The Fellowship

Today, I want to talk with you about Fellowship. Particularly the Fellowship portrayed in The Lord of the Rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, there were many individuals working toward a common goal: the destruction of the One Ring. There were many characters, with many different roles.

It was Frodo and Sam’s job to get to Mordor and destroy the Ring in Mount Doom. They were the ones who could get past the orcs and fight the temptation brought by the Ring. Clearly, without Frodo and Sam, the Ring would not have been destroyed. But if it was only Frodo and Sam working, the goal would still not have been accomplished.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli’s job was to defend and protect Middle Earth from total obliteration by evil forces. It was not their job to destroy the One Ring. They were the ones who led armies and fought valiantly. Without Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, the Ring would not have been destroyed.

Merry and Pippin, two other hobbits, also played very different roles. It was not their job to destroy the One Ring, it was not their job to lead armies to defend Middle Earth. They were the ones who played roles of mediator and advocate. Without Merry and Pippin, the Ring would not have been destroyed.

Gandalf the Gray fought the Balrog and defeated death, becoming Gandalf the White. It was not his job to destroy the Ring, to lead armies to defend Middle Earth, or to act as a mediator. He was the one who played the role of counselor and tutelary. Without Gandalf, the Ring would not have been destroyed.

All of these individuals were members of the Fellowship. Not one of them had the same role. Together, they formed the fellowship; a group of people pursuing a shared interest or aim. 

Similarly, Dan and I are in a partnership. Partnership is like a Fellowship in that we are working toward a common goal: to translate the Bible into Sign Languages.


Just like the different roles that were in the Fellowship of the Ring we have different roles in our partnership. Roles like prayer partners, financial partners, advocates, and encouragers, are all just as vital as our roles are. Like Sam and Frodo, we are the ones who are accomplishing the initial task at hand. But, just like how Frodo and Sam could not have been victorious on their own, we will not victorious on our own.

We are now in the final stages of establishing our partnership team. Those who join with us, will be with us (though not physically) throughout this journey. And just as Frodo and Sam needed the Fellowship even after they went separate ways, we need each of our partners equally as much.