Seamless Lives of Faith | Colossians 4:5-6
Luke Stockstill ‘25
“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Full steam ahead! Week two is in the books for this year's class of Falls Church Fellows, and we are yet to see any signs of slowing down. As we get settled into this new environment, the support and love we are feeling from every direction has transformed what may have begun a worrisome transition into a thrilling dive into the NOVA community, furthering our learning and discovering what the area has to offer.
We started the week being hosted by Steve Skancke at Keel Point, where he gave us a fascinating talk on his career, highlighting his involvement in starting the program some 31 years ago. It made for a fitting seminar, following Rector Sam Ferguson’s sermon on genealogy a week previously. Dr. Skancke quoted one of his favorite scriptures, 1 Corinthians 13, challenging us to be beacons of love even when it may seem an impossible task. So far, my peers and I have been living up to the challenge!
Afterward, some of the fellows got out to explore the local Great Falls Park, which features a gorgeous view of the river and, of course, waterfalls - with a fun hike to boot! We ended the day with our weekly roundtable dinner and jumped into our second work week the next morning.
Reconvening at our Bible study on Friday morning, we began to identify goals for the year surrounding various spiritual disciplines. It was refreshing to have that time set aside with and for each other, and to explore how we can nourish each other’s spirits while we are together. From there, we headed off to seminary class.
The weekend featured a whole host of fun activities, like running the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, traveling to West Virginia, and the bizarre O Museum in the Mansion (where they truly have something for everybody!).
As the week comes to a close, Colossians 4:5-6 weighs heavy on my heart, in conjunction with Dr. Skancke’s challenge for us. My prayer is that we could be those beacons of love to everyone we encounter during our time here, radiating the same sentiments that we have felt from the beautiful, caring welcome we have received.