By Pastor Duane Carlisle
I told this story in my sermon recently, but I really wanted to share it again here. It’s one of those stories that quietly reminds me why community and relationships matter so much—what sociologist Robert Putnam called social capital in his book Bowling Alone. Social capital is simply the value of relationships and networks that strengthen a community. Or, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it so beautifully, it’s our “inextricable network of mutuality.”
A couple of years ago, our friend Dennis—a member here at First UMC—was transitioning out of his small business, which was closing due to market changes. Dennis is visually impaired, which presents unique challenges when it comes to employment. As he searched for work, he was talking with me and Todd—not as pastor and parishioner, but simply as friends.
Around that same time, we were in regular conversation with Brianna and Erica Ginn during their pregnancy and family journey (lots of prayers then!). Somewhere along the way, Dennis’s job search entered those conversations. Brianna mentioned that her company worked with Purdue and said, “Let me see if I can make a few calls.” She did—and through that simple act of paying attention, Dennis was offered a job. The year went well, and Dennis found both purpose and stability in that work.
Then summer came. The work slowed. And when fall approached, Dennis didn’t get the call he expected. Anxiety crept in. He began networking again—talking with people from the congregation, checking in with his job coach, Kyle, who many of you know as the creative director of Acorn Players, one more thread in this First UMC web of relationships.
At the same time, Brianna was transitioning back into a management role at the Purdue site so she could be closer to home with baby Rowan. One day she looked around and noticed someone missing. “Where’s Dennis?” she asked. That question set everything in motion. Brianna followed up with site coordinators. Conversations happened. A communication gap was discovered. And suddenly, a door reopened.
Dennis wasn’t alone in this—he was surrounded by friends, coworkers, church members, family, and advocates who noticed, asked questions, and cared. That’s social capital at work. That’s community. We really are woven together—and when we look out for one another, lives are changed.
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