One of my favourite practices as new members join council is starting our council orientation with this question: What is a memory that typifies Living Hope to you? I like hearing not just about the qualities of Living Hope but the stories that each person has which made this place feel more like home.

An overwhelming theme that comes through about Living Hope was the sense of family. I’ve heard stories of being cared for in sickness, meals prepared, wheelchairs or medical equipment purchased, people going above and beyond for helping with rehabilitation, or simply receiving a welcome and connection in church where in the past they felt lost amongst the crowd. These are the types of stories that leaders of Living Hope tell when they come, excited to be part of the leadership of the church. I often leave the meetings with a sense that God has truly gifted Living Hope with this sense of community and family.

One person even referenced the Vinyl Café, the classic Stewart McLean stories named after a small record shop that embraced being warm and inviting. Its slogan was, ‘We’re not big but we’re small’ — and they said Living Hope is like that. We don’t compete with the big-box style churches in size or polish. Instead, we embrace being a community where it’s harder to get lost and where people can truly be known. The question that stayed with me after the quote was stated was: What would it mean to lean into that aspect of our church? 

The shadow side of having ‘being known’ as a marker of strength, is that when people slip through the cracks it is not just that they miss out on an aspect of the church, but they miss out on something crucial to our identity. Sadly, I’ve heard responses from people who have left and gone to other churches over the years that they never felt welcome or that they never totally fit in. Some expressed this in saying that they wonder if they were missed because they weren’t contacted when they left. These stories highlight just how important this aspect of being known in community is. Not only is it often highlighted by our leaders when it’s practiced well, but its absence is lamented by those who leave.

We will never do this perfectly, but it would be a shame if we didn’t take anything from these critiques. Over the past few years in listening to people, a characteristic that really shines through about Living Hope is that we are a church where it is possible to be known — where great love and care have been shown. And it is vital that we keep on kindling that rich gift that God has given Living Hope. It also should spur us into thinking of how we can improve in our welcome and belonging. It should encourage us into thinking of how those who are newer in our community find that belonging and ‘being known’ that is central to identity that God has blessed Living Hope with. And the wonderful thing is, each of us are invited into this. Each of us has a part to play in helping Living Hope be the kind of family God has called us to be – where people are not just welcomed but truly known and loved.