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How can I get to know my neighbors when we live miles apart in a rural area?

I have frequently been asked this question in our “Joining God in the Neighborhood” workshops and learning communities. The rural context has unique challenges (as do other types of neighborhoods), yet God is at work wherever the Spirit has placed us or sent us (Jer. 29:4-7; Luke 10:7). But if we aren’t bumping into neighbors on the sidewalk or in our front yards, how are we meeting and getting to know them? How are we learning to love and bear witness?

I have heard great stories about barn raisings and harvest times in farming communities when rural neighbors move from one field to the next to bring in everyone’s crops together. These practices are not only about helping a neighbor but about nurturing communities of care and connection.

But where to begin in rural settings that don’t have those built-in practices? We can meet our neighbors in places we already frequent, such as local cooperatives, shops, parks, and libraries, as well as through activities and organizations such as a community soccer program, baseball league, business association, or book club. All of these create opportunities for us to pay attention to what God might be doing, to introduce ourselves as a neighbor, to listen well, and to have conversations.

That’s the key: paying attention and being intentional about moving from strangers to acquaintances and eventually into relationships. We might ask ourselves: Where and how might I practice presence? “Presence” is not so much an extra item on our already long to-do list, but an attentiveness to the Spirit and the “nearby other” in our ordinary, everyday lives.

This can start with our own interests. For example, a rural resident who wanted to meet their neighbors and enjoyed playing horseshoes got several horseshoe pits set up in a communal green space. It wasn’t long before more neighbors were gathering to give it a try and meet each other, some for the first time. They even started organizing tournaments!

As we practice presence and participate more fully in our communities—no matter what kind of neighborhood we live in—we discover God at work and join the Spirit by seeking and contributing to the peace and well-being of our neighborhoods and pointing to the kingdom of God come near.