Churches and Faith Communities as Third Places/ Third Place Stories
“Here comes the sun/ doo doo doo doo
Here comes the sun and I say, it’s all right”
(The Beatles)
One of my novitiate apostolic experiences with the Faithful Companions of Jesus1 meant engaging in our charism of companionship as a volunteer with a musical outreach program in London, England. Our group met in a small church hall every Saturday and welcomed houseless people in search of music and company. Robbie, a talented and cheerful character, gave music lessons to patrons on the piano or guitar. Other volunteers like me served tea and cookies and chatted with the visitors.
Our favourite part of the morning would come when we’d all gather around the piano and sing together. Volunteers would print the lyrics to favourite, requested songs, usually in the pop genre and often dating from the sixties and seventies. As Robbie accompanied us on the piano, volunteers and guests would enthusiastically sing as many golden oldies as we could jam into an hour.
We were a varied group: females and males, younger and older people, Christians and non-Christians, some with strong voices and others singing off-key, coming from a variety of continents and socio-economic backgrounds. However, our delight in singing well-worn hits ranging from the Beatles to Nina Simone, songs that have been sung millions of times worldwide, allowed us to enter into a space of connection and intimacy with one another. Any “long, cold, lonely” winters we were experiencing in our lives could be set aside, at least temporarily, as we sang “here comes the sun.” Just as our varied accents disappeared as we engaged in singing, so did any inhibitions about our vocal abilities.
In some volunteer positions, it can be easy to fall into an “us” and “them” way of thinking, ex. at a soup kitchen, “we with the food” are helping “those without the food.” This outreach program helped clarify for me what authentic companionship looks like, for it was in “companioning” one another that we were all nourished by our collective glimpse of what the world can look like after the winter: it is a space where all are welcome and all belong. Here comes the sun!
1. The Faithful Companions of Jesus are a congregation that takes its name from the women who travelled with Jesus during his ministry, remained with him in his suffering at the foot of the cross, and spread the good news of the gospels in the early days of Christianity. These women were companions to Jesus and to God’s people, and our congregation’s charism is to intentionally and authentically engage in companionship with the people we meet.
-Sr. Michelle Langlois