The Gift That Keeps on Giving
By Jerry Palmer
Anniversaries are a big deal, and the more we age, the bigger they become. In a few weeks, Phyllis and I will celebrate our forty-fourth wedding anniversary. And in late October, we will observe another anniversary that, in some ways, is just as meaningful: our thirty-seventh anniversary at Eastland.
Sunday morning, October 30th, 1988, we pulled into the parking lot of Eastland Baptist Church for our very first time. Little did we know at that time that thirty-seven years later, we would be making that same turn off 129th E Ave into this same church.
The story of our lives is largely told in the people we have been so privileged to know. Through Eastland, some of those chapters of this story are represented in special days like Fall Festival and all the other events on our church calendar: kids’ summer camp, Snow Camp, July 4th, and the list just goes on. In each of these, the underlying theme is people. People who are more than just fellow church members but people who have formed relationships that knit their hearts to the Lord, to our church, and especially to each other.
When we moved from Denver, we did so with a determination to quickly form friendships that would help our boys make the transition to Tulsa. The second week of our attendance, Dale and Becky Christensen invited us out to their house after a Sunday evening service. They had invited a few other families as well, and because this was a spur-of-the-moment gathering (and I’m not sure Becky knew we were coming!), all they had to eat was popcorn and water! As far as Phyllis and I were concerned, this might as well have been the marriage supper of the Lamb, for the food was secondary to the friendships we formed during that wonderful evening. It served as a catalyst, igniting a fire in our hearts to be a part of something so meaningful and special. We had experienced one of the greatest blessings Christians can know, that of being invited into the home and the hearts of fellow believers. Surely Peter understood this when he penned these words in his first letter: “Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Fellowship is a gift we are endowed with, and it is a gift we are to share with others. We receive it, and we give it.
When we think of fellowship, our minds conjure up images of a meal and sitting around a table in a perfectly cleaned and tidy home. Ha! Nothing could be further from the truth! It does not have to be that way. Phyllis and I have spent the last five years building our barndominium, living in it as we built it. Neither of us has any idea how many families we have invited out during this time, but the stud walls and unfinished rooms just made our times together that much more special. We did have the decency to lean sheet rock against the walls in the bathroom to offer privacy, so it wasn’t like we were living in a cave! But no one objected, and we shared a lot of laughs about the primitive living conditions. And in the process, we made memories. More memories, added to the rich tapestry of gatherings in our home for the past three decades.
My point is this: it does not matter in the least what gets served to eat or drink, nor the conditions these are served in. It’s the people that matter: the hearts that are knit together, the friendships that are formed, the encouragement of fellow believers lending a listening ear or giving a hug; the chance to spend time with brothers and sisters in Christ, each of whom has life stories that are waiting to be told.
The idea of fellowship is something that benefits everyone involved. Being invited to someone’s home communicates the thought that we are loved. Inviting someone into our homes sends the same signal, that we care about people enough to invite them into our lives.
Fellowship is a vital part of each Christian’s life, and certainly a vital aspect of the church. The intimacy of personal interactions, of making ourselves vulnerable and approachable, of demonstrating our love by sharing a meal and taking the time to get to know others, serves to complete the circle of God’s design for his people. Yes, we gather together at church where we worship and we sing and we listen to God’s word being preached. But these are institutional activities. Fellowshipping acts as a bridge to transcend the institutional and make our relationships personal. It acts as a mirror, reflecting the humanity of Jesus as he continually sought out people to interact with.
Finally, investing ourselves in other people pays dividends. It is very encouraging for Phyllis and me to look around the church and see faces of folks who have joined Eastland and know we played a part in their membership. We have been at Eastland for enough years to know lots of folks who have done and are continuing to do the same thing. The idea of fellowship is so ingrained into the fabric of our church that it has become a significant part of the culture. What a joy to have been recipients of the affection of so many friends through the years, but also to be a part of something so incredibly special on the giving end!