Working from home can be a great thing — lack of interruptions, few if any in-person meetings and a kitchen stocked with snacks. It also can be a lonely environment as well.
While more companies continue to offer flexible remote work options, there are those longing for more interaction and face-to-face communication. Earlier this year, the men in my Sunday School class who work remote launched occasional — once to twice a month — “work from home” Fridays. The idea is for the group to work together at someone’s house for a few hours. The gatherings feature their share of quiet work moments — we do have jobs with work to be done — sprinkled with plenty of light-hearted banter and food.
For more stories at your doorstep, subscribe to The Baptist Paper.
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails that hit your inbox on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The BBC recently reported on a company in Hong Kong, called Pretend to Work Company, that provides office space for unemployed individuals who want to at least have the appearance of going to an office while they’re job hunting and networking.
Need for relationships
The need for community goes beyond the professional world.
In the Nashville area, a group called Sunday Assembly gathers on the second Sunday of every month. It’s not a church. According to its website, this secular event “combines inspiring talks, sing-along pop songs and a touch of mindfulness, all followed up by coffee and a chance to go to lunch with new friends.”
There are more than 70 Sunday Assembly chapters around the world. While these events reject organized religion, they demonstrate the vast need people have for community — and an opportunity for churches to reach out.
In our increasingly remote world, people still need community, especially Christian community. And as Proverbs 27:17 notes, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Shawn Hendricks, content editor for The Baptist Paper.
