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| Spring 2002 | a publication for alumni, family, and friends |
I'm passionate. And I'm grateful. As a lover of good books, deep, intellectual conversations
and learning in general, I am thrilled to be part of a university community. As a disciple
of Jesus Christ, committed to the mission of the Church in this world, I am passionate
about trying to understand, live and offer good news in our time and place. And as one who
feels called to both communities - university and church - I am so grateful to be
appointed to ministry at a place like You've got a lot to be thrilled, passionate, and grateful about yourself.
Are you aware of all that's going
on? A committed group of student leaders working to help our campus grow in faithfulness through ministries of community (regular meals together, games and recreation, relationship-building), worship (our Thursday worship called Celebration draws together 75-100 students, faculty and staff, and we've added a Friday Eucharist service and a Sunday night Taize service), compassion (clothing drives, regular help at Mitchell First United Methodist Church's Love Feast, Unrandom Acts of Kindness Week, visits to local nursing homes, creation of a Make a Difference bulletin board, planning for a spring break mission trip to Atlanta), devotion (Bible studies, accountability groups, learning and practicing the spiritual disciplines-like prayer, meditation, fasting and more) and justice (campus recycling proposal, consciousness raising about issues like domestic abuse, sweatshops, economic and racial injustice in American society, reading, and maybe even trying to follow, the Social Principles). Wednesday night conversations among some of our brightest, and most faithful, students about things like just war theory, God and the problem of evil, interpreting difficult biblical texts, Christian views of sexuality, modern science and faith, and more. One of the founding members, a religion major, dubbed this ever-expanding group Theos Logos-Greek for "God talk." DWU students providing creative leadership in local congregations, serving as youth directors, choir directors, confirmation teachers and mentors, Bible study leaders and student preachers. A bi-weekly gathering of the campus community at Monday Forum-an ongoing conversation about contemporary issues from a faithful perspective. We've had our science faculty lead a dialogue on creationism and evolution, a staff Republican and faculty Democrat discuss how their faith informs their politics, and an employee at Mitchell's Safe House share how biblical texts are often used to justify domestic violence against women. This group held the most informed, balanced and insightful conversations about 9-11 I have yet to hear. Students in an Introduction to Christian Thought course writing final papers on topics like Methodist and Baptist beliefs on Communion and Baptism, The Doctrine of Predestination and Quantum Physics, Theology and Ecology, and What Liberation Theology Means for My Life. Teaching this class was the highlight of my semester. Young men and women preparing for seminary, mission work abroad through the General Board of Global Ministries, summer work at United Methodist camps and in inner city ministries, and numerous service professions like nursing, social work and education. This is the kind of Christian vision we can offer the world-faith formation nurtured in loving community, sharpened by intellect and learning, and poised to transform a broken world. It's happening at Dakota Wesleyan University. So the next time you're in Mitchell for a meeting or a reunion, take a stroll over to campus, track down the campus minister and I'll fill you in on the latest. In heart and mind, your college - Dakota Wesleyan University - is alive and well. Grace and peace, Tim Eberhart Dakota Wesleyan University |
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John and Charles
Wesley's ideal of uniting knowledge and vital piety within human lives maturing in love of
God and neighbor for the good of the world is, from time to time, an actual reality here
at DWU.