Today's post was written by Linda Hall who works as our Young Single Girls Coordinator at Brook Hills.

Community – what is that exactly some may ask? Webster and others define it as common interests, linked, social action, and interaction. When we think of biblical community, phrases like same Lord, loving each other, family, serving one another, praying together, and sharpening one another come to mind. Through the life and death of one of our young adult faith family members, I have witnessed first hand true biblical community.

[caption id="attachment_1220" align="alignright" width="150"] Derick Arbaugh (April 21, 1988-July 21, 2014)[/caption]

Derick Arbaugh was tragically killed in a car accident back in July, and his Brook Hills “community” has served in ways that have been remarkable and humbling to see. As his out-of-state family came to Birmingham, many of our young single adults gathered around them, some of whom did not even know Derick’s family, and ministered to them in countless ways – sitting with them for hours on end at the hospital, crying with them, traveling to Virginia to attend the funeral, planning and hosting a Birmingham memorial service for family and friends, loving on and meeting the needs of Derick’s new wife of a few short weeks (they had gotten married in May), and numerous other ways – too many to list. Not only has it been an incredible blessing to watch, but it has also been a personal challenge to me to be more like them – part of a community that has exhibited Christ’s love and literally been His hands and feet to a hurting family.

I’m not sure if you’ve looked around lately, but we are a church that is blessed to have hundreds of young single adults. And I must say that they are quite an extensive group of believers who truly live out biblical community. They are young men and women who desire to learn from and live out their faith with each other as well as with others outside of their stage of life. As I have had the privilege to serve this demographic at Brook Hills, these young adults have had a huge impact on my life as I’ve watched them grow in Christ, commit to missions, lead others in our faith family, minister to the hurting, and on and on. Acts 2:43-47 has been carried out before me as I’ve witnessed up close and personal the lives of many of our young single adults. And two challenges come to mind because of my experience with them.

 


  • If you are not in some way already connected to our young single adult ministry, may I challenge you to go out of your way to get to know and get involved with these awesome people? You will be blessed by having done so.

  • Are YOU experiencing this kind of community personally? If not, take the necessary steps to get plugged into biblical community – join a small group, serve within our faith family, and serve locally and globally with fellow Brook Hills members. The opportunities are there; we just have to step up to the challenge to become involved in other people’s lives and to just maybe… get out of our comfort zone.


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Derick’s life continues to touch people in our own faith family as well as many others. He was an organ donor, desiring that his organs be used to literally save the lives of those waiting for transplants. And people have come to faith in Christ and have re-committed their lives to His Lordship through this tragedy. I’m sure there are numerous other untold ways God has used this young man’s life and death and will continue to do so. But much of it started as Derick got involved in biblical community right here at Brook Hills.

So what about you? Will you step up to these challenges? I pray you will – and I’m confident that you’ll be thankful you did.

 

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