Finding Fellowship

Written by Jamie Harford

“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”-Romans 1:11-12

For those that we have not yet shared with, Josh and I are relocating to Greenville, NC for Josh’s career. One of the most difficult aspects of this move is that we’ll be leaving Waypoint to find and build a new community in Greenville. As I reflect on why parting with Waypoint is more emotionally difficult than past church partings in our lives, I keep hearing two words – Deep Fellowship. Not surface level fellowship: “pray for my cold to get better” or “my project at work is stressful” (which do need prayer, not to diminish those requests), but the honest and vulnerable fellowship: “my marriage is struggling, I need help” or “I’m wrestling with my faith, is God even real?” fellowship. It is difficult to share that kind of vulnerability with other people and we wonder– what if they judge me? What if they reject me? These questions are valid and understandable, but, I believe, God built us and calls us to those deep relationships so that through them we can experience a glimpse of the intimate relationship God desires with us. We see these relationships exemplified in the New Testament among the disciples within the Church. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Paul writes to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 “So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” We are encouraged to build each other up, share in fellowship together, bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and teach and admonish one another in wisdom (Colossians 3:16). It is difficult to truly be in this kind of fellowship if we only share the “easy” parts of our lives with each other, keeping the difficult parts hidden and in the dark. This kind of fellowship can serve as an example of how the Lord wants to know you and work in every part of your life, even the tightly held and hidden parts. 

What I’ve found at Waypoint is that if you are willing to share the hard stuff, the Church will rally around you. You will build a connection with the Church – the Believers – that will be different from many other relationships in your life. These kinds of relationships can speak wisdom into your life, pray for you in the difficult moments, encourage you through the struggles, and, most importantly, point you towards letting Christ work in those parts of your life and heart. I was able to find this kind of fellowship in our Community Group and meeting with members of the church. If you’re struggling to build these relationships, try a community group, attend a women’s or men’s event, and/or join the Waypoint classes. Plug in and start building relationships. You probably won’t “click” with everyone, but you can find those people that you can deeply connect with.  If you’re still struggling to feel connected and build relationships, reach out to one of the church leaders at Waypoint; from personal experience, you won’t be ignored or judged. You will be lifted up, prayed for, and supported. I had never experienced this kind of fellowship before, but now that I have, I will seek it wherever we go. 

Thank you, Waypoint, for being a wonderful Church family. We will cherish the beautiful relationships we’ve built with many of you.