The experience of fellowship can mean a lot of different things in a lot of different places in the body of Christ. It certainly always means a shared life together, disciples banding together in community with Jesus Christ at the center. We here at Church of the Resurrection specifically experience fellowship in the body as a whole, in our Mesa groups and in other places and ways, formal and informal. There is something genuinely transformative about sharing our life together in Christ--and I see it alive and well in our midst!
Over the years I have also loved learning about other experiences of fellowship--other ways of doing Christian community. Partly this interest arose as a long-standing member of Christian higher education. There I experienced first-hand the transformative power of being in a community of Christian intellectual formation. We were being formed not only in our academic pursuits but also in a shared way of life that often included worship, prayer and service. I have had powerful experiences of Christ-shaped intellectual formation at several institutions along the way.
One in particular experience impacted me greatly: my seminary formation at Nashotah House. Nashotah was founded by Episcopal clergy who went out on mission into the then 1800's frontier. Fr James Lloyd Breck under the direction of Bishop Jackson Kemper founded Nashotah as an a mission outpost to evangelize native Americans still in the region and form other clergy for similar missions throughout the United States.
Their vision was essentially a neo-monastic one: faculty and students lived a Benedictine way of life focused around worship, study and work in close knit community. At Nashotah, each day begins with corporate worship according to the Book of Common Prayer--Morning Prayer with eucharist and ends with Evensong. We marked time by 'the Book,' so to speak. In between the day's study and work rolls along with shared meals and Michael the Bell tolling, calling us to other moments of prayer interspersed throughout the day.
It was a rich experience to study at Nashotah. The communal way of life formed deep habits of prayer and study quickly, indellibly. I was not a full time student there, but when I came home I often felt a certain sense of withdrawl.
My wife would also notice the odeur of stale incense on all my clothes!
While at Nashotah, I learned of another Anglican experiment in what we would call intentional community. In 1626, Nicholas Ferrar founded the Little Gidding community in England, drawing his family and friends to live a life dedicated to worship, prayer, and service. They followed a rigorous pattern of daily prayer and engaged in charitable works, offering relief to the poor and sharing resources communally. Though they did not separate from the world in a monastic sense, they sought a disciplined and Christ-centered life within a household that embodied Christian charity and shared purpose.
(If you want to explore more about Little Gidding, check out the resources curated by the Friends of Little Gidding.)
Little Gidding illustrates the power of a shared rhythm of prayer and the mutual support that grows from intentional devotion. Ferrar’s community made Christ central to all aspects of life—devotion, study, charity, and work—modeling a deeply integrated and harmonious Christian life.
For modern fellowship, Little Gidding reminds us that cultivating koinonia requires more than good intentions; it requires a committed, structured life together, where practices like daily prayer, shared meals, and caring for each other's needs are routine.
Church communities today can adopt practices inspired by Little Gidding, such as regular communal prayer, corporate study of Scripture, and organized outreach.
This is definitely part of the inspiration for our Mesa ministry. We seek to foster a deep, shared life in which all members are committed to mutual growth and service.
Not far from us in Waco, TX, there is a similar Anglican initiative in intentional community called the Brazos Fellows program. Their focus is vocational discernment together in community following a common rule of life, which includes various spiritual disciplines and theological study.
All of these point, I believe, to the transformative power of Christian fellowship.
So, in conclusion, I would renew the question I asked us on Sunday:
How are we doing?
How is your Mesa doing?
What are some strengths? Where are we currently growing in Christlikeness in community?
Where could we use to grow?
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