FROM THE PULPIT: "THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD"

I grew up in St. Louis, in a wonderful neighborhood. St. Louis is full of neighborhoods, wonderful little communities where people know each other, and take care of each other. My grandparents' house was an anchor for me in my neighborhood. The grade school I attended was on one corner, their house across the street, and the church where I grew up was on the other corner. I spent a lot of time there, often on their porch. As we sat and talked about the events of the day, people from the neighborhood would walk by and share their news as well. We saw nearly everyone while we sat there, and if we didn't see them, we heard about them. We kept track of each other. We got out and saw each other face to face. How often do we do this today, I wonder?

I have come to rely heavily on the use of a computer in my ministry, in my daily life. A computer can do so many things; store data, produce beautiful documents, even check my spelling. Word processing is already an integral part of our lives, but the Internet is changing our culture. The dawn of the age of the high-speed modem has brought the world to our very doorstep, our own desktop. As I write this article, I am sitting at a computer that can quickly be linked to the Internet. With a few pushes of the button on my mouse I can check e-mail, read news groups, even chat with people around the United States and the world.

Friends that I used to call regularly I now communicate with over the Internet. I can type a message, send it, and hear back from others soon after. Instead of visiting with or calling my friends, I quickly send some e-mail. Technology has sped up our communication, but has it strengthened our community? In the old neighborhood we spent time talking to each other. We kept track of each other, we saw each other often. Not it is sometimes easier to type a quick message. We communicate in short bursts, with short phrases (even in this column). E-mail and quick phone calls have taken the place of visits and long letters. Jesus made a point with his followers that wherever two or more were gathered in his name there he would be also. If the believers gather "virtually," is that the same? Is that what Jesus had in mind?

On many online services people can enter chat rooms. These are the places on the Internet so often maligned in the news. People chat with each other about a certain topic, or just chat in an open room. For instance people interested in, or living in, St. Louis, can chat in a room titled: St. Louis. My experience on the Internet has been an eye-opening one. I have met people from around the country and even around the world from my home in suburban Gordonville. A personal computer and a phone line connects us with the world. But how connects are we?

Yes, we can chat with people all over the world. We can send e-mail in an instant. News and entertainment pour into our computer screens. One major thing is missing though. Personal contact. We am not actually talking with or sitting with anyone. We can see their words typed on our screens, but we can't hear their voices or see their facial expressions. Some would say that the digital camera will cure this. With the right camera, the person at the other computer terminal can see you. It's still not the same as being together, talking face to face.

One of the greatest joys in the church is meeting together in faith and fellowship. We gather regularly to share together, sing together, pray together. Without regular contact, community will disappear. I love the Internet, and surf it quite often. I just hope we don't lose the human touch in all this technology. Let us enjoy e-mail and chatting, but let us also strive to get our regularly and meet each other face to face, like we did in the old neighborhood.