By Rachel Baber
This semester one of our classes stayed the same: Kingdom Seminar with Dr. Bill Fulliove, and we swapped Dr. Irwyn Ince teaching us about Leadership, Vocation and Society on Monday mornings to Dr. Bill Clark and Debbie Clark spending Friday mornings learning about Identity and Relationship. In the first couple weeks we have covered ideas like our family history, developmental tasks, how we see ourselves, and how Jesus sees us.
So far, this class has opened my eyes and challenged me, and I would guess the other fellows would say the same. Examining your identity and how it has been formed is no easy feat. It is hard work, but it is good work.
Last semester as we were discussing the book of Numbers, Dr. Fullilove talked about how the Lord instructed the Israelites to go and take the land, even though the spies sent ahead told them that they had no chance at seizing the land. He described how this is an example of a time that it is a rebellion to God to not seize the blessing that is before them, and in our lives, this can show up when we fail to fight to seize the blessing of healing that is in front of us.
For me, a lot of this Capital Fellows year has been a chance to fight for healing, and it seems like Identity and Relationships is a continuation of this blessing. I like the imagery of fighting for healing because I have historically thought of healing as something passive, something that would happen to me and not something I could have a part in. But, as Dr. Clark and Debbie have been pointing out, we all can choose to engage in a way that leads to healing—actively processing through the hurts and joys of our life—or we can passively absorb the material. They have graciously encouraged us to engage, right from the very start.
We started the first class with the question: “What was something you loved as a kid?” Answers ranged from popsicles to music to dancing to sports teams and many things in-between. Although we’ve been in intentional community for the better part of a year, most of my fellow fellows’ answers were surprising to me. It has been a joy to get to know my peers better as we engage and wrestle with our identities and the relationships that helped form them.
During a non-COVID year, this class takes place in the Clark kitchen and it is hard not to be a bit sad when thinking of how beautiful that would have been. But, it is easy to be grateful for the fact that we get to learn from the Clarks every week as they help us dive into knowing ourselves and each other more deeply, and to fight for the healing that God desires for all of us.
Pictures from the Week
RAGs (randomly assigned groups) have been going strong since last semester! Here we played some games at a coffee shop.
Some of the fellows took advantage of a recent day off to explore Richmond! It was beautiful and a little cold.
Become A Capital Fellow in 2021-22
We are now receiving applications for Season 15 of the Capital Fellows program!
We are specifically looking for fellows interested in working in church ministry. We have two specific jobs available, one on the worship team and one with the children's ministry teams. These are special Capital Fellows opportunities because McLean Presbyterian not only pays your salary, but also pays your Capital Fellows program fees!!
The next program year runs from late August 2021 through mid-May 2022. If you are a college senior or recent college graduate - or know someone that is - we would love to hear from you!
Pray for the Capital Fellows
Thank you for praying for the Capital Fellows each week!
One wonderful and challenging aspect of the spring semester that will soon begin is the inevitable process of finding places to live after the program. Sometimes this process goes smoothly and sometimes it is hard. To the extent that it will be smooth this year, please pray that it is also good and accretive to community. To the extent that will be hard, please pray that the fellows would love one another with genuine, sacrificial love (Romans 12) that puts the interests of others before the interests of the self. Also, the fellows are actively interviewing and several have received job offers. Praise God! Please continue to pray for those that are still searching for a post-fellows job.
Want to pray for the Capital Fellows throughout the year? Download this handy prayer guide for your phone or tablet.
Benefits of The Fellows Initiative
You probably already know that Capital Fellows is one of 30 fellows programs in The Fellows Initiative network. But, did you know that the sponsors of TFI offer great benefits to Capital Fellows alumni? For example, Reformed Theological Seminary offers a 33% tuition discount for 5 years. You can learn more about TFI's sponsors by clicking here. TFI is also sponsored by The Budd Group, the Gordon College Master of Financial Analysis Program, and Regent College in Vancouver.
If you know of a graduate school, seminary, employer, or other organization that would be interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact TFI by clicking here. Thanks!
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