Jill Duggar Leans on ‘Community’ in Wake of Brother Josh’s Arrest

Jill Duggar Dillard shared a new Instagram post on Sunday morning, reflecting on the importance of having a community to lean on in the wake of her older brother Josh Duggar‘s arrest last week. Duggar was arrested Thursday and arraigned on two federal charges on receiving and possession of child pornography. If convicted, Duggar, 33, faces up to 20 years in prison.

“We were reminded this morning in church about how important community is,” Dillard, 29, wrote alongside a photo of the Starbucks coffee she had after church. “I think I’ve brought this up before, but I’ve literally prayed for [a] good community!! We need others for support, prayer…people to do life with and so much more!”

Dillard went on to note that this past year has “tested all of us so much,” but she believes that in these difficult times, some people can see “more clearly who your people are as they become the hands and feet of Jesus.” She went on to ask her followers if they have a good community they feel belonging to. “Do you have [a] good community or are you in a season where you’re praying for and being intentional to build community (…yeah, sometimes it takes some work!)?” she wrote. “Who are you grateful for today? I have a growing list!”

Although Dillard did not mention it directly in the new post, it was published just days after the Duggar family found itself at the center of another crisis involving Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar’s oldest son. Duggar was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Thursday and remains in custody at the Washington County, Arkansas jail. According to federal prosecutors, a federal grand jury indicted Duggar on two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography. Duggar allegedly obtained image of sexually abused children in 2019. Duggar pleaded not guilty and his attorneys said they plan to “defend this case aggressively and thoroughly.”

Dillard and her husband, Derrick Dillard, 31, revealed last year they were was “distancing” between themselves and the rest of Dillard’s family. In a March YouTube video, Dillard told fans it had been “a couple of years” since she last visited her parents’ home. Dillard has also publicly stopped following many of the family’s stricter guidelines. In 2015, she told Fox News she was one of the underage girls molested by Duggar when he was a teenager. After Duggar’s charges were revealed Friday, the Dillards issued a short statement. “We just learned this information. It is very sad,” they said.

“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time,” Jim Bob and Michelle said in a joint statement. “The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”