What Happens when Welcome is More than a Sentiment
The Alumni Office and Community Formation Office on the Wilmore campus partnered together to give our Asbury community a warm welcome back to this fresh academic year with a new event called Blessings, Bagels, and Bananas!
As part of our hearts’ desire to foster a truly family-style community of Asburians who will go forth and make disciples in all the world, we have begun intentionally cultivating stronger rapport and mutual support between students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The basis of this initiative is warm welcome and human connection.
We provided 240 Panera bagels and 150 bananas, countless pots of coffee, and t-shirts to bless those who have come to teach and study this academic year, and beloved professors and staff prayed blessings over students and one another as we all began our first two days of the academic year. We chose this event strategically to send the message that every member of our Asbury family is important, essential to the mission, and well supported as a whole person: mind, body, emotions, and spirit.
Why? Because we cannot teach what we do not live. The second chapter of James tells us that the family of God is not allowed to play favorites and value some members over others. It tasks us to care for neighbors, and we believe that must begin with our own community of faith in order to move outward effectively. James tasks us to pray that our community members be warmed and filled, but it tells us that such sentiments are useless without the faith to back it up with our actions. We have chosen to model what we teach.
And the results were felt by all!
There were prayers, tears, hugs, and many hearts were touched. We thought that people would be in a hurry and would grab what they needed and go. It turns out, there was much fellowship and conversation in that hallway. People were touched by the love of the Holy Spirit, and new friendships were made. We all found ourselves becoming more generous with the things that we cannot purchase: time and self. It was a deeply spiritual experience for those involved.
One current student came back the second day to tell us that when she told her little boy about her first day at school and the warm welcome she received, he exclaimed that he wanted to go to her school when he grows up because we give good gifts. May all our community see us reflect the heart of our good Father, lavishing good gifts on his children.
Instead of providing snapshots of the event, our staff decided to make a cheesy slideshow for you to enjoy. May it make you laugh and make you smile. We hope you see some familiar faces, and we pray this slide show will inspire you. We also hope this slide show will remind you to travail in prayer for our community as we prepare theologically educated and Spirit-filled men and women for the glory of God. But, more than that, we hope it will make you think about ways you can foster human connection within the portion of the Body of Christ you serve. After all, they will know we are HIS by our reflection of his love toward one another.
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