Having "Phun" with "Phellowship"

New Hope Church was packed. The small country church was officially honoring their pastor on “Pastor Appreciation Day. And, what a day they had planned!

The morning service started out with a special song—Pastor Phred’s favorite. Sister Phaye’s voice was glorious, like a sparrow singing in the spring rain.

“What a phellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms…”

Brother Frank played his phiddle while Sister Faye sang all phour verses, leaving out nary a word.

The children’s choir came forward with a true treat—can you imagine 27 little ones between five and fourteen singing, “I’ll Fly Away” complete with motions? The whole room was laughing and clapping and loving every minute.

After the special songs, the Elder Phil and his wife, Sister Faye, heads of the Pastor Appreciation Committee this particular year, introduced the guest preacher. Pastor Fred was in tears. The committee found Pastor Fred’s roommate from seminary—Reverend Filmore. When asked if he would preach a special service, he readily agreed … “Oh, what fun!”

Reverend Filmore chose the most perfect sermon for the special occasion. He took his text from 1 John 1:3a. “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have phellowship with us.” And, such profound points he made!

“PHellowship is heaven, and lack of phellowship is hell; phellowship is life, and lack of phellowship is death; and the deeds that ye do upon the earth, it is for phellowship’s sake that ye do them.” – William Morris

“We will win the world when we realize that phellowship, not evangelism, must be our primary emphasis. When we demonstrate the Big Miracle of Love, it won’t be necessary for us to go out — they will come in.” – Jess Moody

The primary joy of life is acceptance, approval, the sense of appreciation and companionship of our human comrades. Many men do not understand that the need for phellowship is really as deep as the need for food, and so they go through life accepting many substitutes for genuine, warm, simple.” – Joshua Loth Liebman

“The only thing I could say for sure is that hell means separation from God. We are separated from his light, from his phellowship. That is going to be hell.” – Billy Graham

Reverend Filmore summarized his sermon from Acts 2:42.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the phellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

At that point, he prayed and asked the Lord to bless their phellowship and the breaking of bread.

“Lord, we are so grateful for precious phellowship here among Your people. Pastor Fred and I have many stories to share and years to catch up on. We are so grateful to You for bringing us together once again for a day of glorious phellowship in Your presence. Now, Lord, bless the food we are about to receive as we put Acts 2:42 into practice—the ‘breaking of bread’. To You, oh Lord, be the glory forever and ever, amen.”

The congregation was dismissed to the Phellowship Hall, which had been beautifully decorated and prepared with all the ladies’ home cooking arranged on the buffet table. Turkey, chicken’n’dumplins, ham, fried chicken, and all the fixin’s. The dessert table was enough to make any mouth water with homemade fudge brownies, fresh fruit, lemon pies, cherry pies, and more.

This was truly a day when God’s people came together, putting their differences aside, sharing with one another, enjoying each other’s company, and showing their sincere appreciation for Pastor Fred. No harsh words, no jealousy, no ill-will one toward another…not a sad face in the room.

This was Pastor Fred’s day of true phellowship bathed in love divine with friends and family and fudge brownies topped with freshly whipped cream, his all-time favorite.

“What a phellowship, what a joy divine!”

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© 2007 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved