The Cellar is a force for good in the world

[glatt]

I’ve been on the Mission and Outreach committee at my church for the last five years or so. It’s the group tasked with deciding how that community is going to do good in the world. We used to give money to a food pantry and fix up houses for little old ladies and things like that. We got a new priest two years ago, and she wanted us to really look at what it means to do good in the world, and examine what we were doing.

We read a bunch of books and talked about it a lot and basically came to the conclusion that the best thing you can do for others is to make relationships with them so that you can reach understanding and have empathy for one another. As a church, that’s really hard. Strangers stopping strangers, just to shake their hands, sounds good in a song, but really goes against human nature. We’re still trying to figure it out, but have at least started a partnership with a black church of another denomination to just have conversations. We still give money to the food pantry, because there is a need, but it’s really not the ideal way to be doing good in the world, because you injure the self esteem of people when you give them handouts.

So it’s with that lens that I am looking at the Cellar.

2020 has been lacking in an abundance of joyful moments for just about everyone, and that is reflected in the Cellar. Flint was abusive to an annoying new member and really took it too far, like he always does. He’s fully embroiled in the divisive politics of the world. It spills over here in the Cellar. Political discussions in the Cellar are pretty toxic right now. Worse than in previous election years, which have always been a little toxic.

Politics aside, I think this is a really good community and the regular members get a lot out of coming here. We make real connections. We are doing here what my Mission and Outreach committee has identified as being the most important thing.

Last week I fixed my car. I told my wife and daughter and they didn’t care much. I was excited about what I did and wanted to tell people who would care. Who would share in my victory. I came here and talked about it, and Dwellars sat with me. They read my little story and cared. There was empathy.

Think of all the troubled souls who have come here for comfort over the years and found it. And not just troubled souls. People who are happy and sharing their victories or their kids’ victories.

The Cellar is doing good work. Even if there is a lot of noise to look past.