Living Together to Feed the Spirit

The Associated Press recently circulated a story about “intentional communities,” a kind of communal arrangement in which residents share living space, expenses and responsibilities. According to The Fellowship for Intentional Community, a nonprofit that follows such groups, at least 100,000 Americans are now enjoying this lifestyle.

The AP article focused on an urban community on Chicago’s north side called the Keystone Ecological Urban Center, but nationally two-thirds of such communities are thought to be rural.

I came across the article in the Detroit Free Press while visiting my parent en route from Chicago to Florida. The article appeared in the Detroit paper under the headline, “Americans save by living simply, together.” It included quotes from a 31-year-old woman who lives in the Keystone community. She explained that she pays a total of $775 a month to cover her rent, food and utilities. Her private living space is essentially a very small one-bedroom apartment. But she shares bathroom facilities with other residents, and the entire community eats together in a common dining room. Even though the woman in the story, Keri Rainsberger, works in a fairly low-paying nonprofit position, she says she has no problem making ends meet. Of course, she also rides a bike as her primary mode of transportation, and Chicago, unlike some cities, has an extensive public transportation system that can take a traveler almost anywhere in the city or suburbs.

I happen to know Ms. Rainsberger a little, having worshipped at the same church. The article said she tithes, which I was never able to do even though I tried to live economically in my traditional way. My point in saying I know her a little, is that when I saw how the story focused on financial economy, I knew right away they had missed the heart of the matter. If she is any example of what motivates people to seek such communities, living cheaply is just part of the story. Feeding the spirit also has to be part of the inspiration. Living a life that extends God’s intentions of compassion, justice and mercy to others must also be part of the motivation.

According to the AP, 28 residents share facilities in the Keystone Center. Ms. Rainsberger says she often jokes, “It’s like a college dormitory but with better conversation.” Among the 28 are college professors and young professionals. Certainly some could afford to choose a more expensive, more conventional lifestyle. I’m confident they get more from the experience than the thrill of living like college students.

The article quotes author and environmental activist Duane Elgin on the benefits of living simply: “It isn’t just cutting back on things. It’s about people not needing so many things and putting more attention into their personal interests and their family and friends, being creative, being of service. As a result, they are richer people.”

Those are values we could all embrace, values from which we could all benefit -- us and everyone around us -- no matter how we are housed.