I am a crier. I cry at sad movie endings, I cry at happy movie endings. I cry at parades, I cry at concerts, I cried during the solar eclipse, and maybe the most specific: I cry at Disney World when Tinkerbell flies overhead during fireworks, and all the little kids lose their minds. Gets me every time. 

I recently learned there's a term for these specific types of emotional responses: collective effervescence. By definition, it means "a sociological concept... describing the intense feeling of unity, energy, and belonging that arises when people gather for shared rituals or experiences, creating a powerful, exhilarating emotional bond." AKA, people coming together makes me emotional. There's just something about everyone experiencing something together that hits me right in the feels. 

And I know I'm not alone - I was watching a TikTok about "collective effervescence," and tons of commenters were saying that they feel the same way, whether it was the Star Spangled Banner in a packed stadium, or a kid scoring their first basket in their elementary school basketball game. We react to people experiencing/creating/feeling/gathering, because we are designed for community and togetherness. One of our values at The Ridge is "we believe nothing matters if people don't matter," and that's community at its core. Groups help us grow in a relationship with each other and in our relationship with God - He designed us to be in community with Him and with others, and grow closer to Him by being in community with others, too.

That's why we're getting ready to launch another groups season here at The Ridge. We want to make community building an easy next step. And we have different types of groups, too, since we know we all come from different walks of life: small groups for different ages and stages of life, and care groups, such as mental health groups, a grief group, and a women's trauma group. No matter where you are in your faith, or where you are in life, we want to help you get plugged in to a community of other people who want to grow together, too. 

If you're interested in signing up for a group, click here. And be sure to tell us a little about yourself, too - this helps us connect you with the right group of people. We can't wait to continue growing together, and look forward to this new group season kicking off!

Whatever it takes,
Becca Malburg
Community Pastor

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