Fellowship Groups- Spring 2008

 

What is a “fellowship group?”
Of all the distinctives that set Ole Miss apart among U.S. colleges, its development of tight-knit communities stands alone. For Christians, this can function as a powerful illustration of what Christian communities ought to look like. For RUF, the creation of Christ-centered relationships is at the center of our approach to ministry. It is not enough to simply know facts about God, but those truths have to lived out in the context of meaningful community. A fellowship group, therefore, is a means by which RUF seeks to establish those communities centered around applied Christianity.

What is “applied Christianity?”
By this, I simply mean that in order for Christian truth to take hold in the life of a believer, that truth must be incarnated in the life of another member of the Body of Christ. Christianity was never intended to be lived in isolation. Do I really deeply grasp God’s love for me until I see that love demonstrated by one of his people? Do I really know myself to be forgiven if I don’t experience that forgiveness from another person?

What does a fellowship group look like?
A fellowship group is any 6-8 people who are interested in getting together on a regular basis for the express purpose of encouraging one another. At RUF Ole Miss, these will meet on Sunday nights as a way of finishing off the Lord’s Day of rest.

What does a fellowship group do?
A fellowship group consists of three primary elements:

Confession- James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”
We are convicted that there is a special relationship between the soul of a person and their words. Words have power over us, even as we speak them. Therefore, by “confession” we do not mean “telling all your sins;” rather, we mean the mere verbalization of what is going on inside of you.

Encouragement- Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
We are convicted that the practice of Christian encouragement is woefully neglected on our campus. Therefore, we recognize the power in taking up words and giving them to someone else for no other reason than that they might be encouraged by them.

Prayer- Acts 1:14, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…”
We are convicted that we do not pray for each other, but rather are bored with our prayers because they are dominated by concerns for ourselves. We pray for one another as an expression of love for each other and our own spiritual health.

A fellowship group seeks to nurture all of these means of grace in their meetings in an informal atmosphere of openness and community.


Are you interested in leading a fellowship group for RUF Ole Miss? Les is looking for as many folks as are interested (in as many groups as can conceivably get started) to start and maintain these groups. What would be expected of you?
  • Find a Co Leader(s)- These things never works if there's only one person leading it. It takes a couple people, working together to keep everyone encouraged to make this a priority.
  • Provide a Meeting Place- This can be a dorm, a coffee shop, someone's living room in town, wherever your group feels comfortable meeting.
  • Maintain the Direction of the Group- The primary task of a fellowship group leader is to keep the group focused on the three elements listed above so that the time doesn't devolve into a pure social event (folks have plenty of that already).
  • Give Feedback to Les- This is a new area of our ministry here and we are working hard to tweak it properly. Therefore, the leader needs to communicate with Les at least twice a semester (mid way through and at the end) about who is coming, what problems are occurring, and how they have made it work.
If you think you might be interested in leading one of these groups this semester (or if you just want more information about our fellowship groups), fill out the form below and Les will email you the Leader's Guide.

If you have any questions about our fellowship groups, email Les at lesnewsom@gmail.com.



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