91短视频

Most folks in the audience at 91短视频鈥檚 April 10 spring faculty-staff conference left the first morning assembly with a much better idea of how assistant coach Adam Posey works with his pitchers during bullpen sessions.

A straight talker with an evangelical flair that betrays his Southern Baptist roots, Posey shared some eye-opening strengths and weaknesses related to his own experience as a student at 91短视频, and urged the gathered community to answer the call to 鈥渕eet students where they are.鈥�

He ended with four practical questions related to faith formation 鈥� picture Posey saying 鈥淕o get 鈥榚m,鈥� as we all trot to the mound 鈥� that participants carried with them throughout the day鈥檚 panel sessions, presentations and worship.

Recognize and build on your strengths as related to faith formation. Evaluate and understand your weaknesses. Ask how you can more effectively merge your calling with your work. And finally, how can you better mentor young people to lives of faith?

91短视频鈥檚 faculty-staff conferences are community gatherings at the beginning and end of the academic year. This spring鈥檚 event focused on 鈥渇ostering faith among students but also among ourselves,鈥� said Professor Marti Eads, who chaired the planning committee with Campus Pastor Brian Martin Burkholder. 鈥淚 hope you leave the day fed and hungry for more.鈥�

Titled 鈥淛ourney Companions: Fostering Faith Formation at 91短视频,鈥� the theme enabled discussions and development of an objective in 91短视频鈥檚 strategic plan: to nurture spiritual growth and enhance formational engagement among faculty, staff and students.

鈥淯ndergraduate students in our faith mentoring survey a few years ago expressed eagerness to hear more from faculty and staff about their personal faith journeys and how they navigated doubt, challenge and opportunity,鈥� said Burkholder. 鈥淭his conference gives us a chance to hear from each other about how we鈥檙e doing that in our work on campus and how we might expand opportunities for fellowship and relationship-building into new places and spaces.鈥�

More from Coach Posey

At a time when 91短视频鈥檚 student population is more diverse than ever 鈥� and that diversity includes culture, religion, race, ethnicity and political beliefs 鈥� Posey pointed out that being open and hospitable to different perspectives is very much a part of faith formation. It was deep relationships with a small number of influential faculty and staff that aided his own spiritual and intellectual development, he said.

Posey talked about the challenges of coming to 91短视频 from Poquoson, a mostly white, upper middle-class community among the many military bases in the Hampton Roads area. A communications major, he said the first person he met outside of the baseball coaching staff was Professor Jerry Holsopple, an experience 鈥渨hich really should have counted as my cross-cultural,鈥� he joked.

鈥淓ven among the baseball team, I heard in those first few months perspectives that differed from mine, and that was a culture shock for me, away from home for the first time, away from my girlfriend, trying to figure out some of the things that come with being at 91短视频,鈥� he said.

What helped him become more comfortable and get through 鈥渁 rocky first couple of years鈥� was a tight relationship with head coach Jason Stuhlmiller (then a high school special education teacher and now area director for Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and connections with faculty members Holsopple and Deanna Durham 鈥� all mentors who got to know him 鈥渙n my level, on my playing field, in my arena.鈥�

Though he came primarily with an identity and purpose tied to his athletic experience, Posey said that changed over the years, and now he鈥檚 grateful that he chose to stay and 鈥渘ot miss out on experiences that have been really important to who I am today.鈥� There are plenty of students today, ones he coaches and others he knows, who have had a similar difficulty adjusting to the 91短视频 community.

鈥淲hether you agree with why that student is here at 91短视频 or not, you have four years to build a relationship with that person and talk to them about things you鈥檙e passionate about, whether it鈥檚 peacebuilding or social justice,鈥� he said.

One beauty of these opportunities is how they remind us of what matters: in the midst of a losing streak, Posey said a player reached out to him to talk about how God was calling him but he felt unworthy. 鈥淚 want to give my life over to Christ, but how do I reconcile that?鈥澛� he asked.

鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to get lost in our jobs and lost in what we鈥檙e doing and not remember why we鈥檙e here,鈥� Posey said. 鈥淏ut we have to keep that in perspective. I would venture to say that we鈥檙e all here at 91短视频 because we hope to impact young people in a way that contributes to the rest of their life.鈥�

Bringing imagination to course design

In his keynote address via Zoom, , professor of education and director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning at Calvin College, challenged faculty to have imagination about their course designs. He told the story of different workers on a construction site, one of whom said he was cutting a stone block and the other which said he was building a cathedral: 鈥淲hat do my students think is happening when they sit in my classroom? What is it they think they are doing?鈥� he asked, and, 鈥淲hat do we think we are teaching in our subject area? What does it contribute to the world? To the Kingdom of God?鈥�

He recounted a call from a former student excited at having lent a willing ear to a German-speaking train rider after remembering what Smith had taught in German class, that the purpose of learning a language is less to speak it than it is to listen.

Pedagogical norms, he said, are simply how things are done in any given era, according to prevailing social norms. These norms often separate course content matter from reality鈥檚 ambiguities that merit curiosity and practicable empathy.

鈥楨xamining assumptions鈥�

After the annual recognition luncheon, five break-out sessions were offered on a variety of topics, including workshops on spiritual practices for mentors, exploring spirituality types in mentoring.

Panel discussions offered insights into faith formation in various programs, including the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and athletics.

Professor Ann Hershberger and interim director Don Clymer invited shared insights into making faith connections for and with students on travelling on 91短视频’s required cross-cultural trips.

鈥淲hen we are forced out of our routines, we have to rethink many things and examine our assumptions,鈥� Clymer said. That makes for many opportunities to plant seeds, Hershberger added.

Their own and session participants鈥� stories bore that out: the student whose host mother prayed for her hemoglobin deficiency, which then was resolved to a degree that without a blood transfusion is medically impossible; the group that found cohesion in protectively encircling a sick classmate who had become ill on a crowded street; the homesick and tired group that, by recounting how they had experienced the presence of God in the last three days, turned their 鈥渕umbling and grumbling to singing.鈥�

The group also gathered ideas for trip leaders to further prepare for and build on faith building experiences, cultivating groups in which students have starkly different faith understandings, and establishing shared resources and activities that have proven effective.

A final 45-minute gathering, hosted by Burkholder and Professor Johonna Turner, invited reflection and sharing.

Christopher Clymer Kurtz contributed to this article.