As followers of Jesus, we are all headed in the same direction, toward face-to-face life with King Jesus. It makes sense that as we travel together as pilgrims…
Local Focus by Kevin Underwood
“What? We are going on a mission trip to where?!”
I remember those exact thoughts when I learned that our Fellows class was headed to my home state for a week-long mission trip. In fact, I probably laughed out loud. However, when our feet hit the ground in Chattanooga and I saw where we would spend the next several days, my opinion changed.
I knew that we didn’t have to go a third-world country across the globe to do a “missions trip”, but Chattanooga made it tangible. I never knew that I could be so oblivious to circumstances so close to home. This trip opened my eyes and filled with memories that I will never forget. We helped fix a house and move one of the ministry’s neighbors. We volunteered at a local afterschool program, put on a skit, and played a lot of basketball. And we worshipped with community members and heard their testimonies.
I lived overseas for over a year after college, and I am passionate about missions abroad. However, I believe now that we must be focused locally to impact our own communities. We do not have to look outside our own home, neighborhood, workplace, church, or schools to see the desperate need for Christ. My time in Chattanooga as a Fellow will always impact how I see my faith integrating with my daily life.
Elizabeth Hewitt on Vulnerability in Community
Meet the Charlotte Fellows Class of 2016-2017
Danae Cowan
Danae joins us from the great state of Oregon. She graduated from college in 2014 and has spent the past two years working with junior high and high school students. Wanting more clarity of where Jesus is calling her, she decided to join the Charlotte Fellows program. She is so grateful for a year set apart to learn more of what it looks like to follow Jesus in the context of such a supportive community.
3 Essential Ingredients to Building Community
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.