by Heath McClure
It’s no secret. We live on the end of the buckle of the Bible belt. There are churches on every corner. Many times there are two churches on the same corner. It can get crowded. If you stand outside of the front doors of the Five Points Starbucks you can see four churches without having to move your neck but a few degrees. In addition to this, if you had eyes in the back of your head and were also blessed with x-ray vision, you could increase that number to five. Is this a good thing? It depends on who you ask. We all have our own religious (or non-religious) perspectives. This can be a good thing as long as we treat those who hold to different views with the same kindness and respect that we would like to receive. Differences are what make life grand. We wouldn’t want to listen to a rock band comprised of five electric guitars all playing the same notes. Nor would we want to read a book with every page repeating the same word over and over again. Differences are essential. They allow us to expand and grow and mature and change and, most importantly, listen to other people. Taking the time to hear others’ stories is an exercise in true spiritual growth. Listening to someone speak and relate and recount the things that are most important to them–and to do this without an agenda–is one of the most humanizing and loving things a person can do.
With all this in mind I want to tell you about one of my favorite places to participate in this process of meeting others, hearing their stories, and genuinely connecting with them on a personal and even spiritual level. It happens every Tuesday, starting (roughly) at 5:30 PM. The meeting place is McCreary’s Irish Pub on Main Street in downtown Franklin.
The meeting is hosted by a Christian pastor who leads an unconventional congregation that meets every week at a local coffee shop. This pastor decided he wanted to create a space for people of all walks of life to come together and genuinely know one another. The group started small. At first it was three people occupying one table at the far side of the pub. These days it is not uncommon for this group to take up over half of the entire pub! What kinds of things will you hear and see at these meetings? Many things. You will hear deep and hearty laughter. You will see people engaged in deep and concentrated discussions with tears in their eyes. You will see people sharing a bottle of wine or a basket of fish and chips with a stranger that they just met. You will see hugs and kisses and hands on shoulders. You will hear phrases like, “I love you” and “I’ve missed you” and “I’m so thankful for you.” More than anything else you will hear stories. Funny stories. Sad stories. Amazing stories. Stories. Stories. Stories. Why is this? It’s because when we are telling a story we are sharing a part of who we are with someone else. When we tell stories we are being heard. When we are telling stories we are being seen and known and honored and valued and loved. That’s why stories abound when people take the time to get to know one another.
One of my favorite things about this group is that there is an amazing lack of masks. People seem to bring who they really are to these meetings. The good. The bad. The ugly. The real. This is because this group has cultivated an environment of acceptance and mercy. In addition to this, people seem to genuinely want to hear what their friends have to say. Even if it’s about the dreaded and deadly duo of conversation killers: politics and religion. How sad that our popular culture suggests that we can’t talk about the things that are so incredibly important to us. Of course, in the past, there has been good reason for this. We haven’t typically been good at listening to others. I think this is because, in large part, we haven’t taken the time to know one another. This group encourages both knowing and listening and it is a beautiful thing to watch. I can’t help but believe that God is smiling on all of this.
Oh, one more thing. Are there any requirements that someone must meet to attend and participate in these meetings? Just one: Come as you. Come with all your baggage. Come with all your glory. Most importantly, come with all of your story. If you do, you will find a group of amazing human beings who want to hear all about it.
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Beautiful!