January 23, 2020
Emmanuel students are developing and displaying leadership skills as they encourage each other to pray and grow spiritually.
This semester has already seen the start of a new regular prayer gathering. Joshua Grant, a student who began attending the College earlier this month, decided to host a daily prayer meeting in the residence building. Fittingly, the idea came to him through prayer.
His plan was well received by other students, and Grant was encouraged by the attendance at the first meeting, held on Wednesday. He hopes that in the coming days and weeks the gathering will be attended by more and more students.
Times of corporate prayer, Grant believes, are important for students engaging in academic ministry training. Vigorous intellectual activity does not take the place of a strong devotional life, and gathering with others for fellowship and prayer reminds students of this truth and helps them deepen their relationship with God.
Grant is a graduate of the Teen Challenge program. He has sensed a calling to full-time ministry, and after attending Emmanuel’s Open House in March 2019, he determined that the College would be a good fit for him.
In addition to the daily gathering that Grant is leading, there is an established weekly prayer meeting held in the residence building. The residence advisors—students who act as spiritual mentors and leaders to others living on residence—organize and facilitate these times of prayer.
There are numerous other ways in which students promote spiritual vitality. For example, students have important roles in Chapel services, held each Tuesday and Thursday. Their involvement helps others grow spiritually and also provides the occasion for them to develop skills and abilities they can use in other ministry settings.
Student activity in this area is consistent with Emmanuel’s approach to education, which focuses not only on “knowing” but also on “being” and “doing.” As stated in the Academic Catalogue, “We value the development of character, knowledge, and skill necessary to become effective disciples and leaders of the faith in the church and in the world. At Emmanuel, we have organized ourselves according to the belief that true disciples are those trained to serve with their heads (knowing), hearts (being), and hands (doing)” (p. 12).