Stop on by and sit awhile

I have to ask, what is the point to porches today?  Does anyone use them anymore?

I pass by a nice house almost every day that has a big porch sprawled across the front.  I have never seen a chair or a person on it.  There is never any activity that I have seen.  But, I’ll grant you this, it is on a busy road, so, okay, maybe that somehow negates their using it.  I don’t know.

But when I was a kid, our front porch was the central feature of our house in the summer.  I can’t count the number of hours we gathered with the neighborhood kids, sitting on the wide railings, steps or chairs just talking like kids do.

The other thing that was so fantastic about our porch was the fact that if we sat out there just to kill some time, we could see everyone passing by.  People on bikes, walking, or even in cars would wave as they went past.

I suppose neighborhoods that are actual communities of people who know each other are a bygone thing.  Maybe people just don’t have time to gather anymore.  Without air conditioning, sometimes the front porch was the coolest place to land in the summer at our house.

We lived a block from the park, where we had Park Supervisors who had the job of organizing activities for the kids.  We had best decorated bike contests as well as those contests where we spent hours fluffing fido for the dog contest. We would bring home crafts, play Four Square and just hang out on the rocketship slide and swings.

I have to say, I really think we lost something when the park-as-the-community-center disappeared.  I suppose we lost our Park Supervisors because of budget cuts, and then, naturally, the kids’ activities weren’t far behind with no one getting paid to organize them.

With some parents needing to work to make ends meet, I suppose our gathering spaces have switched to soccer fields and such, where families gather and commune today.  But now, unlike when I was growing up, parents have to go somewhere and pay for the kids to be engaged.  We just walked down the street.  And, now that I think about it, the activities we did were good for the non-sports-minded as well.  There was something for everyone.

I guess I am feeling a little nostalgic, something that has been brought on by my observation about porches, but I think each generation needs to figure out their style of carrying their community forward so we do not lose something so vital as our neighborhoods.

Our churches—at one time organically grouped by ethnicity and culture—should continue today as places where people of all backgrounds know each other well and gather as family.

The central figure around whom we focus is Jesus, of course, and knowing him is our foundation.  While we are not an activity hub like our park was, and we are not a social organization per se, having fun together does help make us a family.  

But what does separate us from being simply an activity center or a social organization is that we worship together.  The very core of our being as a Church—why we are who we are—is the celebration of the sacraments, and most especially the Eucharist.

If you are looking for an extended family, think of us like your front porch.  If you want to just stop by for a visit to see what we are about, or if you are ready to sit with us awhile, you are always welcome.

Who knows, maybe you will find our “porch” is just where you need to be.

God bless,

Janet Cassidy

Janetcassidy.com