The Gift

The church sits at a skinny beach town corner resting nicely against its unassuming frame; I’ve passed by it before never realizing it was there amid the moss covered trees and leaning neighborhood. The United Church of Christ in New Smyrna Beach was my destination this morning for no other reason than a clear desire to hear a friend preach. Vonshelle and I have worked together for over a year and have recently discovered another level to our friendship which involves thoughtful conversations and an affinity to personal growth. There are so many joys in new and old relationships but what I most appreciate in the beginning is the layers of the story that bring the personality to life one page at a time. My appreciation for resonance with others matters, deeply; below the day in and day out of our lives is where the excavation of meaning begins. People who share their being-ness as completely as Vonshelle are as treasures to collect for sacred places that relax the soul with depth and intentional thought.

The parking lot was filling up with faithful members and I wondered about the last time I had even attended a church service; flashbacks to how deeply rooted I was in the Southern Baptist church took notice of my fleeting apprehension but my companion, Kathy, another friend of Vonshelle’s, and, another one of the treasures in my life, pulled me into soft introductions. The smiling faces of this church family all emoted a sincere welcome and I found myself letting go of the initial tenseness that shadows me when I step into new experiences. The analyst in me can get overwhelmed when all the information breaking through is new. Everything and everyone commanded the space we were in as we walked between the Chapel and its counterpart building that was reserved for socialization. But my eyes raced ahead of our gait once they saw the images lifting from the etched glass doors and they traced each line carefully. Being a visual person my tendency is to seek out the beauty in  everything surrounding me and these doors that led into the Chapel were certainly framed in beauty. They opened deeply and poured themselves over my soul with a warm awareness of the creativity that is lacking in my life. As we stepped through them into the foyer, the walls and the wood breathed the sounds of worship so sacred that I was tempted to take off my shoes as the Native Americans do when needing to connect fully from sole to soul. My attempts to ignore the embrace of this space as I wrote my name on the visitor label,  were in vain; so I welcomed the surge of gratitude that was building inside me and managed to keep my shoes on.

Kathy and I were settling into our place when a child appeared with a post-it note pad and tearing two pieces off instructed us to write down what the word peace meant to us. She went on to explain that we’re going to affix these post-it notes on a cross sometime during the service. Kathy secured a pen from her purse and then paused in mid air unsure and debating between using one word or a litany. The seriousness of her gaze caught my attention so I poked fun of her over-thinking until she stated that my note contained as much thought as hers. Peace? What does peace mean to me?! I now found myself couched on Kathy’s dilemma and struggling just the same with a perplexed gaze. It suddenly became harder than I realized to think of what peace meant to me but I managed something mildly profound and set the post-it down next to me as I began to bring my heart into stillness. Vonshelle’s significant other, Lissette, joined us as the service began. She is the newest person on the scene in my life and has quickly gained an honored spot due to her unique ability to bridge the gap between many theologies, and along with her affinity to study a broad stroke of topics; she is a dynamic conversationalist.

“Just Peace.” Vonshelle quickly made the point that the “JUST” was to signify “JUSTICE.” She went into her sermon with a degree of sincerity that is truly refreshing. She spoke about the injustices facing the world with violence against, and the targeting of, specific communities of people with so many police shootings of African American males, and, too, by civilians like what happened at The Pulse Nightclub. Her words were not collecting in a stagnate pool of separateness, but flowed unencumbered by such an idea into the greater understanding of our oneness. She was cherishing the fact that ALL LIVES MATTER! Injustice, however, cannot be tolerated if we are to have true peace in our communities and our lives. The silence of justice is condoning the very acts that are costing lives. Vonshelle challenged us to be the voice of justice—to be the peacemakers but thoughtfully so. We can create change but not with our silence. We must bring the voice of justice into each dark corner of our life no matter how small the encounter we face.

At the closing of the service the members of this church line the walls holding hands and sing, “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” Although I didn’t know the words to the song; I joined hands with my friends and watched a whole congregation do the same. The moment brought in old feelings of hope that the world is still housing those quiet souls who desire unity, peace and love. After the song, Kathy and I made our way into the line to greet Vonshelle on our way out. A small group of three was before us speaking with her about how welcomed they felt as I silently nodded in agreement. My eyes wondered aimlessly around the Chapel as we were waiting and began taking in its cozy warmth and friendly faces. It was then that I realized the degree of my own gratitude for coming and how blessed I was for the new friends in my life.


It was a simple wish, to hear a friend preach, but, I didn't realize; I was actually giving myself a gift. A moment in the Kindom. Kathy would enlighten me today about this new word I learned. She said that it was about family (kin) connections. We often use terms like the Kingdom of Christ but this word feels more appropriate, the Kindom of Christ. I LOVE the word! We all need avenues of connection and fellowship with others to grow in our service and love. It is my belief that the greatest growth of the soul occurs in relationships and that making time for fellowship, friends and community is paramount to your spiritual well-being and personal growth.


The whole day was my gift to me.


Mona McPherson