Community

I have been reflecting on this ever since our home ed group decided to start a yahoo group. Lots of home ed groups have had them already but for us this is a new thing, and with all new things has been met with both excitement and derision. But what struck me was when someone started talking about the home ed community and how we could be better connected by this group, and then watching my introvert daughter putting more effort into relationships with people on role playing websites than with friends she can touch.
What do we mean by community anyway? We have been exploring community groups, which again seems to be another way of getting people into an organized place to do something, rather than something organic.
When I first started home educating internet was not something everyone had and even if they did they didnt check it regularly so we had to get in touch via phone, which involved really chatting, and then had to go and meet with each other.
Also then the whole thing of home ed community was that as well as seeing each other we did things together for the common goal, which was our kids getting some educational trips out and socializing. Community meant all of us being involved and doing something together. Now things are not like that in our group as more and more parents seem to work part time as well as home ed; on the introductions to this group most of the people home ed and ..... which was never the case.
And I remember when I was first a Christian I was in a church where the men worked and most of the women stayed at home with their young children, but I so often hear from the young mums now how they are having to go back to work. I am not decrying that but what I am seeing is that true community means that all people in that community have to have the time and energy to give something to it, or those who give get burned out and those who take seem to be dissatisfied most of the time, always wanting someone else to do more.
I can see too why my daughter is more keen to be involved in these role playing websites as for the whole game to work everyone in the group has to play their part. If one or two stop playing then the game goes off in a different way.
So why at church or in fact in home ed, see community as something that we attend rather than something we can all get involved with and all give do our part.
A bit of my conclusion comes from the discussion on Martin Scott's blog about local church actually being people who travel to it, and what happens with travel is that it takes up time and energy and resources so we have less to give to the community we are a part of, so we are tired and a bit stress so really all we do want is someone else to do the stuff for us.
Perhaps for community to work we do all need to find out what we have to put into something and what land we are meant to be standing on and encourage others to do their all for it.