Welcome to the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival on Fellowship.
We’re so glad you’ve stopped by!
Please add your link to the widget below**… then enjoy what others have written as well.
Upcoming dates/words:
Dec 14 – Rejoice
Dec 28 – Reflection
**After you add your info, please refresh the page. If your post doesn’t show up, please try again. Make sure your email is provided and verify your link. If it still doesn’t work, send me an email or DM with your info.
One Word at a Time…Fellowship
After leaving our church family after more than ten years, I imagined we’d be plugged in and part of our new congregation right away.
I’m not blaming the church we chose to go to… it’s more that I wanted a break from the many, many titles I’d held being part of a smaller church for so long. I kept putting off joining groups or volunteering… until I finally lost interest completely.
On top of this, my kids are now teens and have new expectations and needs. They definitely don’t feel these needs are being met where we’ve been attending. My son finally started going to a different youth group where he feels more comfortable and fed… but this is not a church our whole family wants to become part of.
Aloneness can lead to loneliness. God’s preventative for loneliness is intimacy – meaningful, open, sharing relationships with one another. In Christ we have the capacity for the fulfilling sense of belonging which comes from intimate fellowship with God and with other believers.
~ Neil T. Anderson
With all this being said… it’s hard to express how much I miss the fellowship we used to have. There was never a time we considered not attending a church event, or missing on a Sunday morning.
Not long after leaving that church… another huge change began taking place. My best friend and I started to drift apart. We’d previously been inseparable, and I really didn’t foresee anything changing that. Sadly, this wasn’t the case.
No matter how close friends become, family always comes first. This was something we learned along the way, and had to continually deal with.
My friend and I were very similar. We had tons in common, including our love for Jesus. We prayed for each other, shared our fears and our joys… but eventually, over time… we now rarely connect or talk.
I can’t express to you how lonely I felt (feel) at times. Not only have I not ‘clicked’ with many people at our new church… I also lost my best friend.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25
Now we’re in the process of finding a church home that once again feels like a family… that ALL four of us can enjoy. I know my kids feel they’ve lost something as well… and we need to fix that.
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you that have helped fill a void in my life. The fellowship this online and blogging community has provided has been amazing… and an answer to prayer. The support, encouragement, and friendships are priceless!
What about you? Is fellowship a regular part of your life? Do you realize how important it is… do you take it for granted… or find it completely unnecessary?
{ 8 trackbacks }
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Fellowship is a huge part of our lives and our church. It is hard when you have those constant connections and then they are removed for whatever reason. I know God will lead you to the perfect place as your hearts are open to where God has for you to be planted. You are such a blessing, Bridget!
I can relate very much to this Bridget. Through moves and preparing for another…I am thankful for your hosting this blog carnival, but more, that you offer yourself vulnerably. I feel like God gave me back writing and a blogging community in this season because I won’t have to say ‘goodbye’ to it like so, so. so many others when I move overseas. Blessings and prayers, Abby:)
I understand because I found myself in a similar situation. Your children need fellowship in a Christian setting and if a new church is where it is at, so be it. For yourself, do not wait to get involved at least as a participant, if not a contributor. Small groups are where the fellowship usually is. Sorry about the loss of your friend.
Thank you for being so honest here, Bridget! I too am dealing with feelings of loneliness. In fact, I did a whole series on it recently. I guess I hoped writing about it would make me feel better. It didn’t, really. The main thing I took away from it though, was that God is always there and He doesn’t intend for us to be lonely. So, I’m praying for you and your family, that you find fellowship and connection in the place God plants you. Thank you for hosting this…I love participating with you guys in this.
Hello Bridget — it is when I spend time with congregations like the one on Sunday that I ‘feel’ that aloneness, that ‘I’m missing something’ you write so eloquently about.
Blessings to you and your family.
And I agree — there is a fellowship in the online community that sparkles — though it is still not the same as in the real-world.
I feel for you, Bridget. Finding a church home that fits everybody in the family can be a tough thing. I’m not always satisfied at the church where we are, but I love too many of the people there to leave. But once my teenage daughter is out of the house, my husband and I *might* find ourselves looking somewhere closer to home.
I definitely need the fellowship of church family, imperfections and all.
We, by our very nature, crave fellowship. We were created that way. Unfortunately, through life’s circumstances, many of us, myself included, choose to be loners and we create a new set of problems for ourselves.
On another note, I completely understand where you are coming from about church. We were in that place for two years after having left a church that split. We have finally come to a place now that is a new work and is full of fellowship and God and it’s been really wonderful!
Fellowship can often be taken for granted until we lose it. Praying that you find a church family where you can say, “Yes. This is home.”
i find it interesting, the way we are sent to people, and others are sent to us, in different seasons of one another’s lives.
not knowing when each time will begin or end.
We miss the ease of regular fellowship since our current church home is so far from home. Yet it’s a better fit for us than nearby churches at this season.
I so understand the desire to be fed for awhile rather than feeding–and how easy it is to fall or be dragged into leadership without the call. I’ve lived burnout.
I also find great fellowship in my online community which in many ways is as real as real.
Praying for you to feel at home. XOXO
Hey, Bridget, thanks for hosting everyone at your house every couple of weeks for this big fellowship carnival thingie. It’s fun.
Two small requests. Could you have Circus Peanuts next time (you know, the marshmallowie orange-coloured candy) and could you get a replacement for that green 6/4 domino that’s missing from the Chicken Foot set?
Sorry, couldn’t resist being utterly stupid in that comment.
Thanks, everyone.
I wanted to apologize for not having the opportunity to read and comment on each of the posts this time around.
I’m very grateful for all of the participation and support!
Hi Bridget, thanks for your honesty in sharing this (and I apologize for the lengthy comment). I find more church folk feel this way but are afraid to admit it, and even fewer are scared to do something about it. It’s tough leaving a church home, but God calls us to new things all the time. It happened in Scripture, it happens today. The hard part is so few Christians these days seem to get this, no matter how much “confirmation” we try to show them.
To answer your question, I find fellowship critical, but I also know it always doesn’t happen in corporate church. For our family specifically, God has drawn us in and out of corporate church a few times. Twice we were part of a home church of just a few families. Twice our only fellowship has come through one or two close friends in the faith. Each time held a purpose in our relationship with God and with each other (my wife and children). BUT, all that said, God has always drawn us back into the larger church after each season, so He can use us and what we learned in someone else’s life. He’s doing that in my own family right now, as we’re feeling drawn back into a larger body after a long season of growth and intimacy with just Him and a few close friends.
I know it’s tough, but He’s got it all worked out. Find those few who get it during this time, and be encouraged at what’s in store! God bless you and your family!
I am struggling with the need to leave my current church. Each week there is a time to express joys or concerns, but I have been told I must only speak up once a month and to keep it short.. Each time I share, several people tell me how blessed they were, but at least one board member says, “We have never done it this way before.” I am not offended, and that is not the reason I am considering leaving. Truth is there is no fire, and I miss the anointed singing and worship I once knew. There has not been any call to receive Jesus and no outreadh. Great social hour after church, but something is missing!