And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Heb 10:24-25).
Introduction
With the vast size of the North American Continent, it is not surprising that many of our community find themselves geographically remote from any ecclesia. From the limited information available, perhaps 5% to 10% are so remote from an ecclesia it is almost impossible for them to attend a meeting regularly. This means that at least 200 are essentially cut off from the physical assembly of Christ. And many more are so remote that they find it difficult to attend except for Memorial Service. Added to these, there are some ecclesias that are so small (some with only a husband and wife) that they are also effectively cut off from ecclesial life: it is hard to exhort one another when there are only two. So is this likely to be a good condition to be in for our walk towards the Kingdom? Can it work for good — or is it always undesirable?
Basics
It must always be stressed that the whole basis of fellowship in our community is ecclesially based. We are only a brother (or sister) in Christ if we are a member in good standing of a recognized ecclesia — recognized as such by the local ecclesias. Thus we cannot be “in isolation,” detached from any ecclesia; we can only be a remote member of an ecclesia. In the directory listing of the North American directories of members, there is no section of “in isolation”, nor should there be. There is often a section for “associate members, but this only stresses that this ecclesial relationship should be (and normally is) the main focus of those in isolation.
Going Into Isolation
To deliberately cut oneself off from the mutual encouragement and up-building involved in ecclesial life is a serious and potentially dangerous step. To do so for reasons of personal conflict or disagreements is not the correct path for a disciple. And in particular, to move into isolation, for whatever reason, when there are children involved can be potentially disastrous to their involvement in Sunday school and CYC activities. Absent these relationships, the likelihood of these children putting on the name of Christ is reduced, although perhaps by taking advantages of the opportunities of Bible Schools and CYC weekends contact with like-minded friends can be maintained.
On the other hand, we must perhaps remember the examples of those who, although forced by circumstance to move into isolation, by their efforts established some of the current ecclesias that we take for granted, and such formation is still taking place. There are possibly advantages in reversing the common process whereby numbers attract numbers, thereby making large ecclesias larger, and those already small even smaller. But this ability to create new ecclesias, by spreading the gospel among friends and neighbors, seems to be more difficult and unusual than in days gone by.
As is common with many, I personally have had to look for alternative employment several times in my career, twice because the company that employed me changed locations. I have had many attractive offers in regions of the country remote from ecclesias, but with young children to consider, I found it impossible, in all good conscience, to accept these. Others have made different decisions, and I must say I understand the dilemma you face when confronted with the prospect of no employment. However, I must counsel those considering employment, when such will remove them and their family from their ecclesia, to consider the spiritual as well as financial impact. Obviously I know of cases where those in isolation have helped others in their path to the gospel, and maintained their own strong faith, but we should acknowledge that the price of isolation can be great in terms of the trials and heartache it presents.
We must recognize that these situations are becoming increasingly common with the current economic turmoil. As it is certain that such problems will only be truly overcome by the return of our lord Jesus, we must be prepared for what is potentially an increasing number who find themselves in isolation, because they have been unable to find employment near an ecclesia. Of course, defining such proximity in very much dependent on individual circumstances as well: I remember cases in former years where a move of ten miles resulted in members considering themselves in isolation. These days, many travel close to 75 miles to attend memorial service, although such a distance makes attendance at midweek classes and other functions virtually impossible. So when you look at a map of North America, it is clear that there are large swaths of the country devoid of ecclesias – although I estimate that greater than 70% of the population are less than 75 miles away from an ecclesia.
In Isolation
If you do find yourself in isolation, what can do done to replace the spiritual help we get from our fellow brethren and sisters, and how do we continue the moral guidance our children get from association with their fellow contemporaries? In years gone by, this was largely confined to receiving written exhortations and bible classes, exchanging letters, and perhaps engaging in a remote bible study course or correspondence lesson. For example, many have been helped by reading such collections of exhortations as “Seasons of Comfort” by Robert Roberts (still a classic) or any of the collections by Dennis Gillet. These aids are invaluable for those in isolation, but modern technology offers other alternatives. For example (and this should be encouraged) you might find your home ecclesia does record their memorial service or (less often) their Bible classes, and make them available by mailing out the recordings. In fact, if you do find yourself wanting to take advantage of this, perhaps you might consider transferring to an ecclesia where you both have friends or relatives, and that does record their services. It is always nice to hear familiar voices from afar.
In addition (and maintaining ties with your “home” ecclesia in any way possible is always the first choice), there are many other resources: the Internet, for all its problems, offers much in this area. There are several ecclesias in North America that make their memorial services available for download: perhaps I might mention the Simi Hills ecclesia in California as one example. And the Christadelphian Vault has a huge archive of Bible School and other talks (http://www.christadelphianvault.net/). These are only two examples: I have a list of about 40 Christadelphian websites with audio talks, and a few with videos. It would be nice if the technology existed to easily search these web sites for a given speaker or topic. But I should not complain: I can listen to speakers like John Carter I had only thought to access in written form. It is also possible to watch a memorial service over a video streaming service like Skype, but I know of few who do this.
There is also the Christadelphian Isolation League (http://www.isolationleague. org). This is an organization, based in the UK, whose objective is “the spiritual welfare of the Brethren and Sisters and their children worldwide, who are isolated from their Ecclesia, by distance, ill-health, advancing years or by any other cause.” By contacting this website and registering, using the password as from the most recent ALS diary, one obtains written exhortations either by e-mail or via “snail” mail, and audios as well. The work is largely handled from the UK, but there is a USA representative, Bro. Jeff Adams who can be reached at jeffadams86@yahoo. com. (The Canadian agent is Sis Pat Williamson: a6a64420@telus.net)
In addition, there is an active USA branch of the Sunday School Isolation league, run for many years by Sis. Judith Nevers. This serves by supplying teachers for a remote Sunday school for those whose home ecclesia is unable to run remote classes – but as always the involvement of the home ecclesia is to be encouraged. She can be reached at jnevers@verizon.net. The Canadian agent is Sis Judy Winter (leslie.winter@sympatico.net)
So there are many resources to enable those in isolation to maintain contact with others of the body of Christ on this continent. However, I cannot close other than by restating the best form of contact is by a face to face personal relationships. However much technology may help, physical proximity is by far the best way to enable us to “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works… exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” And the best way of doing this is by attending an ecclesia whenever possible, and to ensure that you and your whole family (if you have one) attends one or more of the many Bible Schools in North America. Indeed, I would argue that it is these Bible Schools that have enabled the Christadelphian Community in North America to maintain their cohesiveness and vitality, whether it be those in isolation or the larger community. Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, in the service of our Lord and Master, and in the companionship of our fellow believers.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One