Wesley Hall
All students have been stressed out by their schoolwork at one point or another in their lifetime. From trying to meet a deadline for a project to cramming for tests, it can cause loss of sleep, struggling to find time to visit with friends, and more. Life in general can be stressful, especially when a college student is far from home and cannot visit any time they need to retreat and recharge. Students deal with stress from all angles during their time in college, both within schoolwork and outside of it. How do they combat the storms of life and the pressures of schoolwork?
Junior Conley Owen, the spiritual life director for men’s social club Theta, found an answer: pause for prayer. Owen said he wanted to find a way to make Theta’s spiritual life more impactful on the campus; this led him to start front lawn Fridays. Owen said he leads the group by beginning with a few moments of silence. They then pray over prompts such as gratitude or anxiety. Owen said the passage of scripture he drew inspiration from was Acts 4. Owen said Acts 4 inspired him to institute this Friday morning activity.
“Peter and John had just gone before the Sanhedrin, and they were told to stop preaching the gospel,” Owen said. “They said, ‘OK, well, we’re not going to do that, and then they went back to the disciples and they got together in that room where they prayed for boldness. That’s a really important passage to me because if we were going to be preaching the gospel we have to be bold with what we’re doing, but also their reliance on God and the dependence on God to give us that boldness in everything that we need.”
Senior Aiden Davenport said that he hopes this new tradition will continue to grow.
“It became more of a community thing where we had freshmen and people in different clubs,” Davenport said. “Girls and guys, sometimes faculty coming, and they really just kind of became a community.”
Senior Logan Burress recalled his first experience with the prayer group.
“I was walking with a friend when I saw a group of people circled up,” Burress said. “When I got a little closer, I realized what was happening. On a cool Friday morning, students gathered from all different clubs and ages to speak to our messiah. It was a unique chance to let down my guard and celebrate the many blessings God has done in my life and others.”The prayer group meets on Fridays after chapel for 10-15 minutes between the Heritage and Art buildings. All are welcome to join and are encouraged to bring friends.
