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Fellowship

Today we celebrated our pastors at Northside with lunch after the service. Full disclosure: I used to dread these get-togethers. This time of year was always so busy for me that the idea of bringing food to church along with all the other things going on just seemed impossible. It was stressful for me to force myself to smile and “be present” with my church family because I either needed to be working on something else or was exhausted from over-extending myself. 

But as I have gotten older, I see the value in fellowship and meals together. Having taken on a new role as ladies’ ministry leader, I was responsible for coordinating the food for today. For the first time, I was bringing, not one, but three dishes for lunch. Lyndon, Wess, and I worked along with some precious folks to pull it together. And now that I am home considering the time we spent together today, I see such value in it.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. (Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭2‬:‭42‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Jesus was so intentional about fellowship with His disciples. As believers, we are called to follow His example-even in this. Today, I felt like I was able to catch up on the lives of my church family. Sunday mornings, everyone usually rushes out after church, moving to the next thing on the list. But today, we set aside time to pause, visit, and just enjoy being together.

Fellowship matters. It reminds us that we are not alone in our lives, in our walk with God. It makes us more aware of those who may need us or those walking through difficult days. It allows us to be refreshed and to refresh. 

We need each other. Especially now. The world may be falling apart, but God’s church will continue to stand. I’m so blessed to be part of that global family. And I so dearly love our family at Northside.

© Jill Cook and Unbroken & Undone Ministries.  All rights reserved.



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