The Green Room

~by Pam Raider

Arguably the most social animal, humans, need each other. The studies are in—social isolation can drive us crazy. That’s why it is considered extreme punishment in prisons. It’s also why mass shooters are most often described as loners.

From the beginning, Homo sapiens gathered around campfires to swap tales. Then we progressed to the local store’s potbellied stove and on to newspapers and TV, and finally to the screens in our hands. Whether at the hair salon, in restaurants and bars, or houses of worship, we enjoy sharing with our neighbors. A sense of belonging—feeling heard and accepted—helps put our thoughts and feelings into perspective.

We get out of the loops in our brain when others add a new twist, talk us off the ledge, make us laugh, or listen to our sorrows. They say misery loves company, but so do our joys and successes. From cradle to grave, community is crucial to our well-being.

Although I belong to several groups and value each one, one in particular stands out as especially interesting and accepting. It lies within the heart of Nashville, meeting in the Nashville United Methodist Church. Named for the carpeting covering floor and benches, the Green Room is an especially welcoming place. What began as a Sunday school playroom area for children morphed into a home for a wideranging, now decades-long, discussion group.

You might ask “What’s a discussion group have to do with church?” And yet, at their core, all issues have moral, ethical, and spiritual ramifications. Just as the unexamined life may not be worth living, so too might be our unexamined beliefs. No one person has all the answers; therefore we can find better answers together. If two minds are better than one, think how superb 10 minds are. All opinions shared in the Green Room are reacted to with thoughtful consideration.

The Green Room seems the epitome of community with nothing to buy or sign up for and nothing expected—just show up and be open to listening and sharing. Democratic in its functioning, there is no real leader, no membership fees or qualifications needed, no attendance rules or records. You needn’t be a member of the church or attend services there.

Totally self-regulating, you come when you can, or if the topic, which changes weekly, interests you. In various sessions we talked about diet, exercise, pilgrimages, gender-based issues, health care, state of our agriculture, the climate crisis, war and peace, politics and humor, grief and forgiveness. We watched TED talks and short films together. One topic often leads to another; maybe someone has read a book or come back from a trip or wants to air their thoughts and feelings, and hear what others think.

Sometimes there are only five or six people there and sometimes more like 20-30. We have shared births and deaths, graduations and retirements, the full gamut of human experience.

This isn’t only a discussion group. Folks in the Green Room put their principles into action. They are always asking themselves what they can do to make Brown County a better community, and by extension, the world. To this end they serve on boards and support charities. They’ve sponsored a refugee family and raised money to put solar panels on the church. It’s people like this that make our county such a wonderful place in which to live.

I believe local community will become more and more important for each one of us. We will need places to gather and to share our needs, fears, troubles, opinions, and hopes—outside of our devices. A place where we feel seen, heard, and valued in person.

Maybe there is a gathering place in your neighborhood. Maybe you can start one. Don’t let your social needs go unaddressed. If you can’t find a group near you, come join us. We are there every Sunday 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Nashville United Methodist Church on Jefferson Street, in the Green Room.