Community Spotlight | Magnolia

Community, Uncategorized

From time to time, we want to share stories of how God is working in the lives of those who are participating in community. Recently, we sat down with Josh and Angela Armstrong, members of the Magnolia Community, to asked them a few questions about their experience with community.

What was your original take on community when you got to DCC?

Over the years, we have been blessed by being members of some really great communities. At different churches we’ve attended they’ve been called community groups, small groups, life groups, or Bible studies – but at the core, they’ve all been Jesus-loving people who do life together. We knew that when choosing a new church to call home, it needed to have a strong community ministry. We loved DCC and were excited to see that communities were key to serving and being served, as well as growing deeper in relationship with Jesus and His people.

What was your experience like once you jumped in?

At first, there was some hesitation to commit to our neighborhood’s community because we weren’t sure how long we’d be living in Magnolia. But we felt God’s prompting to join, regardless of how long we’d be there. If it was going to be a while, then great! More time to build friendships with our neighbors and study God’s Word together. If it was going to be a shorter season, we knew that God could still teach us and use us through our Magnolia neighbors. And once we started participaing, the church that we really liked became our church that we love.

Shortly after joining, our little family encountered some trials. Our son arrived nearly 5 weeks early and we spent a couple weeks in the NICU. Then, our almost 2-year-old daughter got a serious kidney infection that hospitalized her for 11 days, which led to surgery a couple weeks later. All together we spent a month admitted at Swedish First Hill. That season was the hardest thing we’ve gone though. Even though we hadn’t been a part of our community for very long, and they didn’t know us very well, they rallied around us in love, prayer, encouragement, meals and gifts. I (Angela) remember one particular night that we were at the hospital, and Josh said “I feel like I need to go be with community tonight…for me.” It was a time when we were wrestling with God’s goodness and His will for our family. Going to be with community was a place where he could be transparent and have prayerful support. They loved, and continue to love, us so well!

What role does community play in our life today?

Community is very important to us all throughout the week, not just Sunday mornings and Tuesday nights. For me (Angela), in this big, beautiful city of ours, I can feel a little anonymous, a little lost in the shuffle. I desire to feel at home and being in a community, as well as making a family choice do as much as we can here in Magnolia, has given me that sense of family and home. We have community friends who are actual neighbors with whom we grab coffee, sit alongside at library story times, and meet for park dates…friends who utilize the same community center and children’s consignment store and who we run into at the farmer’s market. Friends who are quick to ask how can I help? Can I bring you a meal? Need any help with childcare? And true story, friends who will loan you toilet paper and bananas to hold you over until your next grocery trip. We get to watch our little ones build friendships and although she’s only 2 years old, our daughter eagerly awaits Tuesdays to go to Gisele and Peter’s house! Throughout the week she loves to list off everyone who comes to eat, play, and pray.

While we love our community and it’s a priority for us, that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. We are busy people. Work sometimes runs late. Attitudes often need adjusting and bedtime can’t come soon enough. Both kiddos have sleep issues (and by default, I guess that means we do too). Sometimes we are racing across the city, and usually we grab something store-bought on the way. Let’s be real, I (Angela) probably still have on yoga pants, no make up, and hair in a messy ponytail. Sometimes we need to leave a little early. But we come. If we were going to wait to be committed and invested until life slowed down and we had all our ducks in a row, I don’t know if we’d ever come. We come, messy and all….and so does everyone else. Like I mentioned above, we do life together and life is messy. This reality is beautiful and such a blessing. In our community, the number of kids might equal the number of adults and so our format (and noise level) isn’t what it used to be. Sometimes that’s great, and I can roll with it and enjoy myself. And other days, I might actually grieve a little, remembering past life seasons of community groups where I was fully present, completely focused, able to have deep theological discussions and then linger afterwards.

In short, we’ve been super blessed by community! We would encourage everyone to participate, even if you’re not sure how long you’ll be here. For those who are especially busy, we encourage you to pray over your schedule to have God reveal ways to switch things up so you can carve out time for group. And for those with little ones, we pray that community can be a place where your cup is filled, you are loved and supported, and can be love and support to others.

Thanks for sharing Josh & Angela!

About Cornerstone Communities:
Cornerstone Communities are at the heart of who we are as church. We aren’t simply interested in holding events – we desire for people to connect, share life, and form communities that are deeply rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Cornerstone Communities are neighborhood-focused and typically meet for a weekly dinner, while also sharing life throughout the week. You can learn more about our communities here and email to request more information.