Fellowship:
We want to make newcomers our friends and through all our shared activities build meaningful relationships with one another.
God is described in the bible as a Trinity - One God made up of 3 Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So God Himself is a fellowship of complete mutuality and perfect love.
Since fellowship is at the heart of God’s nature it should be at the heart of ours. As human beings we are not to be defined as individuals but as people in vital relationship (fellowship) with other individuals.
As Christians we are all drawn together into the one ‘Christian’ family because we have put our trust in and committed our lives to Jesus Christ. John Stott says, “God’s purpose is not just to save independent souls but to build a church.” That’s why the church is described as a family, a kingdom, a body, a flock, branches on the same vine and stones in a building. We are ‘united’ in Christ.
Despite this unity we are wonderfully ‘diverse’. We are different ages, we come from different cultures, traditions and backgrounds; we have different likes and dislikes. This diversity is to be appreciated, expressed and celebrated!
In addition to our unity and diversity God wants us to ‘mature’ in our relationships with each other. God wants our fellowship with each other to develop and to deepen. This means that we need to spend time with each other, get to know each other and care for each other. In the bible we are taught to do many things to, with or for our fellow Christians. We are encouraged to love, serve, pray for, show hospitality to, encourage, teach, forgive, admonish and confess our sins to one another.
That’s why encouraging ‘real’ fellowship is our third Key Priority in Arklow Presbyterian Church. We worship together, we sing together, we enjoy refreshments together, we make decisions together, we work together and we have fun together at various social occasions. We also assure newcomers of a friendly welcome and encourage everyone to get involved!