Fellowship
One of the unique aspects of Christian faith and life is fellowship. That might seem like an odd statement since
many activities in our lives involve fellowship in some fashion. Sports teams, drama clubs, professional
associations or just getting together with friends are forms of fellowship, but
they are not necessarily CHRISTIAN fellowship.
While we are always Christian in whatever context we might be in (and hopefully
engage our Christian values whether overtly or covertly), we might not actively
think about or reflect upon our faith in such circumstances. That is why it is vitally important to have opportunities
to be in Christian fellowship; to have times to share with each other the
intimate parts of our lives and seek others support and love.
Hopefully you are still with me and not appalled by such a
notion. And what I am talking about is
not as “touchy/feely” as you may think. The
reality is that our faith is an intimate part of our being because it speaks to
life's Big Questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of
life? What is death? What happens when we die? Etc. Most of these questions don’t come up on the
soccer field or poker table. But they may
come up over a cup of coffee with a friend from church or after going on a bus trip
to a religious site.
Much research shows that many people are feeling more isolated
than ever before, which seems counterintuitive as we have access to so many
ways of being connected with modern technology and social media. Unfortunately,
what seems to happen is that people are afraid of the backlash for sharing
their opinions or questions about a topic, so they choose to not interact or do
so in very superficial terms. Hence, our opportunities to be vulnerable and
grow are limited or stilted, which effects our spiritual well-being.
Having a safe place to interact with others who share a
similar approach to faith and religion is an invaluable gift. It is a place to talk about what is happening
in your life and ways to make meaning in all the chaos. But the key to all of
this is MAKING THE TIME TO DO IT!
Episcopalians joke about Coffee Hour as the 8th Sacrament,
but there is some validity in the importance of the fellowship in order to get
to know your neighbor. Those with whom
you worship are a part of your support system and who you can turn to in times
of joy and sorrow. But we need time to
get to know each other.
The Vestry wants to re-invigorate our Fellowship ministry. We would love to make Coffee Hour a time for parishioners
to interact with one another. We would
also like to re-start Foyer dinners – where 8 people gather together for a meal
(lots of variations of how that can happen) to share table fellowship, like we
see in the Bible, and learn about each other on a deeper level than we can on
Sunday mornings.
We would also like to plan some trips to interesting
destinations, like Washington National Cathedral, the Cloisters or other museum
exhibits, which offers a spiritual dimension that we can reflect upon as a
group. However, we need a couple of people who are willing to do the research
and planning in order for such an event to happen.
Bev Scollay has graciously offered to have people over to her
home on Sunday, February 9th at 6 PM for a potluck dinner to start brainstorming
some ideas and ways we can have more Christian fellowship opportunities at St.
Peter’s. If you would like to be part of
the Fellowship Team, please join us. If
you can’t attend on Sunday, please talk to Bev, me or another member of the Vestry. We need your support to make this
happen. And I can guarantee that it will
be worth the effort!
In Christ,
Rev. Valerie+
Comments
Post a Comment