I love community, which some may find an odd statement considering I’m a fairly introverted person. The truth is, as much as I need to have some alone time, I also need time in community. In fact, community was one of the reasons I decided to join the United Methodist Church.
I remember the very first time I went to youth group at First United Methodist Church of Grove. I remember being welcomed with enthusiasm and excitement. I remember the immediate sense that I was accepted by this random group of people even though they didn’t know me and I was a shy, awkward 8th grader. I also remember leaving that night with eager anticipation of returning the next week. Looking back, that excitement was because I had found a religious community that I could call my own.
When I left to start undergrad, I had to say goodbye to my old community. My first night in my dorm room, I wondered where I would find my community now that I was in a new city and at college. I soon found that community through the Wesley Center at Oklahoma City University, where my closest friendships were created and strengthened through four years of spending time together in worship, fellowship, service, and study. It was in that community that I found comfort and love during my moments of grief, weakness, and fear. It was in that community that I found a safe place to work through my call to ministry and also be affirmed, more than once, that I was called to teach and preach the Good News. Perhaps most importantly, it was in the midst of that community where I found the courage to follow my calling and apply to seminary.
Now, once again, I am in a new place and once again, I have found that community I so desperately need, here at Garrett-Evangelical. The sense of community and their efforts to create community was something that really drew me here in the first place. I did not realize until I got to Garrett-Evangelical just how many opportunities to be in community there were:
- Chapel Services on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
- Community Dinner on Wednesday
- Community Lunch on Thursday
- The G-ETS Student Center
- Eliza Garrett Day
- The numerous Centers and Student Groups
And those are only a few of the ways to be involved in the community here. It is a poignant reminder to me that when you come to Garrett-Evangelical, you do not only get a great theological education that prepares you for ministry. You will also get a community that will love and support you on your journey through seminary as you continue to discern your call. You will get a community that will challenge you, encourage you, study with you, and pray for and with you. You will get a community that will stay with you long after you have left its stone walls.
I am grateful for the welcome the Garrett-Evangelical community has given me. I am proud to be able to say that I am now a member this community. Most of all, I am looking forward to next year when I will have the chance to welcome a new batch of students into the wonderful community that I now call my own.
Tasha Sargent is a first year MDiv student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She regularly blogs at http://thethousandmilejourney.wordpress.com.
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