Have you ever felt the spark in connection with someone when you speak to them and realize
there is a shared interest? The excitement that something so near and dear to your heart might
also be integral and cherished by someone else?

This must be how Frodo felt when Sam joined him on his journey to take the One Ring to Modor
to destroy it (Calling all my Lord of the Rings nerds). If you look at the nine people who made
the Fellowship of the Ring, they all had vast backgrounds: a dwarf, elf, human, hobbit, etc... but
they bonded and connected because of their shared desire—their fellowship for a common
good.

To make a biblical connection, we also see fellowship crafted when Jesus called together his
disciples. These men were from vast backgrounds, but they shared one goal, one common
battle cry. Paul tells us in Acts 2:42 “they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayer.”
All in all, this tells me—a 28 year old female in 2024 that fellowship is something rare, important
and even a bit magical. How do I find that? Why should I find that? What are the benefits? Let’s
look at those possibilities.

How do I find that?

There is only so much that can be prayed about, spiritually conversed and advised. Eventually
practical action must be taken, because after all you ARE an intelligent and uniquely crafted
human being. In order to find what you need you must GO. You must be diligent and make
conscious steps to seek out others who share your common goal. If you wanted to be an
accountant, you wouldn't spend your weekends on a ranch with cowboys you would find
fellowship with other like-minded people pursuing financial futures.
If you want the fellowship that Paul describes as so vital—you must GO to where others are that
share the same goal. There is nothing wrong, weird, bad, or lame about intentionally seeking
out friends so you have fellowship. Jesus devoted much time to finding his disciples, spending
time with them and growing alongside them. It was no small or insignificant task to the Son of
God so why should we treat it as such.

Why should I find that?

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 Paul relates us to individual body parts working together, “for just as
the body is one and has many members, so does the body with Christ...” Eyes cannot function
properly without the circulatory system to pump blood into them. The arms cannot feed the body
without the skeleton to support the muscles of the arm. We are the same! When asking
ourselves why we should find fellowship—we should find it because there is so much we cannot
do alone. AND THAT”S OKAY. Galatians 6:2 says we should bear one another's burdens and
that is a privilege and right of a follower of Christ. You don't have to feel bad because you
cannot do it all on your own. You were created to NOT be able to do it all alone.

What are the benefits?

Think about fellowship in terms of a sports team, when you’re tired, worn out and not sure if you
have the energy to make it through the rest of the game, the encouragement from a teammate,
who you know is also tired, out of breath, but wants to win seems all the more impactful
because they know the struggles you have in that moment. Their words of encouragement
come from the same heart that is elevated and tired much like yours. The benefits of fellowship
are as the author of Hebrews puts it “thinking how to spur one another one...meeting together
and encouraging each other...” (Hebrews 10: 24-25). There is encouragement, community and
encouragement.

So, let’s take a note from the savior of the universe to put time and effort into choosing those we
surround ourselves with and find fellowship for a common good.

Sarah Brown, Board of Directors

Oklahoma State University Alumna