The Charlotte Fellows have had a very eventful spring semester. Here are a few highlights:
1. Gifting, calling, vocation seminar: Dr. Bill Fullilove of Reformed Theological Seminary Atlanta led a two-day seminar on calling, gifting, and vocation. Dr. Fullilove taught on the theology of vocation, helped the Fellows interpret their results from the Highlands Ability Battery, and addressed practical hurdles that recent college graduates face in seeking full-time employment. In preparation for this weekend, the Fellows drafted work mission statements, addressing how their talents, shortcomings, interests, personality type, and relating style might come together in full-time employment. From the Fellows:
"The workshop helped me to clearly define (in normal, everyday language) my gifts/abilities, the kinds of roles I can fill in an organization, my core vocational values, and my short/long term career goals."
2. Hope for the Inner City Chattanooga: The Fellows traveled to Chattanooga, TN last month for a week of living, learning, and working in cross-cultural ministry in the inner city. Hope is a non-profit birthed from New City Fellowship Church (PCA), a church made up of Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic believers from every part of the socio-economic spectrum. Fellows put on Bible clubs for neighborhood kids and worked alongside a man and his family to renovate their new home and help them move. The Fellows also participated in conversations on racial reconciliation, learning how to recognize and confront fears and biases toward brothers and sisters in Christ from different cultures. From the Fellows:
"Our time at Hope for the Inner City was one of my favorite parts of the Charlotte Fellows. We formed relationships, heard testimonies, shared the Gospel, shared meals, and worked hard for others. Our friends there taught us, by word and example, to embrace conflict, serve selflessly, and love generously. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to travel to Chattanooga not only for what it taught me about poverty and the church, but also for the chance to grow in even deeper community as brothers and sisters in Christ."
"The week was a chance to give undivided attention to the idea of racial reconciliation, and to face the cynicism and bias that has gone unchecked in my heart."
"I saw God destroy fear and replace it with compassion."
3. The Gospel and dating relationships: We are in the midst of an ongoing discussion on dating and marriage, and God is bringing many fears and insecurities to light -- some for the first time. Fellows are asking questions like these:
- What if someone gets to know me really well and then rejects me?
- Does lack of romantic interest in me thus far mean that I am undesirable?
- What if I don't have what it takes to commit and fight through the tough times with someone?
- What if my marriage is destined to end in divorce like my parents' marriage?
- What if my marriage fails to measure up to my parents' marriage?
- How do you really get to know someone after college?
As the Fellows learn to believe and apply God's Word and build relationships with host families, mentors, and other friends of the program, they are experiencing freedom in Christ from fear, shame, and insecurity in relationships.
Thank you for you prayers and support!