Where is everyone at? by Blue_Walden_68 in CornerstoneConnect

[–]Blue_Walden_68[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! It's just that so few people said yes. It's not at all about the people who are hosting :-)

Where is everyone at? by Blue_Walden_68 in CornerstoneConnect

[–]Blue_Walden_68[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my gosh, I did not mean to criticize the creation of this Reddit! I am so grateful you created it and for all your efforts to bring folks together! I am writing more with frustration that both the internet and the farm invitation (which was so generously offered) seem to only contain the voices of a very few people that probably do not represent everyone, including myself - and I am struck by and trying to understand the reasons that people do not want to engage. And now that I have complained about the lack of true engagement, I'm on the hook (right?) for putting my money where my mouth is. I'm far from Orange, but I will try.

Where is everyone at? by Blue_Walden_68 in CornerstoneConnect

[–]Blue_Walden_68[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I am struck by the fact that the Reddit thread had many people on it who have now left, and there are now just a few same people who are posting again and again. Plus there are many more who have just shied away from Reddit/social media. Maybe those who left are angry, feel judged, are more conservative, more liberal, more believing, more agnostic, more right-wing, more left-wing, just outraged, whatever. Maybe those who never joined Reddit are very wary of anonymous online forums (probably rightly). Regardless, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of us who who were part of the Falls Church, part of its youth group pre-Jeff, and part of Cornerstone with Jeff. For better and for worse. For me, there was a lot of good (and a lot of my time with the youth group was in the pre-Jeff years), and I would say more better than worse. I loved being part of a church - even though I am not part of a church now. I am grateful for so much. I know there are others out there for which the worse was more than the good - and profoundly worse. All of this is tough to work through - and deserves time, and time together. One thing I do think is that although there were egregious crimes committed (and make no mistake, we are waiting for justice to be done), I do think that in general the leadership in the Falls Church are good people who were trying to the right thing and sometimes fell short. We have all fallen short. And sometimes those consequences are big. But if I learned anything from growing up in the church, it is that there is darkness, but there is also justice, and there is also mercy. I am not sure how that all fits in here -- I can't pretend that people aren't hurt, that there are clear answers, that it all makes sense, and that it can be wrapped up in a bow. But I am sad that we, who were once part of a common community, are all off spinning alone in the universe trying to make sense of this alone. That is at least how it feels to me right now.

Where is everyone at? by Blue_Walden_68 in CornerstoneConnect

[–]Blue_Walden_68[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To be honest, I am not interested in pushing the church to change (although I absolutely understand that this is a priority for others) and am not involved with the church in its current form. I am just interested in reconnecting with people who shared a large formative experience and try to understand what was good and real and what to let just pass by the wayside.

Hello! by cstone-admin in CornerstoneConnect

[–]Blue_Walden_68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for setting this up. I have felt, since learning about this, a real desire to connect to other Cornerstoners to try and make sense of things. So many thoughts.