By Anna Fikkert
We live in a culture that values independence, so it is no wonder that hospitality makes us uncomfortable. We don’t like to be needy. Indeed, when people serve me, my first reaction is either to avoid being served or to “out-do” those who serve me with even more service.
Yet, in the past month as a Capital Fellow, I’ve been challenged by hospitality and have had no choice but to accept it and be humbled by it. From the Kickoff Retreat, to my host family, to individuals at the church, the generosity and hospitality towards me has been overwhelming. And my sinful heart hates it. But the Lord in His kindness has given me no choice but to accept it.
Before I even arrived in D.C., my hosts texted me asking what my favorite foods were so that they could have the pantry stocked when I arrived. The Capital Fellows program itself has fifteen different families that open up their homes to a random 20-something year old for nine months. All of these families have invited us in and treated us as if we were one of their own children. Older Christians volunteer their time to provide each fellow with one-on-one life, vocation, and spiritual mentorship. The pastors of MPC open up their homes and disciple us throughout the year. And this is just an abbreviated list of ways that I have experienced hospitality.
As I have had to wrestle with my discomfort with hospitality two things continue to come to mind.
We do others (and ourselves) a disservice when we deny them an opportunity to utilize their gifts of service. Paul writes in Romans 12 about offering ourselves as living sacrifices. In one section of the chapter he writes, “Love must be sincere…Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13, ESV). When I chafe at hospitality because of my pride, I do not allow another to fulfill this exhortation towards love manifested through service.
We are really needy and dependent. And we don’t deserve anything. Yet, we serve a God who reaches out to us with abundant hospitality. He welcomes us into his family and gives us a seat at the table. During this past month, I have experienced in real and tangible ways a taste of the hospitality that Jesus offers me.
Receiving hospitality is hard, but it is good because it reminds us of what we have received from Christ and allows us to exercise sincere love. May we be a people who receive and practice radical hospitality.
Pictures from the Week
McDonald's run after the Student Ministries' Dye War!
I couldn't let good banana pudding go to waste
Celebrating Maddie's birthday at Capital Commons!
Just some Fellows hanging out after class on Friday
Know a Potential Capital Fellow?
We are actively building Season Seventeen! If you know a college senior or recent graduate that would benefit from this program, please let them know about our upcoming informational webinars. 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!
It's October already! This is the time of year that many fellows start to feel tired and a bit worn down. This is a key aspect of the transition from college to post-college life. In college, a student has a lot of freedom to spend time as they choose. Friends are almost always within close proximity. After college, whether someone is in a Fellows program or not, this dynamic changes. They now have to bend to the schedule of the working world, while maintaining friendships at longer distances, investing in important things like church life and serving others. Like the Capital Fellows before them, Season 16 will find their rhythm in all of this, but the transition is hard and keenly felt in October. So, please pray that they would make this transition well, embracing all that God has for them in this season of life.
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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