Spiritual Life Week is an annual tradition at 91短视频 鈥� a rich diversity of opportunities for the campus community to join together in various forums to share about walking and living a life of faith.
The theme this year was the question, 鈥淲hy do I continue to 鈥榗hoose鈥� Jesus?鈥�
The late February event features nightly faculty/staff sharing and conversation in residence halls, special gatherings for women and men, chapel events, retreats, and the much-loved tradition of meeting in the homes of faculty and staff for a meal and fellowship.
More than 100 students signed up for dinners hosted by 20 faculty and staff. 鈥淲e have been trying to do this every semester,鈥� said , undergraduate campus pastor and event coordinator, 鈥渂ut this semester, it was really successful.鈥�
Speakers at the informal nightly discussions included , professor of English, and , professor of visual arts; head baseball coach and assistant coach Adam Posey; physical education professors and ; undergraduate dean and , office coordinator for the Applied Social Sciences Department.
Professors and led a women鈥檚 gathering, while Wes Wilder, a ministry intern, hosted the men鈥檚 luncheon.
spoke in chapel about her years-long journey with glaucoma, a reflection titled “,” which was widely read and shared after posting to 91短视频 News and Facebook accounts. Schrock-Hurst teaches youth ministry, spiritual formation, and introduction to Bible courses in the department, in addition to overseeing the .
‘All their stories are sacred’
鈥淚 really enjoyed hearing the stories from the faculty and staff and their perspectives on following Jesus,鈥� said Christina Hershey, a pastoral assistant for campus ministries. 鈥淚t was interesting to go to multiple forums because everyone had very different stories, but all their stories are sacred, and it shows the diversity in the church.鈥�
She added, 鈥淚 really like the opportunity to hear the stories from the faculty and staff and to learn from their vast wealth of knowledge. Many of them do not get the chance to share about their faith in their classroom or other work contexts, and I enjoy hearing their perspectives on faith. I also attended both chapels and the faculty and staff meals.鈥�
鈥淚 admired Adam and Ben鈥檚 willingness to open up and discuss their personal faith journeys,鈥� said senior , who helped to host an evening forum and the women鈥檚 meal, which attracted about 50 participants to the West Dining Room. 鈥淐arl and Carolyn addressed the question, 鈥榃hat is the difference between living like Jesus and living in relationship with Jesus?鈥� [They] brought about a conversation that can be controversial and layered it in the love and grace of Jesus as they related it to attachment theory. They shared personal reflection laced with academic theory and profound passion for relationship with Jesus.鈥�
Care ‘extends beyond the classroom’
, chair of the Department, opened Saturday evening鈥檚 meal with a smile and a Punjabi song to bless the spread of Pakistani dishes before him. He and his wife, Deb, provided curried foods including lentils, chicken, potato with cauliflower, and mustard greens. In addition, they served roti, a flour-based flatbread, achaar, mixed, pickled vegetables, and raita, a tart yogurt condiment with mint and cumin to cool down the spicy Thai dragon peppers.
The dinner was typical of what he and his wife often prepare for special guests. Since a great number of 91短视频 students study abroad, Medley thought that the ethnic food would be very much appreciated.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of identity,鈥� Medley says. After living in Pakistan for 11 years, their lifestyle has become heavily influenced by the food and way of living. The influence of Pakistani culture is evident not only in the dishes served, but also in the artwork and ornaments that adorn their home.
In the past, Spiritual Life Week has often involved bringing a well-known speaker to campus. Now those resources are focused on facilitating conversation and relationships between students and their faculty and staff counterparts.
鈥淭his is what is means for faculty and staff to enter into conversation with students, and to talk about life and faith,鈥� said Miller.
First year Grace Burkhart feels that 鈥渢hese meals highlight the fact that faculty care about students in a way that extends beyond the classroom.鈥�
鈥淲e want to ask: How are faculty and staff making themselves available to students out of class?鈥� said Miller. 鈥淎s a community we can sometimes speak better into people鈥檚 lives than a big name speaker would. So now, when you see someone across campus, there is a chance you actually know something about them, but a speaker, you probably will only see once.鈥�
Initially, when Medley received the invitation to host students as well as the indication that students wish to interact with the faculty more, he felt that it was important to open his home. He finds that encouraging community feeling on 91短视频鈥檚 campus is an important part of Spiritual Life Week. In the past, the Medleys have invited students and other faculty members in his classes and within the department for dinners and occasional seasonal events. However, Spiritual Life Week has made it easier to do so because of its efficient organization.
鈥淚 thoroughly enjoyed getting to know some people I had seen on campus before but never had the opportunity to get to know,鈥� said junior Maddie Gish. 鈥淚t is amazing how much we can learn from everyone around us. I am so glad I participated!鈥�
Portions of this coverage were reprinted with permission from the March 3, 2016, edition of the Weather Vane.