By Josh Kapusinski
It’s hard to believe that two months have passed since the start of the Capital Fellows program. Like lots of changes in life, I came in with a lot of expectations. Some were founded (such as the busyness of the program). Others were unfounded (that I would not find a community I belong in). There’s been a strange marriage of these two fears in that I did not expect how fast I would feel the burnout, but I also underestimated how the friends from this program would give me the fuel to keep going. Great friends are a gift from God, and I feel blessed beyond measure to know fourteen more brothers and sisters who help me learn what it means to follow this verse: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
The language of this verse feels weighty, even burdensome. It’s almost like: “Are you kidding me, God? I can barely bear my own burdens (pun slightly intended). How can I bear the burdens of others?” This only seems weighty when you realize that other people are doing this for you, and sometimes they do it without even realizing they’re doing it. Life gets hard no matter where you are, and this is true even in the midst of the amazing blessings we’ve received as part of the Fellows program. On some days when work is tiring, the RTS reading seems insurmountable, and the juggling of service projects and papers leaves me feeling spent, there are fourteen new friends I can look forward to seeing on Monday dinners, Friday classes, and especially our impromptu hangouts over the weekends.
Jesus says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” What I’ve been learning this means for me is: “Bear your friend’s burdens and God will put the people in your life to bear yours.” That’s at least what has happened to me. In my experience, this has been in the big things (when my car is in the shop and I can’t get rides), and in the small (sometimes a good laugh can make a day). As one of my professors used to say, there is no individual Christian. But there is the church, and like the Psalmist says: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). Amen.
Pictures From The Week
Capital Fellows become John Kyle.
Eliza scares Spencer during between class!
Capital Fellows hike to Shenandoah National Park.
The view!
Know a Potential Capital Fellow?
If you know a college senior or recent graduate that should consider joining the Capital Fellows program in 2024-25, please encourage them to get in touch with us. The easiest way to express interest in the program is our Contact Us Form. You can learn more about the program, including application deadlines, by visiting the Capital Fellows website.
About Capital Fellows. Capital Fellows is an advanced leadership and discipleship program for recent college graduates. Through graduate courses, a paid internship, one-on-one mentoring and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in real-world situations while learning to integrate a Christian worldview into all areas of life. Capital Fellows is a unique opportunity to live and work in the Washington DC area and to be an active member of a supportive community that seeks to serve the city with the love of Christ. It is also a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the workplace while deeply exploring God’s design for us as workers and contributors to human flourishing.
Pray for the Capital Fellows
Thank you for praying for the Capital Fellows each week!
The Capital Fellows are at the 17th TFI National Fellows Conference this weekend at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland. Please pray that the messages on vocation, justice, and mercy enable them to grow in their walk with the Lord and in their work as servant leaders. And please pray for safety for the Capital Fellows, as well as all the other Fellows from other programs, traveling throughout the D.M.V. area this weekend for the conference.
Want to pray for the Capital Fellows in an ongoing way? Download this handy prayer guide for your phone or tablet.
About The Fellows Initiative
Capital Fellows is part of a network of similar programs across the country. This network is called The Fellows Initiative. There are 34 Fellows programs in TFI, roughly 3,000 alumni living around the world, and more Fellows programs on the way.
If you know a church in the US or Canada that would benefit from joining TFI by launching a new Fellows program. Please contact TFI by visiting their website.
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