After nearly three months of construction, Spiritual Life, Chapel, and Student Leadership and Development are joining the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center and Leadership Camp offices to create the Center for Christian Service and Leadership in the lower level of the McGlothlin Campus Center.
Mark Lewis, director of Spiritual Life, said bringing these offices together in the same work area will advance the goal of the CCSL, led by Jan Meyer, executive director of the CCSL and assistant dean of leadership development.
The goal, Meyer said, is to empower students to live the ACU mission through the principles of solitude, community and ministry, and physically placing these offices next to one another will help them achieve that. She said the combined offices will further develop the CCSL as an element of student life and ensure a consistent and united campus effort from each office.
“We want to set a tone for ourselves in the CCSL,” Meyer said. “When we get in the office, we’ll meet together once a week to pray, read the word of God and share together. That’s one of the things we want to be about as a Center.”
Meyer said the idea for the CCSL can be traced to this year’s Mission Week, and students can expect similar events in the spring. Mission Week was intended to encourage students to practice alone time with God and take what they learn there into the community; Meyer said the CCSL exists for the same purpose.
“God has given us all the ability to minister to people everywhere,” Meyer said. “The response of Christian service and leadership throughout the world is for our students to be empowered by their time with God, supported by connection with each other and empowered by the problems of the world.”
Meyer said Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson located funds to support- inexpensively- the construction of seven offices and one conference room, which will be operational in January.
The Chapel Office, the last office to move to its new location, will relocate Friday. Meyer encouraged students to come downstairs and reflect on the ACU mission.
“It’ll become kind of an oasis in the middle of campus,” she said. The area will also include offices for student groups, thought-provoking images and words from faculty, and Scripture that echoes the mission.
“As all this happens, we’ll have more life down here,” she said. “Students can come and relax between classes and meditate and reflect.”
