Through 20 years of Toastmasters, I’d occasionally hear someone say, “This club is my church.” My visceral reaction split into two opposite directions. The first was along the lines of, “Yeah, as long as you don’t care about God.” If spoken aloud, this would rise all sorts of hackles. Any number of people involved in Toastmasters have varied and deep ways of ‘caring about God.’

My second reaction was: “No, the thing about Toastmasters is that everyone gets to talk … unlike most churches.” This is also unfair. Sure, it often looks like only the main squeeze is allowed to have an opinion in church, but in many, probably most churches, there are regular opportunities for different people to speak. Just usually not everyone, every week.

Churches also are congruent with family. Unlike special interest clubs, the whole family is welcome at church. Singles are welcome, too. I walked into church barefoot and pregnant; delighted to leave the 2-year-old at home with dad for a rare couple hours of song, silence, prayer and adult conversation.

As our familial needs shifted, the church remained open to new computations. Now we have family members in different churches from Washington to California creating lovely views of the glistening fractions of the church’s scope and beauty.

Together we stand

What Toastmasters, churches, and a multitude of other interest groups have in common is regular, weekly meetings. According to “The Good Life,” a book about an ongoing Harvard study that began with some young men in the 1930s, warm relationships are the main key to a happier life. Relationships built over time, along with serendipitous encounters with strangers, help sustain equilibrium and happiness through the blows and arrows of life.

Yes, I know: Relationships are equally liable to BE the blows and arrows we are having to struggle through. Nonetheless it appears that the good, the bad, and the ugly are well mixed into both this curse and blessing in our lives. We need each other; and where we connect grace and healing can abound.

Gathering

Keith Lindstrom was an early member of The Gathering, a confederation of house churches started around 15 years ago by Dave Gschwend, who had been a pastor at Santa Cruz Bible Church. There are currently three Gathering house churches in the greater Santa Cruz area, and more in Monterey, Salinas and San Jose. The house churches meet weekly and have a monthly gathering of local gatherings.Around the time of the pandemic, The Gathering joined forces with two other local churches, to create Convergence, a Ministry Hub that took over a Japanese restaurant in the 41st Avenue Mall parking lot. I love this picture of the fluidity of The Church, ever shifting and growing, grouping and regrouping; a living thing.

Currently Keith Lindstrom is the pastor of Firestarters, one of the early Gathering house churches. It now meets at Convergence at 5 p.m. on Sundays. Together with other churches associated with Convergence, Keith is starting Alpha, a 10-week series of dinners designed for people who are spiritually curious, spiritually hungry, and who want to explore meaning and faith in a safe, friendly environment. See alphausa.org

You are welcome to come with whatever you believe; there will be no judgment. The program regularly develops community: a group of friends coming together, having fun and enjoying each other. Everybody gets to talk. The Preview Dinner is coming up at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Convergence, 3775 Capitola Road, Capitola. There will be no obligation to continue with the series, but of course you’d be welcome. For information, visit santacruzgathering.org, or email keith@santacruzgathering.org.

Fall in

Many churches, maybe even most churches, start a special class, group, series of meetings in the fall. Some also do this in Lent, but in my estimation fall groups are more jolly. If your church, or any church you’ve bumped into is doing this, I heartily suggest you join-in. There will be, of course, that what-am-I-getting-myself-into angst and fear, but give yourself time, give the folk around you time. You may become someone’s greatest gift of the season. Someone’s presence may become a wonderful present for you. Small groups are a place where both the glory and the grist of grace transpires. Give it, give Him, a chance.

“Speech is the voice of the heart.” — Anna Quindlen

In the Spirit runs monthly. Contact Alliee DeArmond via email at adbooks@aol.com.