Written by David Hopkins, Class of 2027
Two questions that have grabbed my attention recently are: What can we do in our present age to be faithful stewards of the lives and work God has given us when the world pursues transactional relationships and demands instant answers on every topic and idea? How should we integrate our life and interact with people who seek the temporal over the eternal perspective of life? Through this transition between college and my experience as a Chattanooga Fellow, it seems like an answer to these questions might be to rethink and build.
I went to Covenant College on Lookout Mountain, GA where I studied Computer Science and Economics. During those formative years, I developed long-lasting relationships with my friends, mentors, and professors. I remember my Economics professor mentioned that a way for Christians to be good stewards of our gifts and talents is to question ideas rigorously, challenge assumptions, and reject simple answers while holding fast to the truth that is found in Christ. This allows us to rethink from different perspectives. My Philosophy professor mentioned that we also need to be builders - in the church, our community, family, and work.
As I have begun my year as a Chattanooga Fellow, I've started to see how God is inviting me to pursue both rethinking and building. This nine-month leadership program teaches its cohorts to be servant leaders and to love others as image bearers of Christ. I’ve been invited to see and engage my surroundings, especially the city of Chattanooga, in a holistic manner. In my experience, I’ve been placed in a unique setting where diverse perspectives are present, which allows us to rethink ideas differently. One example where I’ve experienced this is through visiting nonprofits in the city. In those visits, I’ve seen how each of them has an approach that glorifies God in a unique way.
As a Fellow, I have been blessed to see how the Lord has revealed to me the various opportunities to build His Kingdom. I am able to build relationships at my church, North Shore Fellowship, through leading and praying for the 6th graders in youth group. I have also experienced the ability to build new ideas through my work with the Chalmers Center. Working with the brightest people, I am thankful to build systems that provide better data workflow within the different departments, build new strategies and analyze the current products, and do risk assessment and mitigation through scenario testing; each of these tasks points towards the flourishing of the city and God’s Kingdom. The Chattanooga Fellows also invites me to build relationships and community by realizing how hospitable the environment we are in is. Being able to eat meals on Monday nights at different family homes inspires me to model that to other people too.
The Chattanooga Fellows program has allowed me to rethink and build, a calling that is put in every believer’s heart. What could you do today to rethink and build His Kingdom? If you are currently in college, I encourage you to consider applying to the Chattanooga Fellows as a meaningful step toward this calling. If you’re beyond the college years, it takes a huge network of faithful men and women around town to help us grow in these ways during the year. We'd love to learn from you if you're willing to share some of what you've learned about this along the way.
