A caring Community

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.
Philippians 1:9

Phi Beta Kappa, the national scholarship fraternity, is recognized as the first Greek-letter collegiate fraternal organization. One fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, co-founded in 1856 by a committed Christian, incorporates the words of Psalm 133:1 into its guiding principles: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

The values of brotherhood and sisterhood, community, friendship, strong bonds, and caring—at the heart of modern fraternal organizations—are biblically based. Indeed, the New Testament uses the image of body (1 Corinthians 12:27) and family (Romans 8:12-17) to describe the close-knit relationships Christians should have with one another. Nowhere is that better illustrated than in the life of the first church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-47). So great was their care for each other that “there [wasn’t] anyone among them who lacked;” for they were “of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32-35).

To care, and be cared for, is what distinguishes the followers of Jesus in this world (John 13:35).

Caring is the ultimate measure of a congregation’s size.
Carl S. Dudley