During my family’s recent residency at Monte Vista Grove, I would often walk our dog Fitz to nearby Eaton Blanche Park. Located on Del Mar Boulevard near El Nido Avenue, the park hosts a basketball court, shaded concrete tables, two playgrounds, public restrooms, and a large grass lawn. I would visit that park frequently when Lucy was little. After pushing her there in a jogging stroller from our apartment on South Vinedo, I would play tag with her at one of the playgrounds or push her on the swing set. We would meet up with friends at the park sometimes, or meet new people who later became friends. Revisiting that park in 2025, I realized how many meaningful hours Lucy and I had spent in that place.
Eaton Blanche Park is what the sociologist Ray Oldenburg would call a “third place.” In his 1989 book, The Great Good Place, Oldenburg described social spaces that are neither home (the “first place”) nor work (the “second place”). Such spots include parks, churches, libraries, bookstores, pubs, and coffee shops. They are gathering areas where you encounter familiar faces and meet new people. A true “third place” costs little or nothing to enter. Most anyone is welcome. Laughter, discussion, and a sense of belonging are part of the mix. They serve as a home away from home, offering a sense of community and a place to all who enter them.
During the pandemic, third places temporarily disappeared due to COVID restrictions. Many of us felt the loss acutely. Where could you go to experience life beyond the boundaries of simply work and living space (two places that become one and the same for many during the lockdown)? Without such third places, how can we hope to get to know our neighbors or greater community? Some argue the internet provides a kind of virtual third place. But there is a level of emotional connection we humans crave that can only be met through sharing physical space with others. The absence of third places in our collective life can leave people lonely and afraid.
One of the great gifts of the church to the world is a rich, multi-faceted, and time-tested third place. For millennia, the Christian church has opened its doors to all without charging an entry fee. You get to interact with familiar faces and newcomers alike, and do so across generations. Opportunities to connect abound through service projects, retreats, small groups, meals together, justice initiatives, and worship gatherings. And best of all, the church promises rich connection not just with neighbors, but with the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of all things – the very one who formed us in and for community.
In an age when third places can get neglected, I give thanks to God for everyone who has helped congregations like Knox to thrive. Commitment to such places – and their flourishing – is a gift not just to ourselves, but to our neighbors and the larger community of Pasadena. May people find in this “third place” called Knox an ever-deepening sense of place and identity. And may they come to know more deeply the Lord of all places and times – the one who came to be with us in this place and time in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Matt