Valerie Rae Hanneman
John 18:1 (New International Version) “When He had finished praying, Jesus left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and He and His disciples went into it.
When I was younger, still in elementary school, I remember my mom and other women on our street getting together during the week to have a time of coffee and conversation. It was most usually mom, Sheila, Sharon and sometimes Jean. They all took turns hosting the coffee in their homes. Every once in awhile mom would let me go with her to her coffee klatch, as long as I promised to behave like a lady. (Stop laughing) When I was there they talked about kids, husbands, school grades, and high prices.
When I wasn’t there, I believe that they talked about the other challenges they faced. Sheila was impulsive and lacked self-control. I remember that she had big mirrors on her living room wall that she didn’t like anymore. She got tired of waiting for her husband to take them down so she tore them off the walls. Because she didn’t know what she was doing the damage to the walls was extensive. Sharon, a devout Catholic, had a husband who drank heavily. I remember coming out to go to school one day and he was passed out in the driveway. Jean was so stiff and uptight all the time that everybody knew there was something seriously wrong in that household. I wonder if my mom ever talked about my stepfather’s vicious, unpredictable temper.
I knew that when I grew up and got married, that I too would have a coffee klatch to share the ups and downs of life.
That never happened though. The world moved on from single wage earner families and stable marriages. My world is that of a single mom working too many hours and barely able to make ends meet. Not only do I never have coffee with the neighbors – I can only call 4 of them by name. Bob down the street was once married to a co-worker of mine. I met Herb & Myra next door when he asked me to pray for Myra when she was having eye surgery. Todd across the street ran a haunted house so the coffins, ghouls, and hearses that were often in his yard were great conversation starters. But none of these neighborhood people are my friends. I have shared what Jesus has done in my life with them – but never that part of me that very few see.
Jesus had His klatch. I doubt that they drank coffee – but I know that Jesus relished time alone with His disciples. How often in the Word do we see Him withdrawing from His public ministry to gather the 12 around Him? In the Word we read of these times being used to teach the disciples in more detail then what He could teach the crowds. But you know, Jesus was a fun sorta guy (come on now - who do you think created fun?) I will bet there were times when they had “Who has the hairiest toes” contests, or traded jokes, or played “scissors, rock or paper.” There were times when the disciples talked about personal challenges they faced with the spouses or the kids. Even Jesus shared things that troubled Him. Mark 10:32 tells of how He took the 12 disciples aside – away from the crowd – and told them what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem. In John 11:54 Jesus withdrew to a small village named Ephraim when the priests got serious about plotting to kill Him. In this time of trouble, when He needed support, the disciples went with Him.
Jesus’ life is the perfect model of how we should live our lives. He gathered around Himself like-minded people. And within this community of faith there was a small group of people – His klatch (disciples) – with whom He was more intimate with.
I am also in a community of like-minded people. It is called Fresno First Baptist Church. I love my church (the people – not the building – although I like the building a whole bunch!). My life is centered in my church. But the truth is that I arrive on Sonday morning at 8:00 to practice with the choir, at 9:00 I am usually on camera three. Once I shut down the camera it is back to the choir room for second service. After the choir comes down from the platform I am off to either the second service or one of the classes we offer. It feels non-stop. Don’t get me wrong – I love my Sonday mornings. They are hectic but I thrive on that. In the midst of the hectic ness I connect with my friends – but usually just for a minute or so. I am connected to a community of faith – but they are not my klatch. My klatch is on Tuesday nights and is called a small group. It is just the coolest thing! We get together to share conversation, snacks, a Bible Study and prayer requests. There are generally 15 or so that get together to share this time. As our kids, dogs and cats run around us, we get to relax into a more intimate, shared time of fellowship. Just as Jesus used His time alone to teach His disciples to go a little deeper into what He was teaching, we use part of our time to get deeper into the Word. There are all sorts of levels of Christian maturity in our klatch so these are lively and interesting times of sharing ideas and thoughts on the Word. We do not compare our hairy toes but we do have a lot of fun and share a lot of laughter. We talk about high prices and headlines. We talk about the challenges we face with our spouses, children, jobs and finances. We cheer each other on and lift each other up. Just as the disciples supported Jesus in His times of trouble in Ephraim, I know that if I were to enter a time of trouble my small group klatch would be there for me – just as I would be there for them
I didn’t get to grow up and follow the example that my mother modeled of a neighborhood coffee klatch. My life turned out radically different from hers. But I got something much better. I get to follow the example that Jesus modeled of a smaller, closer group within the larger community of faith - a Jesus coffee klatch.
If you are not currently connected to a small group then I urge you to get connected. There are different groups with different focuses. Some meet in houses – some meet in the church. Some are directed towards our older members, some are directed towards our youth. Some are for marrieds and some are for singles. Some are so open that even your pets are welcome! (That would be my small group!) Some are long-term - others are like the Beth Moore Bible studies that meet for a number of weeks for a specific reason. What they all have in common is the opportunity to build stronger relationships within the Body of Christ. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
LORD of Heaven and Earth, the way that You lived Your life here on earth is the role model of how I wish to live my life. I want to be just like You. I thank You for my small group and the way that I support them, they support me and together we support Your Kingdom.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at Valerie@fresnofirst.org