A Place where Everyone has a Place

For those who don’t frequent Our Community Place, it can be hard to fully grasp the dynamic that exists within the walls. Even being new to the culture of OCP, I feel as though I am learning something or making a new friend every single day. Which is rather refreshing, I must say. There is unique energy flowing from every individual inside as we eat together, struggle together, play together and pray together.

It got me thinking about our name. Our, Community, Place. Of course you could simply say that the building is a place of community, or that the “our” emphasizes that anyone is welcome to call it their own. But thanks to some insight from Ron, I’ve thought a little bit more in-depth about what those words truly mean. So I’ve tried to break it down as best as I can (from four full weeks of being here):

Our – It is not just the Management Team’s place. It isn’t just the staff’s place. It belongs to everyone that wants to be a part of the OCP community. If you step inside of our building, it is your space to share. You help keep it clean, you eat with us, and you plug yourself in.

Community – We welcome anyone in the world. As long as you are a human being and have a belly button (sorry Kyle XY) you are welcome. People that work full time, and people that have no job. People that want to make new friends, and people that have no friends. People that have families, and people that need a family. People that have a place to live, and people that do not. Whenever our doors are open, anyone is welcome.

Place – Google defines a “place” as “a portion of space available for or being used by someone”. Everyone that comes in our doors needs us for various reasons. Some need support because they are homeless, whether that’s a shower, laundry, help finding housing, or just a place to get a warm meal. Some people just like to get involved and volunteer, which could mean serving food, interacting with the community, facilitating games and activities, and any number of other things. And some people just need to feel loved. That’s our M.O., I believe. To be a place that gives love freely. And from my experience so far, we do a pretty darn good job at it.

I feel as though I could go on and on about the wonderful experiences that I’ve had here so far, but I’ll save those for other blog posts. Often times, my favorite part of the day is when I am able to step back and objectively view the world we have created here in our little corner of Harrisonburg. Our friend Gary lights up whenever he is snuggling with our OCP cat, Jasmine. His whole face stretches into a huge grin as he coos and talks to her. Roger and Domingo are always messing with each other, cracking jokes and teasing (all in fun!), and it’s beautiful to catch them quietly working hard together chopping up veggies in the kitchen. There’s focus and excitement in the eyes of our friends that gather around to play cards, and you could probably hear the laughter and yelling from a block away when we get a game of Catch Phrase started!

There’s something for everyone at OCP, from love to food to safety and plenty in between. Come inside and see for yourself. You won’t leave the same way you came in, and it will be for the better.