Although the basic concept of this article is as old as creation itself, it only came to be an idea to me as recent as Saturday morning (November 1, 2014).  I am convinced that there are some very prudent and practical points and principles that are very worthy of consideration.  As a matter of fact, these principles are already yielding great results and benefits to the citizens of our locale and beyond.  There are five incidents where teamwork wrought both cosmic and historical results that I want to briefly bring to your consideration.  Hopefully, this will help you to better understand why it is very necessary for us to work together in order to achieve great things.

Divine Teamwork at the Dawn of Creation
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2)
Most credible and eminent theologians and scholars of the Bible concur in the belief that God is triune.  They believe that He is infinitely revealed in three distinct persons who are coequal in their power, authority, and abilities.  However, in spite of their equality, they each have different roles and responsibilities.  The Hebrew word that was used for God in the Genesis account of creation, as well as in much of the Old Testament, is the word “Elohim”.  This word is a uniplural pronoun like family, nation, school, etc.  It clearly proves that there are more than one person in the deity, as well as the fact that there was teamwork and collaboration in creation, as the following scriptures further validate:  Genesis 1:26, Psalm 33:6, and John 1:1-3.

Two Natural Illustrations of Teamwork
There are many examples of how essential and effective teamwork is in the animal kingdom.  We are going to consider only two in this article.  The first one is the ant species.  Although there are several species of ants in nature, there are some things that they all have in common with each other.  We all know that each colony of ants, regardless of their distinctions and size, has a queen ant, worker ants, soldier ants, and other commonalities.  Invariably, however, what impresses me about all species of ants is their ability to work together in order to achieve their corporate objective.  Without this teamwork, they would not be able to survive and thrive, as they have been able to do for eons, in spite of their natural enemies and catastrophes that rendered many other species extinct.  Finally, predators, such as wolves and even lions, have to depend upon teamwork for their survival.  Many of the animals that they prey upon are much bigger and, in some cases, much stronger.  I have watched on Wild Kingdom and National Geographic programs respectively how wolves will stalk and attack elks, basin, and even moose.  Their attack is always a corporate attack.  It always requires teamwork.  The same can be said for lions that prey upon animals much larger than they, like zebras, cape buffaloes, and occasionally elephants.  Regardless of how ferocious and fearless the king of beast might be, it takes strategy and teamwork for them to subdue the larger animal.

Teamwork That Gave Birth to a Nation
“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
This historical statement made by Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence captured and conveyed the camaraderie and teamwork that it would require for our independence to be won.  It would take teamwork in both the political arena and on the battlefield for the fledging nation to defeat the most powerful empire on the face of the earth.  History and the reality of our existence as the most powerful nation on earth presently prove how important teamwork is.

Teamwork That Has Built a Local Football Dynasty
One of the few things that we here in Dillon can boast about whenever we journey to other parts of the Pee Dee and state is about our high school football team.  Since 2008, the Dillon High School Wildcats have won four out of the last six 2A State Championship titles and is picked and poised to 3-peat barring any major injury or unforeseen incident that can alter what we all hope and expect.  For certain, most of the credit must be given tohHead coach Jackie Hayes for the Wildcats’ dominance.  Nevertheless, he will be the first to tell you that it has taken much teamwork on the sidelines, with his assistant coaches and players on the field, to achieve the level of success they have become accustomed to having.  Teamwork has been one of the key elements in the Wildcats’ string of state championships.

Teamwork That Attracted a Major Industry to Dillon
The final thing that we are going to consider that sprung from the effort of teamwork is, in many ways, the most important.  This is especially true for the employment and economy of our locale.  There is much excitement and anticipation in the air about Wyman-Gordon coming to our area with over four hundred good paying jobs.  None of this would have been possible or materialized without the foresight of the following entities and individuals to plan and to work together: the Department of Commerce, State Representative Jackie Hayes and delegation, Economic Development Director Tony McNeil, the Dillon County Public-Private Partnership, Mayor Todd Davis and the City of Dillon Council, and County Administrator Clay Young and the County Council.  Due to their efforts, the Wyman-Gordon deal has been signed, sealed, and delivered.  What better way to conclude this piece than by saying, “Teamwork made the dream work!”