“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”  
(Acts 2:42)

 

We’re all in this together!  In calling men and women to follow Him, Jesus never called them to a solitary life, but rather into community. We see this in the community of the 12 disciples; we see this in the communities formed in the New Testament; and we see this throughout Church history–people of diverse backgrounds called by Jesus into community with Him and with each other. And over and over again, Scripture affirms the importance of  unity. Psalm 133:1 reads; “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.” And in Philippians 2:2, Paul writes; “Make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”  In fact, unity is so important that Jesus prayed for it the night before He died in John 17:21; “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one–as you are in me, Father, and I am in you.”  

The word used to describe this community and fellowship in the Book of Acts is the Greek word koinonia, which means ‘common’ or ‘shared;’ and fellowship is common participation in something either by giving what we have or who we are to another person. Christian fellowship is built on trust and mutual respect in which everyone seeks to be vulnerable, open, and sacrificial, as lives are enriched and blessed. The basis for this love, which is not an option in Christian community, as Jesus says in John 13:34; “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”  

As followers of Jesus, we seek to be a warm, welcoming, and supportive community where interpersonal relationships are encouraged, nurtured, protected, and held sacred. Fellowship ministries at Living Waters seek to foster this sense of community and fellowship and protect the unity that we have in Christ. These ministries include: Sunday  Morning Coffee Time; Parish Lunches, Parish Movie Nights, Spring Fellowship Nights; and  Life Groups.