“...we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”
In the epistles, John begins his letter by telling the recipients that he is writing so that more people can have fellowship with Christ and each other.1 The epistles frequently begin in such a way: to remind Christians our duty to strengthen and build up followers so that we may be stronger as the body of Christ.
Fellowship is friendship based upon a common goal or interest. As Christians we have the strongest base possible: a foundation in Christ. Christian fellowship is key to our growth as a community. One of the aspects of St. Dunstan’s that I appreciate is your ability to have fun together as a church; for example at the upcoming Game Night. At Rally Day, I saw several groups designed for fellowship including the Social Butterfly gatherings. In fact, last month I had a lovely brunch with those delightful butterflies; it was such a fantastic way to meet many of you!2
Each Sunday, we have the opportunity for fellowship after each service; particularly after the 9:00 a.m. worship service. Each week, I smell the most delicious aroma of fresh brewed coffee coming from The Mace Room. A couple of weeks ago, when Fr. Roman was preaching, I had a few minutes and was able to catch up with a parishioner and learn more about their life. It truly was a joyful experience.
As you may have noticed I am invested, rather heavily, in multiplying our blessings. At St. Dunstan’s we are called to joyfully share our blessings with others. Case in point, I received a scrumptious banana bread just this week! While this may seem like a small gift to the giver, it’s a great blessing to the recipient of the gift. As a church we need to explore ways to connect with each other every Sunday morning, to welcome guests, and embrace a space to invite guests.Combine this with the disappointing news of the Delta variant driving formation off the St. Dunstan’s Campus and we have a unique opportunity to reimagine the 10:15-10:55 time for adults.
Another reason for fellowship is a process our parish is taking part in called Invite, Welcome, Connect. This ministry will help our church grow in faith as well as size. One area of emphasis is creating a space to truly listen to each other. The often busy life of church can mean we do not have enough space for sacred listening.3 As a leadership team, we want to provide this space for our parish so that we may be ready for the coming growth.
Starting Sunday, September 12, you will notice some changes. There will be a faith video setup in the Parish Hall. It will be a short 15 minute reflection from Rob Bell’s Nooma series.4 A facilitator will invite guests to engage in faith questions based on these videos. The library will have snacks to go with our coffee. In the BEC, there will be a parent lounge where parents can gather to catch-up while their children are in Sunday School. Fr. Roman and I will be floating between these areas, particularly the person who is not preaching, and will engage in conversation. All of this is meant to tighten our connection with each other as well make us a more inviting church. It is all meant to help our blessings of joy extend to more people. It is all meant to make our generosity more evident to any visitor. I look forward to seeing you soon!
https://saintdunstans.org/family-life/fellowship-groups/
1 1 John 1:3-4
2 See all of our fellowship groups here:
3 Parmer, Mary Foster (2018). Invite, Welcome, Connect: Stories &Tools to transform your Church. Cincinnati: Forward Movement.
4 https://www.studygateway.com/watch/nooma
