It has been such a gift to get involved with the Charlotte Fellows program this year as the Program Coordinator. I loved my experience as a fellow and it’s been a different kind of gift to be on the other side of things and watch God work in the lives of this year’s class.
On Thursday nights, as part of our weekly schedule, we have roundtable. Roundtable is where we get to sit with different people and hear their stories; how God is working in, around, and through them. These individuals and couples often take us back to their childhood up to the present day and share highlights, struggles, themes, and lessons learned. These have truly been some of my favorite nights of the year. I am learning a lot about how we don’t know people until we have heard their stories and I am learning to never make assumptions of what someone's story is.
A big truth that is nestled into much of the content of the Charlotte Fellows program is that we get to honor God through our work and vocation - regardless of what that work is.
The wonderful thing about God is that he knows exactly what we need, not what we think we need. This is evident in my gracious host family, the Murchisons. Prior to moving to Charlotte, I was so excited to meet them, and I felt so hopeful about this family that I would be living with for the next 9 months. A little intro to my host family: Fred and Katy (parents), Ivy (14) and Ella (12). Rounding it out with 2 pets, we have their dog, Lolli (She and I are pals) and their cat, Raven. (We are… still warming up to each other).
Imagine being asked to solve a physics equation. That’s likely what learning how to round numbers feels like for a third grader.
Every Monday, the Charlotte Fellows serve at Brookstone School’s after school program, and I’ve paired up with the third grade class. In all honesty, sometimes I struggle articulating why we round up or down when I’m helping third graders with their homework. Most of the time, I’m trying to get them to lower their voices or focus on their homework. However, the hecticness doesn’t mean sweet moments don’t happen.
During my time as a Charlotte Fellow, every Monday we gathered at Matt Avery’s house for Fellows Life Together — FLT. From the beginning, it quickly became one of my favorite parts of the program. We would pair off, cook dinner for each other, laugh, and catch up. But we also shared real issues we were facing and prayed for each other.
During my time in the Fellow’s Program, I was amazingly blessed by the programs and relationships that were put into place for me. Both my host family and my mentor were wonderful and played an amazing part in God’s story for my life. Both of these relationships still play an active and important role in my life, and I cannot imagine life without them!
Beauty and the Bitch: Grace for the Worst in Me—oh yes, that was the eye-catching title of the book my counselor recommended to me during my time at the Barnabas Center. And it’s a book I want and need to read again and again. The title alone pretty much sums up a massive chunk of my experience as a Charlotte Fellow.
Every year the Charlotte Fellows take a mission trip to Chattanooga to work with an organization called Hope for Chattanooga, an inner-city, cross-cultural ministry. In the weeks leading up to our trip, we read through different quotes, Scripture verses, and thinkers on the topic of cross-cultural missions and the significance of racial diversity.
As we engaged with the material, my mind kept returning to a thought put forth by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. In his book The Hole In Our Gospel, he shares how his friend went through the entire Bible, cutting out pages that had any reference to social or racial justice. By the time he was finished cutting, there was barely any Bible remaining.
In the fall of 2014 I moved to Charlotte, NC to join the Charlotte Fellows program. Before that I had been living in Los Angeles and pursuing a career in sketch and improv comedy. While this may sound exciting and glamorous, I assure you it was not. The two years I spent in L.A. were extremely dark. When I finally moved away I was looking for something to fix me, to give me purpose, and to make me feel like I was a part of something really amazing. I could NEVER have predicted what the year had in store for me.
Do you have questions about what life looks like as a fellow? Contact us by filling out the form below, and learn more about the Charlotte Fellows!
