Seeds of Community

Iona is a place that upon arriving, I knew I’d be coming back to.  It’s really not the place that assures me of this, though it is indeed beautiful and breathtaking on this island. It’s about five miles long, and the rain, thankfully, has held off for my stay thus far. It’s very green here, with cows and sheep that seem to wander at large. The terrain is either very flat or very steep; there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground.  It’s a beautiful place, but it’s really the people gathered here and our common bonds that would bring me back.  Even though I don’t know anyone here, I feel like haven’t yet met a stranger.

 There is a growing sense of community here. We gathered for our first meal together Saturday night as strangers. Over the next several meals, I quickly tired of asking and answering the same questions: Where are you from? What brought you to Iona? How did you hear about it? But while the questions felt repetitive and tiresome, they were essential.  For what is now in the germination stage, just two days into our week’s journey together, is a community. While I still ask and answer those same questions, the seeds of some of those early conversations have begun to sprout.  I now mark a meal or the passing of an afternoon by the significant conversations I’ve had.

 I believe others are also going through a similar process, such that I’ve been able to skip the entry-level questions with some, and go straight to the deep stuff.  Just this evening, I had an awesome conversation with Graham, one of the week’s leaders, and Fran,  another guest like myself. Graham started the meal by asking me the un-boxable and flattering question of “What’s your story?” We talked about travel, the faith communities I’ve come from in both Seattle and New Hampshire, and now the idea of community on Iona.  He helped me try to wrap my mind around the Christian churches in England and Scotland, and the role liturgy plays in them.

 I am learning the meaning of an ecumenical community. I am learning about the beauty in it. People have gathered here at the MacLeod Center on Iona from many different countries: the U.S., Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands. We come from many different faith traditions. We speak a common language, though, of adoration of our Creator, a desire for building community, seeking justice and peace, and sharing good meals together.