Birmingham Fellowship Weekend
by Anonymous

This year I was thrilled to host the first Birmingham, Alabama Fellowship Weekend. There were twenty Christ family members from several states and two new people from Birmingham who participated in the fellowship and teaching.

On Friday evening, the "old" Christ folks settled in over dinner. Later we divided into adults and youth to reacquaint and begin the weekend. The adults discussed the events of the week since the previous weekend of the Business Meeting. Central themes that continued through the weekend were families, discipline, limits and addiction process in action.

Brett Burrowes began the Saturday morning teaching with scriptural evidence that we are born as Satan’s slaves (John 8:32-34). He took it even further showing that Satan was actually the operator (John 8:42-44). In other words, we are not just his slaves but it is actually Satan doing evil by us. Therefore our core of rottenness is Satan being rotten through us. Brett further supported this with Romans 5:16 and Ephesians 2:3. But he didn’t leave us there–he brought us through with Galatians 2:20 where we realized our salvation on the cross was a complete cleaning out of the person of rottenness (Satan) as our owner/operator. He was replaced by the person of total righteousness (Jesus Christ) who is now our new operator (I Cor. 6:17).

In the afternoon, Brenda Luttrull introduced Body, Soul and Spirit through diagrams and an exercise. We all had an opportunity to share a recent event, in which we struggled with a difficult theme and had determined the real truth behind the emotion(s). We discussed the importance of under-standing that spirit is the seat of reality and the place where Satan can’t touch us. Through the soul and the body, he attacks this reality trying to entice us into believing his (Satan’s) reality.

Meanwhile the youth, led by Dacia Trethewey, were learning about commitment, attitudes and being alone. They wrote, signed and agreed to follow contracts stating what they would do for others during the weekend. Each youth chose something specific to commit to. Some had a contract to have a good attitude, help out others, and to find ways to include others in activities. They learned that because Christ is perfect for any situation, then therefore they are. He is the one with the good attitude, helpful and for others, and the one who can keep commitments perfectly.

They discussed the importance of having a good attitude versus a bad attitude. A good attitude is a self for others (Christ–what about you). A bad attitude is a self for self (Satan–what about me).

They read scripture about being alone and that we are never really alone because if we are Christians, God is always with us. He knows our thoughts and desires before we ever think or speak them.

Other youth activities included challenging games of kickball and Capture the Flag, playing at the park, watching "Swiss Family Robinson" and preparing a skit for Sunday. They illustrated Body, Soul and Spirit in a very real way. The youth, Dacia Trethewey and Robyn Resset formed two circles on the ground around Satan, played by Doug Langford, and Rebecca Jane Cooper who portrayed the human spirit. We listened as the children verbalized all kinds of feelings and soul throughts. The human spirit was unable to free itself from its false operator until it cried out to Christ, played by Perry Luttrull, to save it. Christ threw Satan out and the human spirit became joined to its new opera-tor. Although the feelings and thoughts remained, the human spirit was able to respond rightly.

On Saturday evening the youth ordered pizza and watched their movie while the adults socialized over dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s. The later part. of the evening was spent on feedback, problem-solving and brainstorming about issues within different families that needed to be addressed.

The focus of the weekend was on exposing self-centered behavior, ways to intervene to help others, and ways to facilitate the process. On Sunday morning the young people and adults met in separate groups to summarize the events of the weekend. For sure, we decided that we want to see each other on a regular basis here in the Southeast!!