The Social Network Group – Connections 2010

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Today’s Blog Post


The Social Network Group – Connections 2010

The average age of the people that I met with yesterday afternoon in the “New Friends” group was 90. My mom was the youngest. Yet they were the sharpest folk that I have met in a long time.

Another group that I meet with each morning early loosely call themselves the “Wisdom Club” because no matter what topic some one brings up, some one else will have a suggestion, good idea or comical statement about it. The table folk I meet with is filled with laughter.

In both cases laughter is the mix that holds the group together.

It felt good in both situations to have taken part in the mix of people, even though they were so different in age and backgrounds.

New Friends… Thursday afternoon
These folk vary in life experience in a huge way. From a Doctor’s wife to a career woman; from a housewife to a Radar Technician – what a wide variety of experience they all have had. And all of it was packed into 90+ years of living.

The 90+ year old group remembered many issues and events of the past years. They cared deeply about their families and problems of society. One was deeply troubled about the huge number of volcanoes that she has heard about lately. Another brought up the Love Canal of the 1970s in Niagara falls New York. All remembered these issues vividly.

The striking part about the older group of “New Friends”, as they call themselves, they are happy. They laugh a lot and interact with each other.

Wisdom Club… each morning at the Wellness Centre
This group simply laughs a lot – period. Most of what they talk about is comical.

They have all completed about one hour in the Gymnasium and then meet for coffee with each other. It is open to anyone.

This group was about six around one round table last fall. Now each day they are eight to ten around two tables. But that number grows as well as others that they each know stop by the table to make their comments as they either leave the gym or enter. With the tables being situated in the coffee shop of the gym’s entrance – it is perfect.

A unique thing about this group is the difference in background and experience… in fact I should say they vary greatly!! From Plumber, to business owner, to draftsmen, to ministers, to mechanic, to bankers, to garage owner, contractor and homebuilder, to electrician, to school teacher and secretary – they have it all covered. Most are retired.

What could these folk with such a wide variety of interests and experience have in common?

The answer is simple – laughter and joy. And they offer it to whoever joins the group.

One or two dark cloud people drop by to lay a heavy on the group, but they never stay long. One man in particular is perhaps the most negative man I have met in a long time. He sat at the table one time and then never came back. No matter what he said, people laughed. And all that he said was negative in some way about some one or something. But the group was not glum – they laughed. They were too happy for him.

Now some church people will be trying to guess what church these people attend… especially if I am involved.

Most don’t attend church anywhere…other than a funeral or a wedding. A few of us in the group do... but we are in the minority.

Come to think of it… I have not heard church people laugh like this. They generally are so busy listening so that they don’t have time to laugh.

Whoa… can you imagine a Sunday Service where people sat around tables and talked to each other, then laughed together before they prayed? Nope it wouldn’t work with most church people I have met…

Sorry that thought sidelined me.

I am preparing to set out again this AM for another meeting of the Wisdom Club… following a good workout. I am looking forward to it. What will happen today? What will be talked about?

In fact I need this kind of interaction just like they do. It is part of the basic need that this present generation of older people desperately need.

I call it “Connections”… which could be a great name for a group somewhere.

In the world that most of these folk come from… they have enjoyed Connections in so many different ways. Then with retirement, death of a loved, separation from family or some other deep personal change the Connections stopped.

These are the true Social Networking groups that were possible for years but are now only being discovered.

The “39 The Second Time” group that I click with once a month – are a classic example of a Social Network Group.

My Facebook Group is another Social Network Group as well as three other eGroups that I belong to – where I connect online to younger and older friends. I think my Social Network Group connections online are now some where over 1000 people that I some how interact with on almost a daily basis.

I am ‘connected’… the same way that many people my age are. It is not just for the Youth of Today. I may need this more than they do. And now having the technology simply makes my world bigger and easier to meet with others – daily.

Side lined again… I think of the church and the way that some are shrinking. When I have looked carefully at what they are doing(the shrinking ones) – they have little Social Network Groupings at all….other than the ladies that come together to do the Funeral Lunches… and that is not too exciting to say the least.

If they changed their delivery mode of the message… to be more like Jesus… or the way that Jesus did it… it might help. But for the most part our churches (and me as a Pastor) have studied hard to do what we do to make sure it isn’t anything like Jesus did.

Now that is pure heresy for a Minister to type that way.

But it is true.

If we did what Jesus did – we would never build a building for a church. He didn’t – look closely at the text. He never had Budget Worries either, Annual Business Meetings – or Board Meetings.

Jesus walked a lot… and talked as he walked – then sat down, never in a hurry to the get the service started. He looked at the Lilies and the sparrows… and his friends in the eye… and loved on them all.

Christians that attend churches today, drive to the building, sit alone on a pew, listen to one man or woman talk, then shake one or two hands, to then leave alone – going home alone… and be alone again until next Sunday. Mind you they do listen to Christian Music where ever they are…!

Most Christians that I know – only see Lilies at Funerals.

That is so not like Jesus.

Heresy!

Sidelined again… If Jesus did actually live today he would be on so many Social Network Groups with all that he met… it would blow most peoples mind.

I can see him at our “New Friends” group, and the “Wisdom Club’s” table talk. I can see him laughing right along with us. I can hardly see him singing along to sad songs about him… or oft repeated prayers to him… asking for more and more.

I am off to strike up a new conversation in the Social Network of today. Now if you don’t have some one or some place to go… we would love to have you join us.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/