The past few weeks have been a strange combination of feeling at a distance from students, while often feeling the bond of being "in this together". This has brought a sense of deliberateness to online prayer times and studies that probably would not have been there otherwise. That is not to say that Zoom meetings are superior to meeting in-person. It is to say that for a short time we have enjoyed a particular level of focus from students, free of many of the normal distractions. I have noticed this with male as well as female students, though the difference in my opinion has been more palpable in regard to young men.
I would suggest that the response we had to the "Concert and Conversation" with Ellen Davis and Sandra McCracken was similar in dynamics as those mentioned above. There was an obvious hunger and appreciation for substance and beauty in Christ, and the general "feel" of the evening was one of gratitude and unity. Again, I prefer the usual in-person event, but that evening was something I will remember for a long time. The LORD was (and is) in our midst. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
As classes and exams finished and as we now move forward toward "graduation" there seem to be two things happening at once: first, a real hunger from undergrads to get back together asap. Evidence for this can be seen in the outpouring of offers from Sophomores and up to help with Carolina Way Camp. The second response involves the sadness and strangeness of saying good-bye to graduates, whose futures range from "as originally planned" to "completely up in the air". I have to admit that for these students I find myself "wishing" that we could turn back the clock and do Spring semester as if Covid never happened. That said, these students are on the cusp of many new ways of doing business and life. We want to encourage them that this is a real opportunity, and that the LORD is very much at work in them, through them, and beyond them as new ways of commerce, community and ministry unfold before us every day. Faith, Hope and Love still apply. The gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed. The Spirit of God continues to direct the affairs of his people, and of his world.
The LORD give us all sensitivity to his grace and truth as we move forward in faith in the coming days.
Bill Boyd
Director of Spiritual Formation