only regret is that we didn’t get the group together sooner and I couldn’t bring them all with me when we moved.
In other words:
Community. The best parts of Boston were the places where I could build community; the best community I was able to build was through gathering with other people of my faith. As much as the other two were important, the three communities I built through the church we attended in Boston were the deepest friendships we made and where we found the most support through the hard times.
Thank you for reading!
I tried to keep this as accessible as possible, even if you aren’t particularly a person of faith. Sometimes you just need to write to get something off your mind; the last several posts on Boston have been a kind of post mortem; I hoped to solidify the postive parts of my being there. Regardless of your faith, I hope you enjoyed this post or learned something– and if you did, please consider donating to support this blog.
Happy writing!
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