Koinonia
“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”—Acts 2: 44-45.
In her brilliant sermon on June 3, 2018, Patricia Matthews reminds us of the winning word in last year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee that weekend: Koinonia.
You can read Patricia’s sermon online at the website of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Little Rock, or listen to it on St. Mark’s Facebook page. Fourteen-year-old Karthik Nemmani from McKinney, Texas correctly spells this word of Greek origin, meaning Christian fellowship or communion with God. It refers primarily to fellowship with other Christians in community. Patricia reminds us that this 91st National Spelling Bee with the 515 participants who qualified was televised on none other than ESPN, a sports network on which we more often watch football or basketball or baseball or soccer!
When I heard the winning word that weekend and Sunday from Patricia, my heart skipped a beat. Koinonia had been on my heart for almost a week. Langley, our oldest granddaughter, had just graduated from high school and was headed to the University of Georgia. I had been praying about how I could support her in this decision. The answer came as I read a review of two books about Clarence Jordan in The Christian Century.
I want to remind Langley about Mr. Jordan, perhaps one of the most outstanding graduates of the University of Georgia. His competency in Greek led him to produce his “Cotton Patch” version of the New Testament, as he strove to communicate the Bible’s message in everyday language. Jordan also founded Koinonia Farm as a farming community of believers sharing their lives and resources, following the example of the first Christian communities. Out of this movement came Habitat for Humanity International by Millard Fuller, and later The Fuller Center for Housing, as well as Jubilee Partners and much support for the Civil Rights Movement.
Also, that Sunday after church, a group of women met to begin discernment toward creating a Daughters of the King chapter at St. Mark’s. Daughters of the King also seek koinonia—specifically fellowship with other women who want a more profound spirituality and relationship to God through prayer, service, and evangelism.
I will keep koinonia on my heart for a few more days to see if I observe any more serendipitous connections of synchronicity in our world.
Now, four years later, our newly formed Grace Chapter of Daughters of the King at St. Mark’s numbers 34 women who met monthly on Zoom, praying every day for every member of this congregation and the needs of the world. How exciting now to see each other in person after two years. During the pandemic, the Daughters also reached out to women in prison who have requested books to read. The ministry is called Free Read.
We are now on the way to Athens for Langley’s graduation from Georgia, and the following week to Zoe’s graduation from Central High School. She will be at Tulane in the fall. I know she will also experience koinonia in New Orleans!
Last year, members of our Daughters of the King at St. Mark’s met with women at Trinity Cathedral about reopening a chapter at the Cathedral. On June 12 of this year, we will meet with other women at St. Mark’s, becoming part of the koinonia of Daughters of the King at St. Mark’s.
Koinonia continues.
Joanna. joannaseibert.com
