Earlier this year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a report about an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the U.S. Ever since Robert Putnam published his highly-acclaimed and widely-read book Bowling Alone in 2000, we've all been aware of the fraying social fabric in our country and the decline of organizations like faith communities that build social capital. The situation has now reached crisis proportions. With so many people crying out for community and connection, why are faith communities, which have fostered community and connection for centuries and millennia, failing to meet the demand?
In this Boston Globe article, our friends Rabbi Elan Babchuck and Wendy Cadge highlight both the opportunity for government to recognize that faith communities can help in this crisis, and the need for faith communities to rethink their role in addressing it:
“Faith communities can answer by opening their eyes, ears, hearts and doors. There is not one village, town, or city where people aren’t suffering from loneliness; while some of them regularly attend services, the majority do not. Look for them. Engage them. Serve them. Point your community’s greatest resources — its people and the care in their hearts — to your community’s greatest needs, and witness how healing happens. Don’t wait for them to come to you.”
For people across faith traditions, this is our moment. We've got this. We know how to build community. The opportunity is right in front of us. Yet, as we fight inwardly about who is welcome or not in our community, despair over why young people aren't interested in us, worry about our dwindling numbers, we're completely missing the boat, and indeed discouraging ourselves as a solution.
Another friend of innoFaith’s, Rabbi Sid Schwarz, recently preached a sermon imagining the rebirth of religion in a future where it has died, the emergence of "sacred circles" where people convene for connection to each other and to something greater:
“The weekly sacred circles became life-affirming gatherings, in which formerly hopeless people, began to dream of a better tomorrow. And people learned to be kind. And people learned to be generous. And people learned to be compassionate. And the more people gave of themselves, the more generosity they received in return, as if the very act of giving had a magical quality of growing exponentially when practiced. Soon, people who were transformed by their engagement in their respective sacred circles, started to connect with other sacred circles. The civility and respect that was practiced in each circle, started to characterize the interactions happening in the larger society. People saw that there was a different and better way to live in America. The seeds for a renewal of American democracy and social civility had been sown.”
We don't have to wait for the end of religion to reimagine what we can be, what we have to offer each other and the world, but we do have to think and act differently. Instead of asking, “How can we get people in our doors,” what if we ask: How might we use our assets to help solve our nation’s epidemic of loneliness?
This question should also lead us to ask who no longer comes to our services (or never did) but might be interested in helping us address isolation in our community or city? Or who might be isolated themselves but don’t see the community we’re currently offering them as what they need?
There are so many initiatives working to foster connection to address different forms of isolation, build social capital, and nurture spiritual community. So even if you don't know where to start, there are organizations and resources to help. This is a completely solvable crisis.
Here are just a handful of the innovative initiatives addressing different forms and causes of social isolation or offering resources to help build community and counter isolation:
Spiritual community: The New Wine Collective connects technology, spirituality, and community for a reimagined approach to spiritual community that is non-hierarchical, accessible, inclusive, and oriented toward peace and justice.
Bridging divides: The People’s Supper helps communities bridge difference in our polarized times, offering resources for creating and nurturing community. The In[HEIR]itance Project helps communities build relationships through collaborative theater projects.
Nurturing connection: The Foundation for Social Connection has released an Action Guide for Socially Connected Communities. This resource was funded by The Einhorn Collaborative, which supports numerous initiatives that work on building connection and has put together a primer and connection hub with stories, insights and resources.
Aging: In New York, the UJA Federation launched Isolation to Connection to identify and support isolated seniors.
Homelessness: Miracle Messages addresses homelessness as a problem of relational poverty, reconnecting people experiencing homelessness with loved ones and other social support systems.
Immigration: Welcoming America supports communities to build a welcoming society where everyone, including immigrants, can contribute.
Intergenerational connection: CoGenerate supports people of different generations working together to create change.
Rural isolation: As part of an initiative called the Moses Project, a rural pastor and his Missouri church are innovating to address the mental health crisis among farmers.
Supporting community builders: The Aspen Institute’s Weave Project supports the people they call weavers, trust brokers in communities who are building caring relationships and working to make their communities stronger.
What other initiatives would you add? Let us know in the Comments.
Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash