Trending
This has been a rough month for communities around our country.
Understatement? You bet.
I guess it's been a rough couple of years, hasn't it?
We seem to be struggling all over again to be a united people. The divisions that fracture us are becoming razor sharp and seemingly unresolvable. A person can almost taste the trouble if you pay attention to the swirling accounts of war and protests, not to mention the vitriol expressed on social media. Many people wonder if it's safe to even go outside their homes. So they remain behind doors of privacy and protection.
It's such a tragedy.
And the result? Isolation and increasing loneliness and alienation.
Robert Putnam was one of the first to observe and write about the phenomenon in his book, "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community." His research showed that we Americans sign fewer petitions, belong to fewer organizations that meet in person, we know our neighbors less, we meet with friends less frequently, and even socialize with our families less often. We're even bowling alone.
It seems that our very neighborhoods are fragile. Many feel mistrust, strong polarization, and frankly anger at leaders and each other, often stemming from lack of strong relationships.
So what do we do as leaders and citizens?
I want to suggest that we intentionally invest our energies into building stronger relationships to forge healthier social cohesion.
Seth Kaplan, lecturer in advanced international studies at Johns Hopkins University, has written a book titled, "Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at the Time." In it, he discusses his thesis: Any society is only as strong as its relationships.
Those relationships are held in local communities like Alpena most obviously within families. Neighborhood relationships are also nurtured by organizations such as service clubs, schools, and churches. Those associations also exist on a larger state and national scale by our relationships with media and government agencies related to justice, the courts, and the military.
I don't know about you, but I feel helpless in knowing how to improve relationships with the latter. Because I have found that changes in leaders and policies don't necessarily create better relationships and stronger zip codes.
Warm, thick relationships, the kind that we hunger for, are those that we ourselves work for -- invest in and build -- by service and involvement, by acts of sacrifice and kindness that create warmth and security. They are labor-intensive, but they have the power to change the fabric and direction of our neighborhoods.
So get out into the community. Host a block party. Go to a school sports event. Attend a house of worship and get involved in activities that help build community. Serve with a children's ministry. Volunteer at a humanitarian benevolent event. Heck, join a bowling league.
This is an invitation to get back to basics and build stronger relationships within our beautiful neighborhoods and surrounding zip codes. The Alpena Area Ministerial Association is doing a small thing on Halloween called Reverse Trick-or-Treat in an attempt to be visibly present in our community and celebrate our awesome zip code.
How?
Well, various churches of the Ministerial Association will mobilize their members and friends to get out on the streets in specific neighborhoods to knock on doors and, instead of asking for candy, we will offer to give chocolate "kisses and hugs" with a reminder that the churches are praying for and care about Alpena. It's called Give Alpena a Hug -- Embrace Our Community. It is part of being obedient to God's commandment to love one another.
We did that last Halloween, and the participants were stunned by the level of welcome and joy they experienced. The atmosphere of the evening was one of neighborhood pride and belonging, even though we barely knew each other. Hug Alpena is a small but important baby step in repairing broken connections and building stronger bonds.
Our world, as well our neighborhoods, are fragile -- so let's do what we can do to build stronger relationships. Make an effort to Give Alpena a Hug. Embrace your neighborhood. By so doing, you can help develop trust and cohesion in our very own zip codes.
Warren Hoffman is a 43-year veteran of pastoral ministry and considers himself a native of Alpena. He is married to his ministry partner and beloved, Laura Hoffman.