Good Neighbors

I have a friend whose neighbors believe that living next to him is second only to living in Heaven. He is the kind of guy who knows his neighbors, and is always ready to assist them, take care of their needs when possible, and provide services and help as if he were a paid employee. It’s no wonder they hail him as the best neighbor anyone could have.

Those folks will be happy to know they will probably live longer as a result of his generosity and care.

A study finds that participants who rate their communities the highest have an almost 70% reduced risk of heart attack. A new study by researchers from the University of Michigan appears to suggest that close community ties reduce heart-attack risk for people over 50. Participants were asked to rate, on a seven-point scale, whether their neighbors were trustworthy, reliable and friendly, and if they felt connected to their community.(TIME)

I have been wondering if that would work  in the Church. If you are sitting regularly by someone every Sunday morning and evening (and most of us sit in the same place every Sunday) and your relationship is based on trust, reliability, and friendliness, resulting in a greater feeling of connectivity to your Church family, would your risk for heart attack be reduced by some percentage? If so, I would imagine you would have a few people you would wish to sit by, and perhaps many would want to sit with you.

Whatever the outcome of that experiment, I know my risk would be reduced if the Preacher could find some shorter sermons.