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Cheers!

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo


Making your way in the world today 
Takes everything you've got; 
Taking a break from all your worries 
Sure would help a lot. 
Wouldn't you like to get away? 

All those night when you've got no lights, 
The check is in the mail; 
And your little angel 
Hung the cat up by it's tail; 
And your third fiance didn't show; 

Sometimes you want to go 
Where everybody knows your name, 
And they're always glad you came; 
You want to be where you can see, 
Our troubles are all the same; 
You want to be where everybody knows your name. 

Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead; 
The morning's looking bright; 
And your shrink ran off to Europe, 
And didn't even write; 
And your husband wants to be a girl; 

Be glad there's one place in the world 
Where everybody knows your name, 
And they're always glad you came; 
You want to go where people know, 
People are all the same; 
You want to go where everybody knows your name.


I don't think anything has changed since this was written for the opening of the "Cheers" series. In case you lived in a cave (or weren't born then), Cheers was a Sitcom about a bar in Boston. But the lyrics could easily have been written about what a church should be.

Life stinks sometimes. People need to get away and go where there are friends and they feel welcome. They'd like to know that when they get there, they'll find others who have the same problems. We are all in this together.

This is the heart of what any community should be. It's not about the latest lighting effect, the coolest background video or the mood music. I might even say, it's not about the planned teaching series. It's about people connecting with people. I think we get easily distracted from that.

Cheers!



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