A Word from Ray – October

How do you explain an experience to someone, with concrete, factual, tangible and tactile language?  How do you share that which you experienced in a way that communicates the great value and the riches you found in it?

This is exactly the situation I find myself in every week as I seek to respond to the flurry of questions and inquiries that we receive at TFC. Weekly, I find myself answering questions from pastors and congregations who are wondering why they might consider joining The Fellowship Community. They ask questions like these: What is the value of joining The Fellowship? Who is The Fellowship? Where does The Fellowship live? If I join The Fellowship, what will that mean for my congregation? Can we be a part of The Fellowship while remaining a part of the PCUSA? While this is not an exhaustive list of the questions, it does represent a fair number of my weekly conversations.

Now, I know, after handling a number of these conversations, that there are answers to each of these questions. I know that there are responses that the sessions of the churches desire to hear. I know there are direct responses that each Pastor might find comfort in. However, it is not until I hear this question, that I find myself really excited in my response: Why would I join The Fellowship?

This question resonates deep with my soul. I bet that it resonates with you, as well! As a matter of fact, feel free to answer aloud. You see, the answer to the question “why” speaks to the experience that I have had, and I bet that it speaks to the experience that you have had, as well.

The Fellowship is a lifeline for pastors across the breadth of our country, seeking to be in direct relationship with other like-minded pastors. The Fellowship is a response to the hope that we can continue to be evangelical pastors and church leaders while remaining theologically relevant and biblically grounded. The Fellowship has proven to be an opportunity for each of us to live out our ordination vows, when we promise to serve our people with imagination and excellence while also maintaining collegiality within our PCUSA community.

The Fellowship is a web of connected pastors and churches that found themselves praying for our pastors and congregations in the southeast by name as the storm waters surged these last few weeks. It’s a body that checked in on colleagues and friends, offering tangible support as soon as the way was clear. It’s a theological tie that has afforded us relationships that were so significant that we checked in by the hour with our counterparts that were impacted by the storm.

How might you respond to an inquiry about The Fellowship the next time that you are asked? Much like my response this week to a pastor in upstate New York, I hope that you can say that The Fellowship is a gathering that has been a saving grace and an affirmation of our shared call to ministry. I can only imagine that your experience, much like mine, is something elusive to describe, yet profound and richly important.

Pastor Ray Garcia

Ray Garcia is pastor of Roxborough Church in Philadelphia, PA and serves as The Fellowship Community’s Coordinator for Connections and Recruitment.