Community, it’s a big buzzword, especially if you’ve been involved in church or ministry for very long. And no wonder, community and relationships are important! We can encourage one another and build each other up, and that has inexpressible value.

Coming into training camp, one of my concerns was community. Why? Well, let’s just say that out-going and gregarious aren’t words that people would usually use to describe me. I’m not the sort of person who routinely introduces myself to new people or carries the conversation. I enjoy people for sure! But I’m definitely not a stereotypical extrovert. So the idea of coming to training camp and eating, sleeping, and living with strangers for 11 days was a little bit intimidating. I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t sure what I was in for.

Cut to arriving at camp. Staff greeting you enthusiastically, meeting people for the first time and making small-talk, eating supper in a circle and not knowing the names of the people across from you. Not my comfort zone, but I jumped in as best I knew how.

And - it - was - GREAT!  And hard. And wonderful. And challenging.

I went from being alone 50 - 75% of the time, to being in community a little less than 24/7. It took effort to get to know my squadmates, but I love what I discovered. I found a community that was open, caring, and purposeful. I found a community that looked for opportunities to serve, initiated meaningful conversations, and shared stories of the Lord’s goodness. I found the church.

Did I struggle with having minimal personal time?

YES.

Was I tempted to compare myself with others?

YES.

Was it challenging to see other people establishing deep relationships more quickly than me?

YES. 

But it was good. My squad is receptive and seeks to encourage one another. My squad likes to dance and be loud together. My squad seeks to learn from and about one another. My squad worships all in. And I am so thankful for the 22 people that I will learn to call family.

Meet Z-Squad...