| JULY 7, 2026 -- How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 2 Corinthians 13:14
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1st Peter, 3:8
In the second chapter of Genesis we are told that “it is not good for Man to be alone”. This is an ancient truth that is reaffirmed in almost all cultures. While an occasional period of solitude may be helpful to many, man was made to be a social creature. Interaction with our fellow human beings has many benefits, some of them necessary for our development as fully rounded individuals.
Fellowship and Fraternity are basic characteristics of our Grange experiences. Our Grange ritual emphasizes that we are like one great family, sharing brotherly and sisterly love in al that we do. When we join, we pledge that we will not knowingly wrong or defraud any of our Grange brothers or sisters in word or deed, nor will we permit it to be done by another if it is in our power to prevent it.
We should not confine our efforts at fellowship and fraternity to the Grange. Remembering that we are all God’s children, we have an obligation to recognize all of humanity as brothers and sisters. Of course, as with any large family, there are some relatives that we find more likeable and attractive than others. And there are some whose personalities or habits, or other general characteristics make them hard to live with. But in a larger sense they are still “family” and must be recognized as such. We could do worse than follow the advice given by St. Paul and quoted above: “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all”.
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