Contemporary society is the product of the disintegration of more or less familial groupings. People are afraid, uncertain -- and shut themselves away. But they need companions, friends with whom they can share their lives, their visions, and their ideals; in short, they need community.

This booki belongs alongside Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Life Together" on the bookshelf of anybody who's pursuing Christian community.

Vanier describes his experiences with community as a leader of L'Arche, a global network of intentional communities for people with develomental disabilities. The wisdom in this book is true, real and powerful.

Definitely a book to read over and over again.

Following is the 1-page book summary paper I wrote for my doctoral class in Rhythms of Living:

Community and Growth
by Jean Vanier
Paulist (1989)

Description of the Book
Community and Growth is Jean Vanier’s reflection on spiritual growth in intentional communities, and is written from his experience with L’Arche communities for developmentally handicapped people.

In the author’s words, Community and Growth “tries to clarify the conditions which are necessary to life in community. It is no thesis or treatise. It is made up of a series of starting-points for reflection, which I have discovered not through books, but through everyday life, through my mistakes, my set-backs and my personal failings, through the inspiration of God and my brothers and sisters, and through the moments of unity between us as well as the tension and suffering. Life in community is painful but it is also a marvelous adventure and a source of life.” (p. 12)

Interpretation of the Book
Vanier’s book is organized into eleven sections, each with a topical focus. Within each section there are 10-15 short topics, and each topic includes a smaller number of extended thoughts from a few sentences to a few paragraph. The effect is that of a meditation on community.

Vanier provokes deep thought by telling stories from his experience, from his historical study on monastic Christianity and from his social context. Although it would be difficult to outline Vanier’s thoughts as progressively moving toward a conclusion, the result is similar to holding a diamond in front of the light and rotating it to see different ways in which it shines and reflects the light.


Application
The great strength of Community and Growth is that it is written from the field, not from the school. It stands next to Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a classic text on spiritual community, both for its lofty vision and for its realistic portrayal of day-to-day life.

I suggest that anybody interested in spiritual community read this book; in particular, all who live within or wish to live in intentional communities would be well served by reading this book and discussing their way through it with others in community. I suspect that it would give words to the normal challenges of community life.
( )

Contemporary society is the product of the disintegration of more or less
natural or familial groupings. People are afraid, uncertain - and shut
themselves away. But they need companions, friends with whom they can share
their lives, their visions and their ideals; in short, they need community.

This is one of the best books on my shelf. Jean Vanier has lived in the L'Arche community for a number of years and "Community and Growth" talks about the challenges and blessings of living in community. And while many people don't live communally, it offers insight in basic human relationships. I decided to reread it as I wrestled with some issues we've been having at our church. It offered some comfort, but also pointed out places where I had fallen short in being a good neighbor and member of the congregation. Somehow I gotta respect a book that tells me what I need to hear rather than just what I want to hear.
--J. ( )

WITH HELEN STRONGLIGHT ( )