Campus community answers a call for fellowship

A small, rural village joins together to celebrate a marriage. Fans of baseball gather in a ball park to watch their team compete. A church youth group meets every Thursday for games and fellowship. All encompass a form of community.

Community is defined in the dictionary as, “A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” Is community more than just a group of people? Does it have certain rules that its members have to follow? What does community look like on campus’ around the nation?

There are benefits to not having a massive campus full of 2,000 students. One of them is that everyone knows each other. Hannah Villines, ‘21, involves herself in many different groups on campus. A member of student leadership and worship team, she has attended FCS since the first grade. She shares her opinion on the community aspect at FC.

“I think that the community aspect of FCS is so important because considering the fact that we are a Christian school,” Villines said. “Having the ability to serve our one God, we need to stand together in unity as the body of Christ, which will only come as being a community and a family.”

“Specifically for my sophomore class, I’ve been at this school since first grade so I’ve grown up with this class that I could call my family,” Villines continued. “We have all changed in many different ways as a community. We’ve had our ups and downs throughout the years, but I’ve noticed as we’ve all matured within this year we’ve only grown closer.”

Another example of a community on-campus is a Bible study group. Community is also a biblical principle. The Bible states in Hebrews 10: 24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” This verse speaks on the community of the Christian faith.

Sophomore Hunter Raynes started an on-campus Bible study his freshman year with assistance from alumnus, Tyler Villines. The group meets every Friday when possible to open the word of God and investigate what it says. He shares about the community aspect of the club.

“Community is important to have in a Bible study because it makes it feel more like a family,” Raynes said. “It makes sharing what we’re dealing with and sharing verses with each other a lot easier and it provides a welcoming environment for new people to come and join with us as we go through scripture. I think we’ve grown a lot closer together and have grown more comfortable with asking questions and sharing what stuck out to us in scripture.”

Below is a podcast of Carston Saelzler, ’21, interviewing Superintendent Jeremy Brown about the community at FC.

Superintendent Jeremy Brown encourages the FC family to join together in community. This may be in prayer, in groups such as like fathers, shoulder to shoulder, or moms in prayer, both of which meet monthly to pray for the students and families of FC. Brown shares why as an administrator, it is so important to have a healthy community on campus.

“Community is important everywhere,” Brown said. “Specifically at private schools because you want some people who are similar-minded. What we have at FCS is whether your a believer in Jesus Christ or not, maybe even of a different faith, student or employee we all signed a document saying that we’re going to live by Biblical standards at FCS. We all have a common fabric of who we are and yet we’re very diverse.”

“Community is like character, everybody has character it is either good or bad,” Brown continued. “In life community is about not-self. It’s a collective. You could have a community of individualists and they will be an ineffective community. I believe that we are a polarized nation in our culture. And I think community is not choosing what separates us it is what unites us.”

FCS alumna, Trisha Messer, ’90, was a cheerleader while also being involved in the international club and yearbook team. One of her daughters, Annabelle Messer, ‘20, currently attends FCS.

Trisha explains why she appreciates FC and what the community was like and how it has changed.

“I had an amazing experience at FC,” Messer said. “Since it was a time before cell phones and computers were just on the rise there was no texting, social media, etc. So the close knit relationships were more solid and real. We talked face to face and on the phone which was more personable and authentic.”

“I do not remember parents being involved like they are now,” Messer continued. “Most parents worked and were not available as they seem to be now. Rallies were always a huge deal. The classes were always centered around Christ. Teachers were always available to give advice. Students could be involved as much as they wanted due to the size of school.”

How do you define community? Share your perspective in the comment section below.

For more articles, check out Renowned journalist David Epstein lectures at SJV Town Hall and COMMENTARY: Girl Talk-Self Image.

Carston Saelzler can be reached via email.