We're Not Really Strangers
- Capital Fellows
- Sep 7
- 4 min read
By Quentin Maxwell
This past week, I, along with fourteen other young adults, ventured into the mountains of Maryland to begin the Season 19 Kickoff Retreat of the Capital Fellows Program. Entering into the week as perfect strangers, an air of cautious excitement permeated the venue. These fifteen people, by different means and through varying circumstances, had been called to this place and this program for a purpose: to learn, to be challenged, to experience gospel community, to grow.
In addition to the reading that we will do throughout the program, this summer, we were challenged to read a handful of specific books before coming into Capital Fellows. One of these books was Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in which he challenges believers on what it really means to experience genuine Christian community. One quote was particularly impactful for me as I entered into the week with these strangers. Bonhoeffer encourages his readers to remember:
“Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate."
If you’re like me, you may often seek to “create” your own spiritual community in your church– a group of people in whom you can feel comfortable confiding and with whom you may feel led to share important parts of your life. We like to look for something in our lives that connects us with others, and then we can be friends; we can really be in community together. However, Bonhoeffer’s words establish a new precedent – that Christian community is not something we build for ourselves; it is something that already exists through Christ. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we as believers have community in the shared gift of the Holy Spirit.
This past week, I didn’t truly meet fourteen strangers. As each car pulled into the parking lot, I met, one by one, fourteen brothers and sisters with whom I already had a deep bond. I didn’t have to search scrupulously for some common interest to know that I loved them. Christ had already established a beautiful community, into which we all entered. As we enter into this new season of life – fifteen different people with varying interests, stories, and goals – we are united and propelled to love one another through the gift of grace we have received in Christ.
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13, ESV).
Quentin Maxwell is a member of the Capital Fellows class of 2025-26. He is from Houston, TX, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. This year, he is working at Everfox in Herndon, VA
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 2026-27, 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!
Starting with their arrival last week, the fellows have had a season of new - new city, new friends, new host family, new jobs, new church, new classes. So many new things can be a bit overwhelming. Please pray for the fellows as they navigate all of the change. At the same time, simply surviving all of the new things isn't actually the goal. Jesus tells us, "Behold, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:5) So, please also pray that they would see Jesus at work in all that is happening in these first days of Capital Fellows Season 19!
Want to learn more about Season 19? 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.
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