Large Group Recap 9.24.10 - And we shall call it ... the love shack

Rich Andrews came to large group last Friday. For those of you who weren't there, he's a pastor at BlueRoute Vineyard Church and was speaking about intercession.

Actually, he wasn't just speaking about it, he was living it. Intercession is going between or on behalf of someone else- in this case, praying to God on behalf of others. It's a basic idea that many of us understand without ever using the word. But to Pastor Rich this was more than an idea he was suggesting. Earlier in the week he had practiced it by coming on campus and praying for us and Swarthmore, listening for what God wanted to tell us. Intercession, he explained, is really just selflessly loving people- getting up early in the morning to pray for a friend, for example; giving God a "platform to speak from."

So selfless love drives us to intercede. When we understand that praying for people is fundamentally connected to seeing God work in their lives, we can be like Moses, holding up his hands for hours so that the Israelites won the battle (Exodus 17:11). We are learning to be like Jesus who died for us and gained a position of intercession for us before God. When we intercede we listen for God's voice so that we pray His will for people, and this prayer is one that is *always* answered.

Rich pointed out some important things we must do as we begin to intercede: confess our sins individually, confess our sins in groups, and begin our periods of intercession with adoration, praise, and worship. It makes sense that we can only pray for other people if we are right with God ourselves.

And when we are interceding, the more people praying together, the better! As adding two waves multiplies the effect, so bringing people together multiplies the power of intercession. No, we don't have to change the name of large group to "love shack" (the name of Rich's college LG......). But we must influence each other to love through prayer, whether that means encouraging each other to set aside times of daily prayer, or even writing prayers that we prayed today and posting them on this blog.

God wants us to learn to hear his voice. If we are going to be successful in all our goals for outreach, our cookies and jam :), we have to learn to hear from Him and pray His will for others.

Some questions to think about:
When are you most able to listen to God's voice?
What are the barriers limiting your intercession?

"Religious"

I was asked yesterday if I was “very religious,” and for a moment I was tempted to say no. It would have been cooler and trendier to reply, “I don’t prescribe to religions, but I do consider myself a serious follower of Jesus Christ,” or “I’m not religious, just madly in love with God.” Maybe if this were ten or fifteen years ago, I’d say, “No, dude, I’m just a Jesus Freak!”

But… am I a Jesus Freak? Am I considered an outcast of society because my actions are in line with what Jesus taught but against the grain of everyone around me? Am I really madly in love with an invisible deity? No, no, and… no. Serious followers of Jesus Christ don’t merely ascribe to an arbitrary set of moral rules and get together a few times a week to celebrate their sameness. Serious followers give up their lives, their plans, their dreams, the things they love, and set their eyes only on God’s promises. They drop their nets and go.

My Christian faith has once again faded and blended into the weird mosaic that is my personal identity, instead of shining bright and over-lighten-ing the other patches and patterns. Christ is my only identity, not just my Sunday-morning and Friday-evening mask.

So, at the moment, yes, I am very religious. Deeply religious. I’ve grown up with religion my entire life, and it is ingrained into my being. But I still fall in and out of love- true love- with Jesus Christ, and still haven’t let go of myself in order to grasp onto Him and let Him lead me.

Here’s to hoping that will change soon. Here’s to the belief that I can overcome my disbelief. One day, I’ll say that I love Him, and it won’t be because I’m supposed to, but because I do.

Introverts in the church. (Pay attention, extroverts especially)

Introverted Church blog

Washington Post article by the writer of the Introverted Church book/blog

From the WP article:

"Too often "ideal" Christians are social and gregarious, with an overt passion and enthusiasm. They find it easy to share the gospel with strangers, eagerly invite people into their homes, participate in a wide variety of activities, and quickly assume leadership responsibilities. Those are wonderful qualities, and our churches suffer when we don't have those sorts of people, but if these qualities epitomize the Christian life, many of us introverts are left feeling excluded and spiritually inadequate. Or we wear ourselves out from constantly masquerading as extroverts."

There's a lot to think about here. Can we start this conversation? What are your thoughts? Experiences? Great articles? Books?

Wow, that's shiny... but will it work?

So to be honest, I wasn't really sure how this whole Proxé thing was going to turn out.

Of course, I was excited; the concept was really cool, the board was definitely the slickest survey that I'd ever seen, and it provoked some serious thinking about some pretty important topics. But at the end of the day, I couldn't help but ask myself, "How will Swatties respond to this?" "Will people actually want to do it?" "Are people going to really engage or are they just going to be polite, or worse, will they just blow us off?"

So was my thought process on the morning of September 15th, sometime in the last 2 or 3 minutes of Organic Chemistry.

And it didn't help either that I was part of the first team to man the station along with Maisie; we had little idea of what the actual process of taking the survey was going to look like, no section in the SCF Book of Wisdom to fall back on, and no people preceding us to tell us what was working, what questions seemed to be most thought provoking, and what might be good to include in conversation if a person brought up such and such issue. I know, we had been trained (thanks Kathleen!). But, for me, it was like taking a person who had trained in a pool all his life, throwing him into the ocean and saying "Ok, now swim to the other side".

So there I was, stickers and post-its in hand, eyes shifting up and down the walk in front of Parrish. I spotted someone I knew, then my mouth started moving before I could think.

"Hey Eliza! You have a minute to take a quick survey?"

Well Houston, it seems we have liftoff. I know, sorry about the whole countdown thing, but you can't really call the shuttle back at this point...

So the next five minutes go something like this: Eliza takes stickers and post-its, Eliza puts post-its and stickers on the board, Eliza cocks her head to one side, Eliza puts another sticker on the board. Then Eliza turns around and hands the stickers back to... Maisie? Um, hey, you kinda took my person, but that's ok, cuz there's another person here that I've somehow invited to the station.

Yeah, things went quick, but they also went surprisingly well. From what I could hear from Maisie and Eliza's follow-up discussion, the varied answers on the Forgiveness spectrum had given Eliza some pause. Another survey taker was intrigued over the conditions presented as necessary for helping another person: "They all seemed kinda selfish, I would like to think that sometimes I help people when there's nothing in it for me." Another commented on how strange it was that while a lot of people said they had been shown grace and didn't deserve it, the concept of grace being worth anything was all over the spectrum. Still another wondered at the honesty of people who might have put stickers in places based on the trend and expressed admiration for those who were outliers and therefore were probably really honest about how much they deserved or how much they forgave.

Mind you, this was between 10:30 am and noon; it wasn't even half of the day. But if my hour and half experience was anything like what happened up until 5 (which I heard it did), then I can do nothing but wonder at what I was so worried about.

God had a plan for today, and I knew it. But if any of you know me, you know that I'm definitely the kind of guy who would look to God and say, "Are you sure about this Lord? Couldn't you just let me in on just a tiny portion of today's checklist? I mean really, I know you know what you're doing and all, but it'd be nice just to have a little assurance."

But of course God just chuckled as I was doing a follow-up with a survey taker who said, "Friday at 7? That's sounds pretty cool, I'll try to make it out to that...Hey Melinda! You should come and take this survey! No really, do it!"

Be excited folks, God is moving in a mighty way at Swarthmore, and you definitely want to be in on it.

-Nate

Large Group recap 9.10.10 - Prayer

Today at Large Group, Pastor Young Kim from Grace Covenant Church came to give a message about prayer. He introduced to us one example of a prayer model that we could follow, based on Nehemiah's prayer in the first chapter of the book of the same name. Why take from the Bible? Because prayer and reading the Word of God are kind of like the two wings of a plane (or two oars in a rowboat); without one or the other, you can't fly straight. Here is a short summary of his points:

1. The first part is Adoration, or worship of God. Oftentimes we go to God with a shopping list of things we want him to give us, but that isn't the right mindset. Talking with God is like talking to a friend, but also like entering the throne room of a king- the King of Everything, that is. Thinking about God causes us to worship, and in some cases that's all God really wants from us.

2. The second part is Confession, or repentance of sins. Some church cultures put too much emphasis on this part and really make prayer seem like a downer. Repentance isn't wrong, but kind of like praying with a shopping list, it gets in the way of actual communication with God. If you put your thumb right up to your eye, it takes up your entire field of vision and consequently looks like the biggest thing in the world- even bigger than the moon or the sun or Pastor Young's head. In the same way, don't let your problems eclipse God in weight or importance. God is bigger than your problems, be they addictions, temptations, or circumstances beyond your control.

3. The third part is where some who follow the ACTS model of prayer might insert Thanksgiving. But Nehemiah instead prays a Remembrance of God's promises in the past. He quotes Deuteronomy in verses 8-9 because he knows that God has a plan and that he will stick to it. We have the Bible at our disposal to use as an entire arsenal of prophecies and promises that we can invoke when we pray. So, ask God for a "life verse," or a promise or idea from the Bible that will remind you of his promise and his plans for your life. You can also choose Bible verses to stick in your pocket for a day or a week; this is a good biblical discipline.

4. The last part is Supplication, or petitioning God for things that you desire to see. The reason "asking for stuff" goes last is that often you will find that once you have worshiped, repented, and remembered promises, you forget what you wanted to pray for in the first place. Which is fine because God already knows. It's important to remember that God will always answer your prayer. The answer might be, "Yes." Great! But the answer might also be, "No." And then we get bummed out. Even worse, the answer might be, "Wait." God's timing is not in the least like ours. Waiting will build character and strengthen our faith. While it sucks to wait now, hindsight is 20/20 and we'll eventually get the bigger picture as long as we are patient.

Pastor Young also gave two small words of advice on prayer: The first to just Do It. The only way to become more faithful in prayer is to actually pray; just talking about it and feeling guilty about not doing it are useless. The second is to pick a place and a time for prayer. Put it in your schedule: every morning in your room at 9am for 30 minutes, for example, or every Saturday afternoon on a bench in the Rose Garden. Once you get used to the habit of praying, or associate a certain place (thesis carrel in McCabe?) and time (midnight?) with prayer, it will become easier to pray. It will become easier to talk with God. Isn't that great?


What did you get from Pastor Young's message that you can apply to your life? What points did I miss? What is something neat you've learned or experienced about prayer? Share your thoughts!

Ice Pops

Faiza told me recently that she now associates ice pops with Christianity due to SCF's tradition of handing out ice pops at multiple campus functions, including move-in day, activities fairs, and the housing lottery. I find this amusing. On one hand, SCF doesn't want to only be known as the nice people who give out ice pops, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing to have this reputation, is it?

Pre Orientation 2010

Joe suddenly came upon the realization that just one year ago, he was a freshman here at Swat. "Time passes by quickly..."

Wes remembered meeting Joe at Orientation last year, and he remembered that Joe had just had jaw surgery, so his teeth were clamped shut. And that reminded Nate that he is going to get braces in October.

What is a collective blog*? Just some SCFers sitting around after Campus Advisor training one afternoon talking about what they remember from their Orientations, especially last year when the class of 2013 was the new freshman class. With somebody taking notes.

Andrew recalled helping Theresa move in. The whole Sepulveda clan- all her sisters and brothers- were there, too. The sign on her door said she was 2011... so why did she get to move in early? Haha, transfers! Tricky people, aren't they?

But Joe was less concerned with moving in than with finding something to eat, what with his special braces...

Claris still remembers move-in day like it was yesterday. "I got here and we had to wait in a line of cars to get to Wharton; there was a guy with lots of stuff but no car, and I helped him out by driving him to the dorm. And I met Maya for the first time- she was really shy! But our room was already set up. It was very pink-" she says, and then the same realization lights up in her face: "I can't believe I'm a sophomore!"

"Now," said Nate, "we're expected to help people! I mean, not really expected, but this is our territory. There's this heightened sense of responsibility that comes from nothing more than the title "sophomore". Now I know the ropes, now I see everything differently."

Claris said, "I'm really excited to meet new people! I'm excited to see roommates, and hoping to delve more into my studies. More focuse, not floating like last year."

"No more saying yes to everything. Learn to say no." said Andrew.

Claris then went off on a tangent about how to properly cut off split ends.

- - -

I remember meeting Cecelia!!! Thank God. – Hana

I remember Wes and Andrew moving me in, and meeting a bunch more SCFers at the orientation table, Greg and Cecelia handing out Go-gurts, and feeling very welcome. I was also very excited to meet my room and hallmates. Many of the people I met on the first day became some of my best friends. I share a spirit of common excitement with the class of 2014, and look forward to meeting them all .We were all freshman once, and know what it's like. - Josh

*What do you remember from last year's Orientation? Add it to the post! (click the pencil to edit)

Summatime Providence

Hello! Oh summer... where'd ya go? My summer was uncertain and that's an understatement. I came home expecting to have a job, but to my immense chagrin only received an email telling me that my job at harley had been eliminated by the hiring back of a supervisor. At first I thought it was God's way of releasing me to follow a calling to work at a Lutheran Outdoors Youth Camp in the Black Hills. Well, I was wrong. So, worse financial aid+no job+raised tuition=complete uncertainty about attending swat in the fall. And, (I mean this in an extremely non-casual way) God provided every week. I basically had a different job every few weeks. Everything from masonry to coffee to day camp and, ultimately, back to motorcycles for the rally. I've still been worrying though... Finances are really really stressful. But then today my Catholic grandma (the nutty one who hates my mother)wrote me a random check for a grand. Say what? Slowly I'm beginning to see how He works quietly through those places that one least expects. It's quietly rejuvenating.

Hope ya'll had a fantastic summer!

Love you!

Hana

Greg Comes Clean Regarding the Chapter Camp Chicken

Like The Fox: The Chicken Story: " It started, brainstorming in the guys' dorm. 'What if we put a live chicken in their room?' said someone. 'And then what?' 'And then there'..."

Nothing Cute

Hey all, I miss the fellowship tons and I started out the summer super excited about this blog but I haven't contributed because I haven't had anything nice or encouraging to say; no revelations, no metaphores, just a lot of frustration and isolation etc. But God is so good, you know? He really does provide, and in a dry and weary land, he is the water. Think about this: it's guarenteed that there will come seasons/situations that look devoid of God, like he is tots MIA, or at least doesn't know what he's doing. There is no gaurentee that these seasons will be short (40 years is a familiar number, yeah?) But God is sovereign. Over everything, every one at every moment. Do you actually beleive that? Because he says it's true. You don't know what he's doing? Don't sweat it; he does. No really: don't sweat it. I think one thing I'm finding is that this whole "I just wish I knew what God was doing" attitude is moot, because if I actually trust that he IS doing something, than who cares?

2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight"

Cheers and Love. Consider this a virtual hug <3

SCF T-shirt!

Hey guys!

I'm thinking that SCF should have t-shirts for Orientation this year. That way, anyone can identify a member of SCF should they have a question about SCF or something that they want to ask one of us, and we will also appear more legitimate at our first few meetings. I'm very willing to design a t-shirt and order a batch, although they will cost between $12-$15 each.

So, how's that sound? T-shirts yay or nay? What do you guys want them to say/look like? What color?

P.S. Sorry, Erik, but I've had a thing against iron-ons since my Vacation Bible School days ;P

P.P.S. And yes, if anyone else wants to design a t-shirt (someone who can actually draw, unlike me?), that would be great, too!

Kite strings

I was thinking today about the beautiful sermon my mom's Anglican priest gave this Sunday. Sunday was, of course, July fourth, so in honor of the day he talked about freedom, and the greatness of a nation that allows it - freedom of religion, of speech, of assembly. We can gather into large groups in order to scream about how much we hate our country, our government, our military, our president and said country, government, military and president sit by and let us do it. In that sense, we are freer than the people of almost any country in the world.

But nevertheless, he said, we are enslaved. Both free, and enslaved. Freedom, he said, was not about having no master at all, but rather about having a choice of masters. You could choose to be enslaved to commerce - to spend all day, every day, commuting to and from work and being at work and thinking about work and never seeing your wife or your kids or ever do anything for yourself. You'd be a well-paid slave, he said, but a slave nevertheless. Another example I would give is that you could enslave yourself to your spouse and kids - to people you love and trust. I would point out that wife and kids are wonderful, but, to be terribly depressing, fragile. Still, better to be a beloved slave, I think, then simply a well-paid one. The point is, we attach ourselves to things - tie ourselves down.

From there, my priest gave an absolutely lovely metaphor. He talked about a friend of his, another priest, who went to a barbecue, and flew a kite with his two nephews. It was a nice windy day, and the kite flew easily and high, straining hard against the string as if to say 'let me go! Let me fly! I could go so much higher than this if you would just release me!" So this other priest asked the kids, "So? What do you think?" The boys were very excited. "Release it!" they said. "Let it fly!" And so the man released it. Predictably, the kite was caught up in the chaos of the wind and pretty quickly came crashing down. My priests comment was something like, "Interesting, isn't it, how much higher we fly when we are tied down? We strain so hard to be 'free,' only to discover how much harder gravity pulls on a kite that is 'freed' from all restraint."

So the question is, of course, to what or whom do we tie our kite strings? Who or what will allow us to fly the highest? What restraint will help us towards the most freedom? The answer, I think, is obvious.

Doodling in the Dust

Last Friday evening, the full moon was beautiful. I stared at it the entire way to church for Bible study. Some notes on what we read that night, John 8:1-11:

This passage is known for being one of those stories with a disclaimer slipped in before it- in the "earliest and most reliable" manuscripts, it is not included. Why? Well, maybe it was made up and slipped in later. Or maybe it was part of the original but taken out early, and put back in after. Or maybe the "most reliable" manuscripts aren't that reliable! Whatever the case, it's certain that the story puts a somewhat different spin on the Jesus we know.

This is the story of the adulterous woman who was caught red-handed in the act of adultery (how embarrassing) during or right after the important Jewish holiday, the Feast of Tabernacles. The Pharisees, all in a rage (and simultaneously plotting against Jesus), drag her to the temple courts where Jesus is calmly teaching a crowd and ask him, point-blank, "Well, what do you think, Jesus? The law says that we should stone her. What's your opinion?"

Think about it for a second. Here's Jesus, not the most popular guy with the head honchos but doing nothing to rile them up for once, sitting peaceably in his Father's house, where people come to learn and to worship. To be holy. And then here come the Pharisees, in all their anger and ultra-righteousness, utterly desecrating the sanctity of the place because they have no intent to worship, only to trap Jesus with an admittedly sticky situation. If he orders them not to stone the woman, he is defying the law (in God's temple!), but if he goes with the law, he will shatter his image as a compassionate teacher.

So what is his answer? "But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger." Uh... what? Did he even hear them? Come on, Jesus, pull out some witty response or a shocking, I-didn't-think-of-that truth. You're God. You're smart! What are you doodling in the dust for?

Nobody knows what Jesus was writing. Scholars speculate that he may have been 1) buying time to think about what to do and/or pray, 2) just passing time to annoy the Pharisees, or 3) actually writing down the names of every sinner present in the audience, including the accusers. The last one is a particularly juicy hypothesis, the favorite of many. And to think, as the Pharisees continue to pester him, he then gets up and looks them straight in the eye, saying, "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ZING!

Jesus could have written down their names and then humiliated them all by exposing them for their hypocrisy. But a sadistic Jesus does not seem as likely to me as a patient, matter-of-fact, and maybe quirky Jesus. I like to think that he was just doodling, or taking the time to pray to ask God what he should do. And that serves as an example to us all: when confronted with difficult situations with only difficult decisions to make, the first thing we should do is pray. Jesus and the apostles prayed in every circumstance, and Paul encouraged us to never cease to pray.

And in the resolution of the story, we see the accusers silently leaving the scene (the eldest first, who are probably the wisest), convicted because they realize none of them has the authority of condemn anyone else, least of all in the presence of Jesus. Eventually, Jesus is alone with the adulterous woman, who is probably bewildered and thanking her lucky stars. Jesus is the only one who hasn't left, because he is the only one without sin. In fact, Jesus could have picked up a pebble and tossed it in her direction at that moment. But he doesn't. He pulls the guilt card, but his preferred method of chastisement is full of grace. "Oh, they all decided to bounce? That's cool; I drop all charges, too. Go now and leave your life of sin," he tells her.

Only Jesus can judge the sinners, but when he does the sentence always has a caveat: If you repent and believe in me, you will be free- forever. At least, this is how it will work until the end of days, after everyone has had a chance at grace. But a more present-oriented point is that we, as Christians, cannot possibly have the gall to lord our righteousness over anyone else and think we're doing them good. All of us are sinners, and thank God all of us can be forgiven of it.

- - -

Hey all,

A prayer request! I'm leaving for Taiwan tomorrow (early Thursday morning). I will be there for six weeks, the first four to take Chinese classes, and the last two for a missions-oriented English camp at a Taiwanese university. Rebekah and I both did this camp last year. If you'd like me to send you a prayer letter, let me know! Or maybe I'll send one to all of you regardless. But please pray for me for these six weeks. I have had... some tough times so far this summer spiritually, and I don't want any of it to carry over to Taiwan. Or, if it does, then may it be that God shows me something great as a result of the struggle. The shadow proves the sunshine, after all.

Thanks!
Peace,
Andrew

Speaking of Prayer……

You know, God, I’d really like that job, if it’s your will.

Whatever.

Lord, if it’s your will, please just show me the way.

And what if it’s not? Lo que será, será?

All right, so maybe our excuse is that we got the “if it’s your will” thing from the Lord’s Prayer. It does say “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

It’s right to want to do things God’s way. And it’s very logical to want to have that be the subject of our prayers- after all, whatever is God’s will is probably most likely to happen. But here is where we see a mysterious trend in the Bible. Instead of just voicing their wishes and hoping that it was God’s will, the prayer warriors of the Bible presented God with a picture of himself, from what he had told them. They asked based on what they knew about God.

Daniel- Repeated life and death situations doesn’t make him stop praying. He knows he’s innocent when thrown in the lion’s den, and he knows God to be his shield.

Moses (Ex. 32:11-14) - The barganing in Exodus isn’t some sort of “let’s test God and try to change his mind” game. Instead, he has trusted in what God has told him so firmly that he can use to the salvation of the Israelites.

And Abraham (Gen 18:23-33)- In the end, whether Sodom and Gomorrah is saved becomes secondary to Abraham’s realization of the greatness of God’s mercy in the granting of all of his requests.

So what’s my point? Simple. We want God on campus next year, in hearts and minds of Swatties. So right now, instead of saying

Oh Lord, if it’s your will, please save some people next year

…..pray as if you are expecting Him at the door of Kohlberg 115. Practically, pick two Swat friends and start asking for specific changes in their lives- that they will want to know Him, that they will come to the first large group, that something that happens this summer that will cause them to start wondering…….

What else might be His will? Well, ask Him. But be prepared for some answers.

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I know you all have mountains of summer reading, but if you want read more about expectant prayer from a much better author, get Daring To Draw Near by John White (Intervarsity Press)……

~Theresa

Prayer Requests

Hi people!

I hope everyone is doing well! I miss your bright and beautiful faces :-) I've been meaning to tell everyone that I had such an amazing time at Chapter Camp with you guys and I'm super glad that I went even though I really didn't think I was going to. God knows what he's doing!

So, I have two things that I would be super grateful if you guys prayed about. 1) I am working at an outreach camp this summer and the kids come tomorrow! I am super excited and happy, but also a bit anxious! I'm not feeling too good, plus our training period has been exhausting and emotional, so I'm just hoping I can still give it my all! Please just keep the kids coming in prayer if you could!

2) At chapter camp God really started some serious uprooting of emotions in me. It's been both necessary and difficult for the past couple weeks. Although I know it's ultimately making me stronger and edifying me, it's just a bit heavy right now, especially with all the work stuff I have to deal with simultaneously. So, if you could keep me in prayer as well, that would be AWESOME :-)

Thank you guys and I'm praying for all of y'all as well :-)

best,

Celestina

P.S. Psalm 126 has been a big blessing to me this week. Check it out, perhaps it will be for you too! It's pretty amazing how even when everything seems crazy and you have NO idea what you're doing anymore, you can still find faith and strength in scripture. *happy sigh*

Questions from a Spec! Answer as you please.

Andrew,

Thank you so much! It's so great to hear all your insight about Christianity at Swarthmore. Of course you can post everything on the Fellowship blog, and I'd love to see what everyone else says too if you'd share the website with me. If I'm ever out in PA again this year, I will be sure to contact you so I can drop by a meeting or something. Thanks again for everything, and I look forward to applying to Swarthmore soon!

Sincerely,

Tori

---

From: Andrew Cheng

To: Tori Greaves
Sent: Thu, June 10, 2010 2:30:33 AM
Subject: Re: Questions about Faith at Swarthmore

Hi Tori!

Thanks for emailing me about this. I'm happy to tell you that yes, there are several thriving Christian groups on campus! The largest is Swarthmore Christian Fellowship, which is a branch of InterVarsity USA. I'm a small group leader for SCF, and a member of SPC the Swarthmore Progressive Christians. SPC used to stand for Swarthmore Protestant Community, but they changed that a while back. SPC is an independent group run by one of our religious advisors, Joyce Tompkins. A third group is the Catholic Newman group, run by religious advisor Father Ed.

WIthin these three groups, there is a lot of overlap in membership and participation; however, even together they do not at represent the total number of believers on campus. A lot of Swatties consider their faith to be personal, and will go to church on their own but never feel the need to join a community such as SCF, SPC, or Newman.

SCF plug time! We definitely strive to build a community on campus. We find that our strengths lie in the small groups we form for weekly Bible study (the freshmen get their own special small group each year). Besides weekly small group meetings, we also have a large group meeting, when everyone in the fellowship (somewhere between 20-40 people) gathers to listen to a message from an alumnus or local pastor, and have communal worship, games, and fun stuff like that. There are also weekly prayer meetings, a few weekend retreats each year, and lots of hang-out time outside of our scheduled events. SCF members get very close, though we are a very diverse group of people both on the spectrum of Christianity as well as in personality, lifestyle, etc. So it's always lots of fun to be around them, and a great learning experience, too.

Most SCF members go to church or mass regularly. On campus or very close by, we have Catholic services, a Presbyterian church, an Episcopalian church, and a Methodist church. We also provide van shuttles to go to BlueRoute Vineyard in Media, Renewal Presbyterian in Philly, and Grace Covenant Church located at UPenn, every Sunday.

As for what it's like to be a Christian at Swarthmore... well, no one can really say. Everyone's experience is so different. I have seen friends who were very active in the faith when they came decide that they'd really rather not spend their time in college chained to all the "burdens" of religion they had to face growing up. Others might be interested in exploring Christianity more deeply but don't find what they really need, perhaps a strong mentor such as an on-campus pastor, or a community more like the one they were used to at home. For some of us, it's very hard to be in an intensely liberal and non-religious campus. However, I personally did not have too hard a time adjusting to the environment. I find that Swarthmore is not anti-religious, but simply passive, in a way, about religious life, to the extent that most people will grant you the freedom to worship however you please and never question it or care any further. That can be frustrating, because it means that religion is rarely brought up in conversation, unless, of course, you are taking a course in the Religion department. But there's never any reason to feel lonely in your faith, because SCF is always there, and lately we have been gaining more "attention", if you will, and are seeking to grow both in number and influence on campus next year.

Please keep in touch! It would be wonderful if you came to visit again and visited SCF during a small group or large group meeting.

Also, with your permission, may I post your question and my answer on the Swarthmore Christian Fellowship blog? I think it'd be great if the other members could answer the "What's it like for a Christian at Swat?" answer with their own stories.

Cheers,
Andrew

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On Sun, Jun 6, 2010 at 1:44 PM, Tori Greaves wrote:

Dear Andrew,

My name is Tori Greaves and I am a rising senior in high school looking to apply to Swarthmore. I went on a tour a couple days ago, and I really enjoyed the school and the campus. However, I have been looking into a lot of Christian schools because I'd like to have the opportunity to really grow my faith during my college experience. Holly Kinnamont talked with me and gave me your email because she said you are part of the Christian fellowship at Swarthmore. And I just wanted to connect with you to find out whether or not Swarthmore, as a secular school, had an active and thriving Christian group on campus. Are there a large number of believers on campus? Do those who are there form close relationships with each other and are you all able to actively serve God on and off campus? Are there groups that go to church together off campus on the weekends? What does it look like to be a Christian at Swarthmore? And are those who aren't believers at Swarthmore respectful of the Christian viewpoint? I found the school to be incredible, but I'd really like to know whether or not it would meet my goals for my college experience. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Tori Greaves

Free Positive Thoughts

I came across this photo in the wonderful world of tumblr and thought it'd be a cute/good idea to put up Free Positive Thoughts (or Bible verses, words of godly encouragement, etc.) around campus during NSO. And perhaps also during finals periods, the mental illness awareness week, Religion and Spirituality Week, and others. At least during the first two weeks of school we know people will actually be looking at posters! ;P

P.S. For those of you who might be reading this via blogger or RSS feed, I apologize that all the posts I write for my other blog (swatsnapshot) keep ending up being posted here. It's because I linked my blogger account to my formspring account, but formspring thinks that my primary blog is scfblog, instead of swatsnapshot. So I have to remove the posts it makes here automatically and repost them in my other blog. Thanks for understanding!

Corners

I’ve been thinking about a passage we talked about in Leading Witness:

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.’” (Exodus 14:2)

There are two things worth noting here: first, after all that trouble of escaping from slavery in Egypt, they’re turning around; and, second, that God is backing them into a corner here, so that they’re vulnerable to attack.

I came across this passage in Luke the other day, and it’s kind of similar:

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let's go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.” (Luke 8:22)

Backed into a corner again: the disciples in a boat, in a storm, in the middle of the lake.

Corners keep coming up in our lives, don’t they? About a month ago, a girl from my high school was hit by a car. Her head suffered nearly all of the impact. Ambulances rushed to the scene—she was alive, but only barely. Another corner.

But this is where the story gets good, because God uses those corners to reveal His glory. The Israelites are backed against the Red Sea—so what does God do? He has Moses separate the waters so they can escape. A great storm is flooding the boat, making the disciples fear for their lives? Not a problem. Jesus tells off the wind and rain, and the storm ceases.

And a car hits a girl and causes brain swelling? She came home yesterday and continues recover remarkably well. There’s God’s glory! He is faithful.

Of course, we know very well that the story doesn’t always end quite like that. Usually, people in such serious accidents die. The cornerest corner of all.

But we’ve seen that corner before too, haven’t we? A man hanging on the cross, a gash in his side, breathing his final breath in anguish.

There could have been no Resurrection if Jesus hadn’t died first. God’s greatest glory comes out of corners.

Fun Quality Family Time? Hmmm... not exactly

Hey there,

I just have a short prayer request. Basically, the atmosphere in my household is incredibly tense especially between the four eldest members (parents, my brother, and I). The stress stems from finances, busyness (lack of substantial family time), and lack of sabbath. A lot of the responsibility for the monetary worries comes from my expensive college choice. We're going to be having a "family meeting" soon to discuss the changes that need to happen including other college options (which would suck, *crossing all of my fingers and toes*). Recently these discussions have been heated and emotional which isn't really helpful to communication. If you guys could just keep us in your prayers this week that would be greatly appreciated.

I miss you all! I love you :)

Hana

Like a tree planted by streams of water

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life
Amen

- St. Francis of Assisi

I'm a big fan of this guy. I memorized this prayer years ago, and I frequently come back to it, whether when praying with others or just on my own. Or whenever I try to do that "pray continuously" thing. I chew on this prayer (as the Message's version of Psalm 1 would have it). Turn it over in my mind. Try it on. Try it out. Remember it. Show others.

Are there prayers or passages of scripture that have stuck with you? That carry you through the day? That kick out your feet and lay you down in God's arms? That challenge you to action? That challenge you to find the divine in every situation? That remind you of the reality in Christ towards which we run? That you've taken the trouble of memorizing?

Last night, a bunch of us here at Swat over the summer had a bible study/GIG in ML. We read Psalm 1. (A few non-SCF people came. Yay!) We talked a lot about the importance of being planted/rooted in scripture. And as we all learned in sunday school as grade school young 'uns, a great way to stay rooted throughout the day is memorization. So let me know which passages you've memorized (and still remember) which have kept you rooted and bearing fruit. I know a prayer isn't the same thing as scripture... but this is a great prayer.

Wes

Anam Cara: An Irish Perspective on Relationship

This blog was prompted by a little trip to Barnes & Noble with my brother. Basically, I got tired of helping him find a birthday present for a girl he really didn't know (all he knew was that she liked indie-rock, vague). As I meandered through the shelves, I picked up a book on Irish culture and opened to a page about "Anam Cara" which means "Soul Friend". According to Celtic spiritual tradition, the soul is illuminated around the body as a glowing aura. A deep bond is made when you open yourself to one another. This transparency and vulnerability creates a relationship that is appreciative and trusting, allowing "two souls to flow together". Your anam cara always "beholds your light" and loves you as you are, as a beautiful mess of raw brokenness. This kind of friendship awakens your fullness, allowing you to engage yourself and the community around you. The Irish believe that when you are blessed with anam cara you have been given a sacred place, you have arrived "home". Beautiful. All I could think about was, "how can we be "home" to people, especially in the fall? Well, we could offer them biscuits and "jam", but I think we have more in mind. Loving people is the hardest thing we are called to do.
Relationship is something that is essential for people to actualize God's New Jerusalem, his beautiful vision of community. Within the first week at Swat I realized that true relationship building was not going to be an easy task due to the engulfing culture of individualism and success. At Swat, everyone is on their own track. It was sad to try to talk to people, but see their eyes focused past your head on their list of things to do on the path to "success". Have you ever heard the phrase, "busyness is the devil's best tool"? Busyness, in my opinion, is the biggest obstacle between me and the people around me. At Swat, our "busyness" is masked by its academic character, but it is still busyness nonetheless. If we can make time for relationships with people and God, He will make it possible for you to accomplish his vision for your life. God is our "time-turner" (for all you HP fans out there). He'll make it happen. Promise.

In conclusion, I think we should bless people with hardcore love and jam ;)

If you guys have some free time this summer, meditate on what it means to provide a relationship that is "home" to someone. How do we actualize this kind of relationship? (Ya'll probably have lots of ideas coming from Chapta' Camp).

Love ya'll,

Hana

God is good

So, y'all know I was talking about my family a lot during camp, and especially about my dad. Well, one of the women there prayed with me about him, for healing and forgiveness and reconciliation, and I came home, and guess what? My sister started talking about my Dad and how he's been treating my youngest siblings (I have three half-sibs, ages 7, 8, and 8) and how different he's being with them than how he was with us when we were that age. Then my Dad called, to wish me a happy birthday, and I talked a little bit about camp, and it went great. He'd invited my full siblings and I to go to France with him and his wife and the littles, and I've decided to accept. His emails have been so gentle and apologetic-sounding that I'm not as worried about it as I was. It's like he's a totally different person, or something. I'd also prayed to God to help me be a better witness to my family, and I get home and my younger sister, who up 'till now has been an avowed atheist, is asking my brother and I more and more about God, and even going to church with me. She told me, "Hearing you and Lee [my brother] talk, it sounds like utter blasphemy to not believe." She's not Christian yet, but hearing that was amazing. God is good.

Welcome back from Chapter Camp!

Hello! Swarthmore Christian Fellowship has just returned from InterVarsity Chapter Camp 2010, and we're itching for some kingdom work to do. This blog will serve as communication for ideas and inspiration and follow-up in the three months we have before school starts again this fall. Post about new ideas you have, great things you've read, anything God has told you, even your frustrations and doubts as you experience "post-mountain syndrome." We're building community here even though we're scattered over the summer.

- Andrew

P.S. Tagging (labels) makes it easy to locate posts of various themes or topics. Some suggestions for tags are: "prayer request", "NSO", "answered prayer", "random", "Bible verse", "picture", "video", "large group", "small group", etc.!