Does your parish ...
know, love and support people along the journey of discipleship?
In the Acts of the Apostles, one of the things that the earliest Christians held fast to was ‘fellowship’.
For some this word may seem strange; for others, it may be overly familiar. When we dig a bit deeper into what it means, however, something profound is revealed about who we are as the Church, the pilgrim Body of Christ.
The call to belong. A faith that walks alone will struggle to survive. Fellowship in the Bible refers to a deep spiritual communion between people—a ‘sharing’ or ‘participation’ in a common way of life, and even a deep sense of belonging. This sense of togetherness and belonging is a hallmark of the pilgrim Body of Christ because fundamental to the call of discipleship is the call to belong. God has made us for relationship with himself and with each other. It is ‘not good’ for us to be alone (Gen 2:18).
Fellowship with God. Our fellowship does not come from anything we do: it is grounded in our fellowship and communion with the Triune God, who invites us to share in his own divine life. St John writes: ‘But if we live in the light, as he is in light, we have fellowship with one another ...’ (1 Jn 1:7). The highest expression of our fellowship is the Eucharist—the ‘source and summit’ of our life together.
Known, loved, supported. Disciples grow best in an environment of shared life and mission, where people are welcomed, known, loved, and supported along every stage of the discipleship journey. Developing networks of small groups is an effective way to nurture such an environment. In small groups, people are discipled through friendship. They are opened more deeply to inquiry and prayer, and share life together in a way that lets them feel supported and invested in.