This past Sunday afternoon, an oyster roast and BBQ fundraiser to benefit the elementary school was held at Jolly Shores (a beautiful spot on the southwestern end of the Island). As far as we can remember, with the exception of Covid cancellations, this event has been hosted by the Scott family for the last fifteen years, providing a great boost to the school’s PTO. This year was no exception, with a fantastic turnout, wonderful food, and abundant generosity. All on the island should be grateful to those who worked so hard to organize and then pull off this wonderful event.
It is great when people come together for a worthy cause. But frankly, it is simply great when people come together. Events such as this fundraiser bring together people from every corner of our island community, affording us the opportunity to strengthen existing relationships while also forging new friendships. There were people there who had lived on the island for several decades, and some who had lived here for a few days. It didn’t matter if you lived off of the dirt roads or the pavement, in the woods, near the beach, or along the river or marshes. All that mattered was that you happened to be in our community and you wanted to gather for some fellowship.
In the midst of all the merriment, it occurred to me that we just don’t do enough of this. Most of us have somewhat of a regularly scheduled social life that gets us around our usual group of folks. For me, that typically involves church activities, while for others it may involve the golf course, pickleball, a dinner group, or even the usual time at the local watering hole. We are social creatures, so getting out amongst our friends is important. Yet left to our own devices, most of us keep a fairly tight social circle.
What the event this past Sunday did was remind us all that we are part of a community, and not simply a small social circle. For us to be able to appreciate the full depth, breadth and richness of our community, we need to step outside of routine comfort zones and deliberately interact with people who comprise the entirety of that community. The school fundraiser was tailor made for that objective, and for that, I am grateful.
If you were at that event, I pray that you will continue to build upon the new and strengthened relationships that resulted from that wonderful afternoon together. And if you weren’t there, I pray that you will be inspired by it, and deliberately seek out opportunities to interact with community members (especially those from other neighborhoods) who you don’t normally bump into.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron