Dear Fellowship Family, 

As a child growing up in a small Texas town, going to church was consistent and foundational for me. With all of our relatives living in California and Washington, the church families became our family and the context within which I learned what community was all about. After moving to London in 1969 and, shortly thereafter, placing my trust in Christ as my Savior, God blessed me with a wonderful community once again. I had the privilege of being discipled by two amazing couples who loved Jesus and, therefore, were committed to moving students closer to Him. When I was 17 years old, one of these couples took a group of students to Israel to see and walk where our Lord had walked centuries before. As imagined, the time there impacted my life deeply, helping to solidify my identity in and relationship with my Savior. The truths that I’d been taught about Christ and the Bible since childhood became even more real and undeniable in my heart and mind. 

Fast forward 50 years to this past summer when I made the trip to Israel once again, this time with my wonderful husband and members of yet another incredible community, our Fellowship family. I wondered if all these years later I would remember the sites and feelings from my previous trip. Surprisingly, I did, but even better, the sweetness of my walk with Christ through the years and the assurance of the veracity of His Word were profoundly realized afresh as we visited the places mentioned throughout scripture. As I walked along the Sea of Galilee where Christ asked Peter, James, John, and Andrew to follow him, where he calmed the wind and the waves, and where he performed so many miracles, I struggled to comprehend how anyone could question the life of the One called Savior and Messiah. And after visiting Golgotha and the Garden Tomb that was found empty after the resurrection, there was such conviction and confidence that He is Who He says He is.

All these years later, this trip was even more rejuvenating to my faith than it had been the first time. But there was something even more profound during this trip. In a country where I was merely a visitor, I had never felt more at home. As the life of Christ and the stories of the Bible were affirmed in the places I visited, I felt a sense of peace and belonging. I felt welcome, like I was rooted in this foreign land. 

I have given quite a bit of thought to these experiences and why this feeling of being rooted made such an impact on me. Numerous times throughout the Bible, this concept is mentioned. When we are rooted in Christ, we are told that the benefits include bearing fruit (John 15:5), being strengthened and overflowing with thankfulness (Col. 2:7), and beginning to understand the depth and breadth of God's love (Eph. 3:16-19). Conversely, when we are not rooted, not only will we not bear fruit, but we will lack the strength to withstand harsh circumstances. 

So, when we are far from “home,” how do we emulate this feeling and root ourselves in Christ? I believe there are many ways to do so. We read, study, and hide His Word in our hearts. We pray. We serve. We become less so that He may become more in our lives. And as I alluded to earlier, we deepen our roots when we link arms in community with fellow believers who encourage and challenge us. 

Over the next several weeks, in a series aptly titled, "Rooted," I am going to further explore this idea and how Fellowship seeks to partner with you to nourish and strengthen the roots you have already been cultivating in your children. I am incredibly grateful that you have chosen Fellowship as your partner, and I look forward to sharing more about our goals for the spiritual development of your children. 

Today, I think it's appropriate to close with Paul’s prayer: 

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. - Ephesians 3:16-19

Rooted in Him, 

Dr. Kathryn M. Teston