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 St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Little Rock website, 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 its 515 qualified participants, was televised on none other than ESPN, a sports network where we more often watch football, basketball, 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 at our 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 years to see if I observe any more serendipitous connections of synchronicity in our world.
Now, four years later, that newly formed Grace Chapter of Daughters of the King at St. Mark’s numbers 40 women who meet monthly, praying every day for every member of this congregation and the needs of the world. During the pandemic, the Daughters began a new ministry, reaching out to women in prison who have requested books to read. The ministry is called Free Read and was the brainchild of Tandy Cobb Willis. It has now expanded to be a ministry of the whole church.
Since this writing, we have traveled to Texas, El Dorado, Shreveport, Memphis, and Springfield, Missouri, to meet with other women of the Daughters of the King.
I now love hearing about our grandchildren’s adventures and connections, since we travel less and less.
Langley has now graduated from Georgia and will be on her way to law school at NYU to study international law. Zoe will soon be a junior at Tulane, where she has experienced koinonia New Orleans’ style! This summer, she leaves for Copenhagen to study abroad for a semester. Mac is going to Spain in a few weeks to study sports management in Madrid. Gray is going to Kentucky to study art, and Turner will be in the honors college at the University of Arkansas studying engineering.
Elizabeth is learning how to drive.
Our community continues to expand as we hear stories of connections now from all over the country and the world.
The Koinonia continues.
First DOK group in 2018
