Deeper Roots
By Grady Benfer
Last Friday, during one of our seminary classes, we talked about God’s sovereignty over all things. This doctrine, although it can be hard to comprehend, has brought much comfort, especially coming into the Capital Fellows program with there being so many unknowns: in a new place, new friends, new job, new house, basically new everything. This truth of God’s sovereignty has allowed me to look expectantly at each new area, knowing that He will use it for His perfect purpose and grow me closer to Him.
Being almost two months in, it seems that I could talk about every part of the program and identify some way that God has placed me there specifically to shape me. One part has been community. It has been one of, if not the biggest blessing in the program. God has been using it to show me how important it is for growth and how we were created for it. But He has also shown me that it is hard and requires effort and a willingness to be vulnerable. Another has been our conversations on how God views our work. To have a biblical understanding that we were created to work and that it is a gift from God has brought so much more joy and purpose into my daily tasks.
I recently had a conversation with a coworker that God has been using to shape how I view this Fellows season. I was telling him about how, during my weeks with my job (working at the church), my easy commute (I live four houses down from the church), and all the fellows activities (most occurring at the church), I barely, if at all, interact with people who aren’t Christian. In response he mentioned how after Paul was converted, he spent years learning and being built up in his faith before fully beginning his ministry. He added that maybe this is just one of those years.
Psalm 1:3 says, “[the righteous man] is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,” which shows that are seasons for bearing fruit, but also the just as necessary seasons for growing deeper roots, that will produce even more, quality fruit later on.
I can’t say for sure, but maybe this is a time for resting, building, and growing. No matter what, I know God is the one that provides the growth.
Grady Benfer is a member of the Capital Fellows class of 2026-27. He is from Westchester, PA, and is a graduate of James Madison University. This year, he is working with the Missions Team at McLean Presbyterian Church.
Pictures From The Week
Know a Potential Capital Fellow?
If you know a college senior or recent graduate who should consider joining the Capital Fellows program in 2027-28, please encourage them to get in touch with us. The easiest way to express interest in the program is through 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!
Every Monday night, the Capital Fellows share a meal together (prepared and served by two of their own), worship, and discuss various leadership topics at Roundtable. This month we began a new discussion series on being "Called to Serve," in which the Fellows will be wrestling with what it means to joyfully and sacrificially serve in every area of their lives. Please join us in praying that, through their discussions and experiences this year, the Capital Fellows would grow to see service as not just an act, but as a lifestyle and a mindset, and that they would see Jesus as our perfect model of service—loving, sacrificial, planned, intentional, and fruitful.
Want to learn more about Season 20? Click the button below to read through their bios!
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 3,200 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.
Don't Miss a Blog Post!
Sign up for the Capital Fellows blog email! Emails are sent weekly during the program year. An unsubscribe link is provided in every email.
Comments