God’s People Are Everywhere

In Christ there is no east or west, In Him no South or North; But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth............ John Oxenham

For most of my adult life I have fellowshipped with God’s people at Parkminster Presbyterian Church, where I have learned both to receive and to give to the community of believers there. There have been two specific times when, for a period, I have been away from the comforts of my home fellowship. In each case I chose to seek fellowship with other believers, not knowing anyone in particular but knowing a little about the church.

In each case I was blessed by my choice to seek out other believers. The first was during the summer of 1976 when, between my undergraduate and graduate years of college, I was a summer intern at the United States Water Resources Council in Washington, DC. I remember the feelings of loneliness that swept over me as my brother dropped me off at the garden apartment I had rented in Arlington, VA. My pastor, Bill Showalter, had recommended I check out Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD. So I did that, and eventually got involved with Ambassadors, a fellowship group for post-college age men and women. From there I got to know a couple of guys who owned a house in NW Washington with an extra room, and I moved in with them. For most of that summer, I participated in Sunday worship, Ambassadors, and lived with two great Christian guys who took me under their wings. Near the end of the summer I got to lead a large group Ambassadors breakfast study of Proverbs which I had been reading on my own. Participants worked through the Proverbs passages and shared with each other at their breakfast tables. I was floored when near the end of the program the pastor stood up and said, “Who pulled together this study?” I responded that I had. He was quite complimentary of my work, which meant quite a bit to me as a newcomer and also because the pastor was Richard C. Halverson, who was very well known in Presbyterian circles and who later became the US Senate Chaplain.

The second has been this present time when I have been working in Tarrytown, NY on the New NY Bridge. For the first 6 months of the job, I plowed through the work week without much of a break, since there was plenty of work to do and plenty to learn. Even though I was home on the weekends and would participate in worship as usual, I was sometimes feeling dry and empty, and felt I needed something more. After I had been there about 6 months, Corinne was in New York for the weekend, and we attended a worship service at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in the Upper West part of Manhattan. Redeemer Presbyterian is Tim Keller’s church, one of many which is making a positive impact for Christ in New York City. I had read one of Tim’s books and have recently started another. After the service, we connected up with some people in the fellowship hall and I asked if there were any Bible Study groups meeting near Tarrytown. I found out there is a group meeting right in the Village of Tarrytown not more than 3 miles from my hotel. Since joining the group, we have been doing study of the book of John based on the sermon series and sharing and praying for each other. This experience has helped my faith walk and I have been blessed by this very multi-ethnic, highly educated group of believers. They are a thoughtful and caring people, who have welcomed me with open arms.

Through both these experiences I have learned that God’s people are everywhere, and I can believe with certainty that anywhere I go, if I seek fellowship with His people, I will find it.