Seeking the Father of Light By Drew Trotter President
INSIDE Welcoming First-Year Students
P
rayer has always had a central place in the life of the Center for Christian Study. The first element on each job description of every staff member of the Center has to do with prayer, and a considerable amount of time each week at our staff meetings is dedicated to prayer for each other, for those to whom we minister, and for all the needs and blessings of which the staff
Praying in the Light
Praxis V11 N3 Fall 2007
Pr a xi s
Ministering to Women are aware. Board, fellowship group, and the many individual one-on-one meetings we have here are all bathed in prayer. One of the great differences between a lecture at the Center for Christian Study and those found elsewhere is that those at the Study Center are often begun with prayer, asking God for His enlightening Spirit to work on the hearts and minds of those present. Just last year, we revised the format of our prayer letter, which has gone out regularly to those who request to be added to the list, and which monthly (except summer) lets readers know how they can pray for us. For two years now, the Center has joined in sponsoring a twice-weekly meeting of faculty and staff in the Chapel on the Grounds of the University of Virginia, dedicated to the reading of Scripture and liturgical prayer. Our staff has often lectured on prayer; for instance, an excellent resource is our former Executive Director Skip Burzumato’s lecture series, Liturgy as a Devotional Treasure: Praying With the Church Throughout History, available online at our website (www.studycenter.net). For some time, though, we have felt that we needed a special place in our building, set aside for the practice of the hard work of individual and small group prayer. We believe we have found that place. If you walk up the stairs at the Center and continue straight into the library, you will eventually come
upon a small room, which has plenty of light because of its position high above the ground and its five windows. Its cheery disposition is just the sort that we were seeking for our prayer room. We are happy to announce that, through the gift of two generous donors, we have decorated that little room off the library and committed it to the privileged act of prayer. The room has been repainted, the furniture has been replaced, books aiding in prayer and about prayer have been made available, and soon art work will adorn the walls that will help those who use the room to step into “that single light, and in it abide with that joy with which a happy life is perfected,” as Saint Augustine once described prayer. We are planning unique uses of the room, such as the posting of prayer requests, etc., that will make it the perfect place for individuals and groups alike to engage in prayer of all kinds. Please visit us and use the room, as you sense the need, to bring your praises, thanksgivings, confessions and petitions before the Father of all Light. No article in Praxis on the subject of prayer would be complete without asking for your prayers for us, even in the practice of praying, that whatever is done in that room, as in all the programs and places at the Center for Christian Study, might be done for the glory of the risen King. Thanks in advance for those prayers.
(photos by Carl Briggs)
Moving In Center Welcomes Class of 2011 families By Shelly Pellish Director of Development, Alumni & Parent Relations
I
love watching first-year students at the University of Virginia arrive at the Move-In Day Lunch. Many come with their roommates and family members in tow, after a long, hot morning of moving their belongings into their dorm rooms that were smaller than they imagined them to be and involved more stairs leading up to them than they care to recount. They come, with anxiety and fears
ping by the building in increasing numbers during their University tours. We often meet with incoming families during these visits and during our regional events hosted by alumni and parents in places like Charlotte, Richmond
(photos above and below by Carl Briggs)
Students and parents check in at a registration table. Right, above: Gathering in the entrance of the Study Center. Below: Filling the large meeting room. (photo above by Jason O. Watson)
about the start of classes and about finding their way around Grounds. They are then greeted by veterans of the lunch and their fellow classmates. Conversations happen, and in the course of these conversations they begin to realize they are not in this alone. Friendships are formed at Move-In Day with classmates who will become future roommates, sorority sisters/fraternity brothers, study partners, small group leaders, and yes, even future spouses. During the lunch they also hear from Center staff, Grounds Ministry partners, and University professor Ken Elzinga about the wider believing community at work at UVa. The Move-In Day Lunch is my favorite event of the year. Each year on the Saturday before classes begin, the Center hosts the lunch to welcome incoming undergraduate students and their families on their first official day at UVa. The “we” includes not only Center staff, but an army of students and parents. About 60 students voluntarily cut their vacations a few days short to help us hand out nametags, sandwiches, and bottled water in the hot sun. Parents who were hosted in years before drive from as far away as Atlanta in order to extend hospitality to first-year families whom they have never met. The care for first-years begins well before the lunch begins. Throughout the year, I get calls, notes and emails from many of you who forward me names of incoming students. Usually, these notes include a reminder to “make sure” these students get invited “to the lunch.” As a result, prospective students are stop-
and Atlanta. More often than not, these parents have already heard about the Move-In Day Lunch from friends. In hopes of continuing the momentum begun on Move-In Day, the Center will be sponsoring events for first-year families throughout the year. Our Parents’ Council hosted a families’ football tailgate on September 22, and will host a first-year families’ dinner on Saturday, October 27 during UVa’s Families Weekend [see box on the far right for more information]. We will also be hosting regional events throughout the year as a way for parents, alumni, and friends to catch up with one another while taking advantage of the great educational resources the Center offers. Several of the Center’s lectures and courses also are available on our website free-of-charge throughout the year. All in all, Move-In Day is more than just one event on a hot Saturday in August. It is both the culmination and the beginning of a conversation between the Center for Christian Study, parents, and first-year students — one that strengthens all for the Kingdom work of the year ahead at UVa.
Ministering to Women
Experience and Education Equip Ashley Mejias
A
shley Mejias’ background has prepared her well for the wide range of responsibilities she has as Director of Women’s Ministries at the Center for Christian Study. A graduate of public schools in Memphis, Tenn., she earned her bachelor of arts degree from Rhodes College, a private school in Memphis, where she double-majored in philosophy and religious studies. While in college, Ashley was an educational coordinator with Streets Ministries, which serves about 300 middle-school and high-school students each week in outreach clubs and Bible studies, and through a Ashley meets with students Barrie Humphries, college preparatory mentoring program. She also was a member of a left, and Sarah Flint. Below: Talking with new urban church of the Presbyterian Church in America denomination, Charlene Brown at the Move-In Day Lunch. (photos by Carl Briggs) New Beginnings Community Church. Ashley’s path to Charlottesville began through her college advisor, a professor who is a friend of University of Virginia professor Charles Marsh. Marsh’s Project in Lived Theology attracted Mejias for several reasons, including her interest in Christian community development seen in the work of John Perkins of Jackson, Miss., and his Voice of Calvary ministry. Ashley served as a graduate research assistant with the Project in Lived Theology, earning a master of arts degree in religious studies and also participating in Theological Horizons, a ministry to students led by Marsh and his wife, Karen. Her comprehensive exams centered on Walter Rauschenbusch, a leading Baptist preacher, activist, and seminary professor who died in 1918 and who is considered one of the fathers of the Social Gospel movement in the United States. Also spurring her interest in further ministry was her marriage last year to Alex Mejias, a recent University of Virginia law school graduate and a professional musician who serves on the worship team of Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville. The couple chose to make Charlottesville their home for ministry after discussions with several Christian leaders, including Bart Campolo of Philadelphia, founder and chaplain of Mission Year, a national Christian service program. “God's grace has brought us to stay here in Charlottesville,” Ashley said, adding that “it seems to be clear that the needs in this community are abundant.” She emphasized that poverty is a spiritual matter as well as an economic issue, closely tied to weaknesses in education. That is why her ministry experience has always involved teaching, whether she has been tutoring high school students or leading Bible studies for young adults. “It’s a crucial, crucial part of my life,” she said.
O ctober
and
N ovember 2007
Special public lectures on Embodiment
Body and Embodiment Speaker: Drew Trotter October 11, Thursday, 7 p.m.
> s -m ra rog P l Fa l
Body and Sex Speaker: Dawn Eden November 6, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Faith & Life Lecture Series
The Cross in the Circle: A Survey of Celtic Christianity Monday evenings, 7 p.m.: October 15, 22, 29; November 5
Instructor: Scott Amos
In- and Out-of-the-Body Experiences: A Biblical Perspective on Bodies, Heaven, and the Christian Hope Wednesday evenings, 7 p.m.: October 17, 24, 31; November 7
Instructor: Bill Wilder
Saturday Seminar: Understanding Theology Saturday, October 20; Session 1: 9 - 10:30 a.m., Session 2: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Instructor: Wez Zell
All programs will be at the Center for Christian Study, 128 Chancellor St, 434-817-1050, www. studycenter.net
Upcoming Events Fall 2007
October 13th: Young Alumni Tailgate Game: UVa vs. Connecticut Tailgate will begin 2 hours before kickoff at Branch and Bonnie Lawson’s space, West #1915, outside the southwest corner of the stadium.
October 27th: First-Year Families Dinner The Study Center is hosting a dinner for first-year families from 7-9 PM in the Colonnade Club Garden Room, behind Pavilion VII in Hotel E (West Range). Cost is $33 per guest and seating is limited, so please reserve your space now! For more information or to R.S.V.P. for an event, contact Shelly Pellish at 434-817-1050 or at shelly@studycenter.net
Save The Date 40th Anniversary Celebration Center for Christian Study August 8 and 9, 2008
Thank You The Center for Christian Study would like to thank the following parents, students, and friends who volunteered for the 2007 Move-In Day Lunch:
Student Committee Johanna Cluver (UVa ’08) Sarah Flint (UVa ’08) Elizabeth Jordan (UVa ’08) Kathryn McCann (UVa ’06,’07) David Newsome (UVa ’09) Molly White (UVa ’08)
Event Volunteers Paige Backenstose (UVa ’10) Ellen Barratt (UVa ’10) Jodi Broadwater (UVa ’08) Becca Chuckney (UVa ’08) Stephen Clark (UVa ’10) Sarah Daubert (UVa ’09)
Christine Downie Heather Downie (UVa ’08) Patty Downie (Parent ’08) Anne Flint (UVa, ’77; Parent, ’06; ’08) Lissa Power deFur (UVa, ’75, ’76, Parent ’08) Ken Elzinga (Faculty; Past Board) Anne Fowler (UVa ’10) Lauren Greber (UVa, ’10) Becca Green (UVa ’08) Sarah Hagan (UVa ’07, ’08) Ginny Harr (UVa ’08) Abi Haymes (UVa ’08) Tara Hegyi (UVa ’08) Tommy (UVa ’79) & Kemp Hill (UVa ’80; Board) Monica Hite (UVa ’10) Corley Hopkins (UVa ’08) Barrie Humphries (UVa ’09) Mary Beth Johnson (UVa, ’07, ’08) Harrison Jones (UVa ’07,’08) Hannah Jones (UVa ’10) Karen and Fred Jordan (Parents, ’08, ’10; Parents’ Council) Ted Jordan (UVa ’10) Nancy Jungman (UVa ’09) Will Jungman (UVa ’09)
THE STAFF & CENTER . . . Wes Zell was in Syria June 21 - July 27, studying at the Arabic Language Institute at Damascus University. . . Justin Holcomb traveled to southern Sudan June 9 - 28 to teach chaplains in the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army. After returning home, he preached at Mt. Olivet Church in Albemarle County July 15, 22, and 29, and Aug. 5 and 12. He preached at Christ Episcopal Church, Charlottesville, July 1 and 15, Aug. 5 and 12, and Sept. 16. He will preach again at Christ Episcopal Church Oct. 28, and Nov. 11. . . Justin will preach at Calvary Chapel, Sarasota, Fla., Oct. 7, and will preach Nov. 2 at the chapel of the Stony Brook School, Long Island, N.Y. This fall Justin is teaching a course at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville, for Reformed Theological Seminary, Introduction to Pastoral and Theological Studies. . . Bill Wilder taught Sept. 9 and 16 at the Circle Teaching Fellowship at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville. Bill will teach at the Circle Teaching Fellowship again Nov. 18 and 25, and Dec. 2 and 9. . . Drew Trotter in July and August went on five twoday retreats to do research for his book Show and Tell: How to View a Movie Responsibly. . . He also traveled to Atlanta, Ga.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Washington, D.C.; and New York City to visit with friends of the Center and to lecture on the idea of the Study Center, and on Discipleship in the Gospel of Matthew. . . In November, Drew again will participate in the Virginia Film Festival Nov. 1 - 4, emphasizing visions of the family in film, titled Kin Flicks. He will also participate in the annual American Academy of Religion meetings in San Diego Nov. 17 - 20.
Nora Kayton (UVa ’08) Eric Lipscomb (UVa, ’09) Greg Lowden (UVa ’08) Tilly Luzar (UVa ’08) Anya and Jay Macklin (Parents, ’09, ’10) Drew Macklin (UVa ’09) Emily Macklin (UVa ’10) Kim Mascher (UVa ’08) Alex Mejias (UVa ’00, ’06) Krisan Marotta (Board) Cassandra Maximous (UVa ’10) Julia McLaughlin (UVa ’10) Vivian McLaughlin (UVa ’83; Parent, ’10; Parents’ Council) Marsha Montague (Parent ’03, ’07, ’09; Parents’ Council) Martha Montague (UVa ’09) Missy Muir (UVa ’10) Caroline Nettles (UVa ’09) Brittany Newell (UVa ’09) Cortney Newell (UVa ’10) Jennifer Newsome (UVa ’10) Linda Newsome (Parent, ’09, ’10; Parents’ Council) Arin Noble (UVa ’10) Meredith Noble (Parent ’10)
Emma O’ Hara (UVa ’10) Neil Paine (UVa, ’09) Steven Parsley (UVa ’09) Carey Beth Ryan (UVa ’08) Amy Shickel (UVa ’10) Carolyn Skancke (UVa ’09) Nancy Skancke (Parent, ’05, ’09; Parents’ Council) Jennifer Spurgeon (UVa ’10) Ellen Stafford (UVa ’09) James Thomas (UVa ’01) Marie Trotter Lauren Vida (UVa ’09) Emily Wade (UVa ’08) Sarah Wade (UVa ’10) Katie Williams (UVa ’10) Jon Yagel (UVa ’09)
F r o m photo by Eric Kelley
I
t h e
P r e s i d e n t
Praying in the Light
n the article found on the front page of this issue of Praxis, I make reference to the fact that we are so pleased with our new prayer room at the Center because it is a room filled with light, and “its cheery disposition is just the sort that we were seeking for our prayer room.” Now, one might think this a curious remark because, after all, isn’t prayer a somber event that one must engage in alone, when in desperate straits and in need of the One Who alone is worthy of receiving prayers? Quiet reflection — and, yes, desperate appeal — are certainly two forms of communication with God, which Christians have often employed in their prayers, and should employ, when they are called for. Prayer, though, in ancient Christian discussion and artwork is often described as being enlightened by God, who is Light (1 John 1:5). St. Augustine once reflected on the very good question of why prayer is needed, if God knows better than we know ourselves what we need, by saying that the mental posture of prayer calms and purifies the soul, and makes it of more capacity to receive the divine gifts which are poured into it. For God does not hear us for the prevailing force of our pleadings; He is at all times ready to give us His light, but we are not ready to receive it, but prone to other things. There is then in prayer a turning of the body to God, and a purging of the inward eye, whilst those worldly things which we desired are shut out, that the eye of the mind made single [pure] might be able to bear the single light, and in it abide with that joy with which a happy life is perfected. — (The Sermon on the Mount, 2.3.14) There is so much of worth in this quotation, let’s reflect on it for a moment. Augustine refers to prayer as having a “mental posture…[that] calms and purifies the soul” seeming to mean something close to what Paul must have meant, when he famously wrote “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7). In both places, our creatureliness before God is assumed. Whenever we ask anyone for anything, we are admitting their power in the situation. If the request is to be fulfilled, they must give, we must receive. With God, we are not offering payment, still less demanding response. We are asking as a dependent creature for His good hand of blessing, and this dependency for Paul and for Augustine was a state of mind, a “posture”, from which we should never depart. Indeed, this posture is an attitude we should cultivate, and our prayers help to do that. The more one prays — consciously addressing the Creator in focused language
of praise, thanksgiving, request or confession — the more one develops one of the all-important ways of thinking that mark true humanity: the humility of the creature. As we live in this posture, Augustine theorizes that we become more and more open to the “divine gifts which are poured into” our lives. We realize that it is not “the prevailing force” of our many — sometimes even strident — pleadings, which persuade God. Rather, as we pray, we begin to recognize that He has waited for us to ask for His light, and that that Light should be the object of all our prayers. He is at all times a good and gracious God, waiting to give Himself to us, but we are directed to other things and are not ready to receive the blinding truth behind His bright, burning radiance: to want His light is to want His will, no matter what it is. Here is the paradox. We are to express our wants and desires to Him, even though He knows them. And we are to plead with Him for what we want; there is real force behind Paul’s injunction “in everything by prayer and supplication” to tell God what we desire. But only when we do so in a posture of humility before Him, wanting even more than our specific desires His will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven, will we be praying with the thanksgiving that is to characterize the creature before his or her Creator. The result will be the peace that “surpasses all understanding” because we know our requests are safe in the hands of Him Who not only determines all things, but graciously loves us more than we can imagine. Or, as Augustine put it, we will abide in the Light “with that joy with which a happy life is perfected.” I recently went through an experience, which I believe shows that this principle can and does work in real life. A family very dear to me recently lost a little two-year-old son/grandson in a tragic accident. For a little over a week, the boy hovered in the hospital between life and death. His parents and both his aunts and uncle are Christians flung far and wide in the world, so many, many people all over the globe were praying for his recovery. Many of us prayed, myself included, fervently and confidently, that he would be healed and restored to life in this world. He was not. But that is not the end of the story. His memorial service was the most eloquent service of praise for the Creator/Redeemer God Whom we worship I have ever attended. There was true and deep grieving in the prayers of friends, the poem of a grandfather, the singing of Be Still, My Soul. But there was just as true and deep thanksgiving in the remarks of a mother and father, the reading of Scripture, the playful remembrances of another grandfather. All the elements of the service combined to say so genuinely, “We love and trust You, our Creator and our Father. Your will be done.” So is all pain gone? No; in some ways, if the experience of others is a guide, it never will be until glory. But as we pray looking to the Light, peace and joy will come when they are needed.
— Drew Trotter
CeNter fOr ChrIStIAN StUDy 128 Chancellor Street u Charlottesville, VA 22903
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
PA ID
A D D reSS SerVICe r eQUeSt eD
Charlottesville, Virginia
Prax´• is, n. the practical application of a branch of learning.
Praxis
Permit No. 144
Visit the Center's Web site at: www.studycenter.net
the Center for Christian Study is a non-profit education and outreach ministry serving the University of Virginia and Charlottesville-Albemarle region since 1968. through programs, ministries, and partnerships, we provide opportunities and resources for the corporate and individual investigation of the truths of the historic Christian faith. Some of the ways we do this include courses, lectures, seminars, student-run fellowships, internships, mentoring opportunities, discussion groups, and special events. We proceed believing that men and women will be transformed by the truth, which will be reflected in their thoughts and actions, both in their private lives before God and in their public lives as members of society, the family, and the Church. Center for Christian Study 128 Chancellor Street Charlottesville, VA 22903 Phone: 434.817.1050 www.studycenter.net Praxis is published quarterly for our friends and supporters. Carl Briggs, editor carl@studycenter.net University Christian Ministries, Inc. (dba Center for Christian Study) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation eIN 51-0192618.
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Thank You Thank you for supporting the Center for Christian Study. through your generous contributions, you help fulfill the mission of the Center to serve Jesus Christ by fostering the serious consideration of a Biblical worldview within the university environment. Your support makes it possible for us to continue vital ministries to the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Virginia, as well as to the Charlottesville community and the broader region. All gifts are fully tax-deductible as provided by law.