An elementary school on the way to my office, has this sign up now, and I just had to drive around the block, park and hop out to take a picture: “WHATEVER THE PROBLEM, COMMUNITY IS THE ANSWER.”
Because it’s true, isn’t it?
The big lie of western individualism is that we are humaning (it should be a word!) all on our own. That we ought to be independent and self-reliant, and that the only responsibilities we have to each other are to leave each other alone. And if we find that hard, or impossible, if we need help or support, then there is something wrong with us.
The gift of experiencing life in another place can reveal what a lie that really is. I was lucky enough to spend five months in East Africa on a global internship experience, and lived in Kenya and Tanzania. Among the Swahili phrases I learned was the proverb, “Mtu ni watu,” which means, “A person is people.”
I love that saying. “A person is people.” It is impossible to be a person without other people, either biologically or relationally. We are created to be interdependent, mutually responsible for, and accountable to, one another.
I sometimes stop and remind myself, as I’m going about my day, about all the ways that I am dependent on others. I did not build the wooden table that I am sitting at, or the laptop computer I am typing on. I did not grow the food in my refrigerator, nor did I generate the electricity or string the electrical wires to keep it running. I did not make a single item of clothing I am wearing, or the pottery mug I am drinking Earl Gray tea from.
This does not even take account of all the people who love me, laugh or cry with me, hug me when I’m stressed, send me funny memes on Instagram, and pray for me. I can only human the way I am doing that, because of innumerable other people.
Lots of research shows that it’s really true, that whatever the problem is, community is the answer: whether it’s political polarization or homelessness; food insecurity or gender inequality; climate crisis or mental illness. None of us lives, grows, loves, or heals alone, because we were not designed to – as God says in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the human to be alone.” (New Revised Michelle Version)
Here at LeaderShift, we are designing a variety of ways for church leaders to be in community together: for learning, prayer, song, friendship, encouragement, accountability, and reminders of the presence and power of God, who can do so much more than we can ask or imagine.
Have a look of our offerings, and discern which are calling to you, during Advent and into 2026!
Faithfully,
Michelle
