Thanks to Vintage Lunch Sponsors, Fellow Alumni!
This fall, we’re asking our community to consider sponsoring a Vintage Lunch. Each lunch is catered by a local Charlottesville eatery and helps feed students who come hungry for food and community and spiritual nourishment.
Thank you to THREE Fellow Alumni for splitting the cost of a Vintage Lunch: Celeste Meadows, Matt Salit & Mackenzie Shannon. Celeste answered our questions for the group!
1. Why did you choose to sponsor a Vintage lunch? How are you connected with Theological Horizons?
I was a Horizons Fellow in 2018-2019 and was impacted by the thoughtful discussions and experiences I had with my co-fellows. I was exposed to ideas and people and questions that I hadn't experienced anywhere else in my time at UVA. I am grateful for the exposure to these things in college, as they fostered the desire to learn and process challenging and unique topics.
2. What blessing, quote, or advice would you like to share with a UVa student?
‘The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.’ – George Eliot, Middlemarch. I haven't read this book, but recently watched the movie A Hidden Life, named after this quote. I've been pondering it ever since.”
Welcome Horizons Fellows Class of '24!!
Welcome Horizons Fellows!
These 11 students will be paired with a mentor in their field and wrestling with issues of faith & vocation. Learn more about the Horizons Fellows program here.
2023-2024 Horizons Fellows
Ashley Fan (mentor: Mary Brissett)
Ashley Prillerman (mentor: Faith Kelley)
Cora Carmouche (mentor: Lisa McNerney)
Dagim Tekle (mentor: Josiah Claypool)
Jase Banks (mentor: Toby Jenkins)
Lilly Long (mentor: Kathryn Mutter)
Lilly West (mentor: Jane Grizzle)
Noah Plott (mentor: Jerry King)
Rebecca Popp (mentor: Sarah Davis)
Sam Kipps (mentor: Garrett Trent)
Tabi Summers (mentor: Ginger Oakes)
Welcome Perkins Fellows Class of '24!!
Welcome Perkins Fellows!
These 8 students will be serving & learning at various non profits around the city each week this year. Learn more about the Perkins Fellows program here.
2023-2024 Perkins Fellows
Elisabeth Doty (Community Partner: Bread & Roses)
Fionette King (Community Partner: Music Resource Center)
Grace Jackson (Community Partner: Abundant Life Ministries)
Kaya Lynch (Community Partner: Abundant Life Ministries)
Lanie Moore (Community Partner: The Haven)
Lauren Campbell (Community Partner: The Fralin Art Museum)
Megnot Abebe (Community Partner: Abundant Life Ministries)
Nykera Wallop (Community Partner: Kindness Cafe)
Thanks to Vintage Lunch Sponsor, Travis Rabb!
This fall, we’re asking our community to consider sponsoring a Vintage Lunch. Each lunch is catered by a local Charlottesville eatery and helps feed students who come hungry for food and community and spiritual nourishment.
Thank you, Travis Rabb, dad to first year, Peyton Rabb, for being a Vintage Lunch sponsor!
1. Why did you choose to sponsor a Vintage lunch? How are you connected with Theological Horizons?
First and foremost, Vintage is our daughter Peyton's favorite hour of the week at UVA. It has always been a welcoming space and meets her spiritual and social needs without any pressure. It gives her a chance for introspection and a break from the normal pace of the week. Any chance to further this experience for other students is my pleasure. Our connection with Theological Horizons is obviously through our daughter but I've also visited a Vintage lunch twice and loved the experience each time. It's easy to see why she and so many students come each week.
2. What blessing, quote, or advice would you like to share with a UVa student?
Because so many UVA students are achievers and doers, my advice is to find something that relaxes you. Take some time each day for yourself. Not to achieve or be productive but to just relax and breathe.
September Prayers | On Cultivating Conversation
“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. ”
DEAR FRIENDS,
We’re entering into a month of many conversations. Ones with teachers, co-workers, neighbors, friends - many new, some old. Our theme at TH for this year is “Cultivating Conversations.” What would it look like to let our speech be filled with grace as though seasoned with salt? Perhaps some of the toxic polarizations would have less of a strangle-hold and we’d see one another in God’s light.
-Christy Yates
John O’Donohue
“When is the last time that you had a great conversation? A conversation which wasn’t just two intersecting monologues, which is what passes for conversation a lot in this culture. But when had you last a great conversation in which you overheard yourself saying things that you never knew you knew, that you heard yourself receiving from somebody words that absolutely found places within you that you thought you had lost and a sense of an event of a conversation that brought the two of you on to a different plain, and then fourthly, a conversation that continued to sing in your mind for weeks afterwards.”
While not specifically Christian, the conversations below are as inspirational as they are healing. Enjoy especially this one between Rev. Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church and Dr. Russell Moore, now editor of Christanity Today.
Thanks to Vintage Lunch Sponsors, Mark & Terry Metcalf!
This fall, we’re asking our community to consider sponsoring a Vintage Lunch. Each lunch is catered by a local Charlottesville eatery and helps feed 30-40 students who come hungry for food and community and spiritual nourishment.
Mark Metcalf is a UVa professor in the school of Commerce and he and his wife Terry are sponsoring a Vintage Lunch this September. Learn more about their partnership with us below:
Why did you choose to sponsor a Vintage lunch? How are you connected with Theological Horizons?
The Vintage lunch is a great ministry and Terry & I are happy to help support it. Whether a meal with a few friends or a Vintage lunch type of gathering, few things go together more perfectly than food and fellowship!
What blessing, quote, or advice would you like to share with a UVa student?
"Pray and let God worry." (attributed to Martin Luther)
Thanks to Vintage Lunch Sponsors, Brenda Cox & Elyse Ashley
This fall, we’re asking our community to consider sponsoring a Vintage Lunch. Each lunch is catered by a local Charlottesville eatery and helps feed 30-40 students who come hungry for food and community and spiritual nourishment.
Brenda Cox is a long time friend of Theological Horizons and a former board member. She and her good friend Elyse Ashley are sponsoring a Vintage lunch together.
Why did you choose to sponsor a Vintage lunch? How are you connected with Theological Horizons?
Brenda: “This is something I used to do several years ago with great delight. My initial exposure to and involvement with Theological Horizons was through these lunches. Later, I joined the Board for a season. I’ve often said I would have loved to have had my own children (now long out of college) have a similar opportunity to meet, seek, learn, share….and be fed! This is such a meaningful hour for all. “
Elyse: “I met Karen years ago when I returned to live in Cville and learned about Theological Horizons. Subsequently, I have attended and enjoyed many of the gatherings sponsored by this wonderful UVA ministry, including Vintage Lunches. I’m struck by the range of topics and speakers that all lead to the same truth. And how much of what is shared speaks of the beauty around us and the source of that beauty. We are blessed!”
What advice would you give to students?
From Elyse: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” - CS Lewis
From Brenda: “My advice (based on my own college experience) is this: 'love yourself enough to take care of yourself - body, mind, and soul. That would entail prioritizing in the face of the call of academics, activities, people, groups…..seek a balance! Vintage lunch is one of many paths to help create a level ground on which to walk'.”
INTRODUCING PHOTOVOICE
What's in your pocket?
More than 97% of Americans have a mobile phone. We use their incredible photographic capabilities to capture who we are, where we go, and what we care about. Could we be holding a powerful key that unlocks authentic understanding with others?
Where social media promises a feeling of connection yet fails to deliver the tangibility of true relationship, the new conversation model called PhotoVoice seeks to forge – through practical, simple tools – real, deep communication.
PhotoVoice is an art-based approach to interpersonal understanding that has participant photography at its core. Designed by national dialogue consultants Essential Partners, PhotoVoice is a fresh expression of dialogue that invites participants to share, through amateur photographs, the most important facets of themselves and their communities.
A Fresh Dialogue Model
Theological Horizons is a UVA-based Christian non-profit that supports believers and seekers by providing a welcoming community and opportunities for conversation around meaning and spirituality. We seek UVA and Charlottesville collaborators to share this inventive PhotoVoice dialogue model that we have found to be easy, fun, and generative.
Essential PhotoVoice gathers participants into small group facilitated conversations where they are invited to share photos in response to prompts about their lives and communities. No photography skills or special equipment are needed, beyond a simple method for taking photos (phone or camera).
Flavors of PhotoVoice
PhotoVoice is a flexible approach to dialogue with limitless variations. A project might look like:
An icebreaker: Folks at a staff meeting are invited to share one recent photo of a memorable experience, event or exchange, taking a moment to talk about their photo. A prompt might be: “What does relaxation look like to you?” “What is one place you go every day?” “Share a photo of something sustaining you right now.”
One hour-long session: A group of First Years are invited to bring photographs that answer a prompt like, “What are some things from home (material objects or immaterial things such as practices or rituals) that you are excited to bring with you to UVA? What are some things you would like to leave at home?” They sit in small groups and share their photos for 5-10 minutes each, and then are invited to notice similarities and differences between what they and their other group members shared.
Three (or more) sessions over time: Small groups of UVA staff and students are invited to take pictures about space and place. Each session they offer pictures in response to prompts. Session One: “What is something symbolic of your community?” Session Two: “Where is your community flourishing?” Session Three: “Where is your community experiencing need?” Participants share about their photographs, ask each other questions, and notice where their responses correlate or differ. Select photos may be presented as a final exhibition, photobook, or online gallery.
What do the participants of our pilot PhotoVoice cohort have to say about the experience?
“As different as everyone’s stories can be and no matter how lonely someone might feel, there is always a point of alignment and connection. Just as puzzle pieces are all different shapes but come together to make a big beautiful coherent picture, so did our six stories as we participated in this PhotoVoice cohort.”
LaNija Brown (UVA‘22)
“The PhotoVoice experience helped me develop my attention to details and my ability to capture scenes that I found engaging. It awoke some of the artistic side in me. I saw the very core of what the photograph was meant to be when it was invented–capturing a moment that will never repeat.”
Gustavo Santos
“While we all have different communities, most of us could relate in some way or another to the stories shared behind each photo. Talking about challenges we all share highlighted the different ways that we react to said situations as well as the emotions that come up as a result of them.”
Haley Stocks (UVA‘22)
Collaborate with us!
To support fruitful personal connections across UVA and Charlottesville, Theological Horizons has hosted eight Deeper Dialogues@UVA events over the past three years, guided by trainings, program design, and coaching from Essential Partners.
Theological Horizons is now honored to offer Essential PhotoVoice, the new initiative of Essential Partners in collaboration with Interfaith Photovoice and with the support of the Fetzer Institute.
To participate in a sample Photovoice experience, join us Sept 22nd at our free Vintage Lunch located at St. Paul’s Memorial Church on the Corner, 1-2pm.
How may Theological Horizons offer PhotoVoice to you or your group on Grounds?
Do you have an idea of where the PhotoVoice model of conversation might be useful? Do you have a physical space that you might like to populate with photographs? Contact us! Email mary-dryden@theologicalhorizons.org
August Prayers | On Wonder
“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. ”
Now is a season for rest. And, as our minds and bodies rest, we hope they can move more freely toward wonder - that often illusive posture that brings us into child-like curiosity and expectation of our transcendent God imminent in all of creation.
The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Enjoy this FREE Summer reading plan for Karen’s new book “Wake up to Wonder”!
Advice for Incoming Students
“I encourage you to pay attention to the peers that strike you as different or odd. Those who you meet that surprise you with sincerity, vulnerability, or care: consider taking some time to get to know them! “ - Thomas Hamilton ‘22
“My best advice is to prioritize networking over getting a perfect GPA. A lot of job and internship opportunities come down to who you know.” - LaNija Brown ‘22
“It might look like people quickly find their friend group, but don’t be discouraged because really everyone is just trying to figure it out. Even going into second year people are still finding their people and making new friends.” - Ava Flory ‘25
“College is a great time to make mistakes-- don't avoid them. I did too much of that. Take classes you wouldn't normally think to take. Hang out with many diverse groups. Become friends with people you wouldn't gravitate to first. Live adventurously. Do enough preparation to allow yourself sweet spontaneity. Know that you will have an amazing time at this great institution, but life doesn't end there, and in fact there is much more "living the dream" to be had afterwards. Let UVa be a launching pad. Let God god-size your dreams.” - Nathan Swedberg ‘12
“Find some people you vibe with and stick with them! Relationships will be your most valuable asset when it comes to facing new challenges. (Pro tip: There are LOTS of cool people at TH)” - Peyton Rabb (Vintage Lunch Intern)
“Pick one day of the week that you never do any schoolwork. Most of us are pretty used to the idea of Sunday Sabbath, but not everyone learns to apply it to their self-directed work. Setting aside a day to not look at school materials makes it much less exhausting throughout the week and guarantees me time to have fun and relax!” - Ashley Fan ‘24
Wahoo Welcome Events!
Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here!
Below are some ways to connect with our TH community at the beginning of the school year:
Lattes on the Lawn
August 17 and 18: 2-4 PM @ Pavilion V on The Lawn
Take a breath during move-in, enjoy an iced coffee, and learn more about Theological Horizons. Family welcome, too!
WAHOO WELCOME PICNIC
Friday, August 25, 12-2 PM @ St. Paul's Memorial Church, right across from the Rotunda.
Drop in, meet people, eat up!
VINTAGE LUNCH
Every Friday, 1-2 PM, starting September 1 @ St. Paul's Memorial Church.
Delicious, free lunch and readings from the Christian tradition with Karen Marsh.
No faith required, no preparation needed. All are welcome. Always.
July Prayers | On Gardening
“ I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love.”
While most of us are not farmers, many of us are backyard or container gardeners and most of us are enjoying fresh local vegetables and flowers this month. What if we saw the tilling and the eating and the savoring as prayer? As a slow and intentional activity that connects us with our sustaining Creator, the fertile earth and one another. May you have moments to meditate in a garden, in front of some flowers or while eating fresh produce with loved ones this month.
The Gardener
by Mary Oliver
Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I considered Right Action enough, have I come to any conclusion?
Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?
Have I endured loneliness with grace?I say this, or perhaps I'm just thinking it.
Actually, I probably think too much.Then I step out into the garden,
where the gardener, who is said to be a simple man,
is tending his children, the roses.
Enjoy this beautiful documentary about the vision of farmer and author, Wendell Berry.
Our Year in Review!
OUR YEAR IN REVIEW
2 0 2 2 - 2 3 W I T H T H E O L O G I C A L H O R I Z O N S
Looking back on this year, we are humbled by how God and our community have shown up. New connections were made, old ways of thinking challenged, miraculous provisions received, and Jesus present and presented in a myriad of contexts. Join us as we reflect back!
“I am grateful for Theological Horizons and the ways it supported me along my journey during my time at UVA and as an alumna. I’ve seen and experienced the impact of TH offerings - from their events and resources they share to the opportunities and connections they foster. I give monthly as a way to support TH in its work supporting others and creating spaces where we can explore faith as a community in meaningful ways.”
Learning one another's names | Perkins Fellow Megnot Abebe '25
Names are powerful. As someone with an Amharic name, where the -gn- in Megnot is not a common sound in English, I know the struggle of professors and others mispronouncing my name. I used to think that repeating my name multiple times for others around me to learn was a burden I would always carry. Until people whom I would later call friends took the time and effort to learn it, I now interpret it as a gesture of love.
This year as a Perkins Fellow, I had the chance to partner with Abundant Life Ministries and tutor kids in elementary school. As the year began, I was nervous–it was hard enough to say my name to adults, let alone kids. But I didn’t need to be. As we spent our afternoons playing tag and basketball at Johnson Elementary during outside time, I learned each of their names–which took time–and they learned mine. We got to share inside jokes and laughter, snacks, some tears, and share about our families and life. They reminded me what it was like to be a kid, to have genuine joy about playing outside. On Fridays, during Bible Club, they reminded me that there are parts of the Bible I don’t fully understand but that I can still tell and remind them how loved they are (1st John 4:10). One aim of the Perkins Program is to develop hearts of service and have vocational discernment, but the Lord blessed me with something bigger through Abundant Life. He blessed me with a community that knew me. Not only through the kids but through the staff at Abundant Life that embody what it means to love one another and serve a community they're part of. He blessed me through Grace Jackson and Ben Barnes, my fellow volunteers, who encouraged me and reminded me that we don't have to do this alone.
I have learned that the pursuit of justice needs to be done in community and in love, which I think can be summed into the power of proximity. Jesus didn’t do His ministry alone; He had His 12 disciples. Along the way, He crossed social and cultural barriers to know and love those around Him. He showed us what it meant to live life not for ourselves but for the Lord and His Kingdom. The apostle Paul paints a powerful picture of a united body in 1st Corinthians 12:12-27; "if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (v.26, ESV). It should remind us of the simplicity and the power of drawing closer to one another, of loving one another. Choosing to be part of Abundant Life was choosing to partner with God and the workers and be proximate to the Prospect Ave community in Charlottesville. It was choosing the time to carve out of my schedule and try to love the kids and staff I interact with well, reminding me that we are all His Beloved.
June Prayers | For a season of rest
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
As we enter into the slower summer months, we pray that you will find deep moments of rest and restoration. That you can come home to yourself, to God, and to those around you. That you can soak up the beauty of our fertile world in which you take your steps. That you can uncover a fresh understanding of both your belovedness and a love for the world around you. - Christy Yates, Associate Director
Enjoy this selection from “A Liturgy for Leaving on Holiday,” from Every Moment Holy, Vol. 1.
O, Christ Our Sabbath,
You have fashioned us to function best
in rhyming lines of work and rest;
our relaxations and recreations
like unspoken invitations
to that still greater holiday to come -
when all burdens will at last be shed
and weariness be put to bed,
and gladsome joy stretch endlessly before us.Bless now, O Lord,
this happy foretaste of that good end!…Bless the days to come:
the days of duties undone,
unbuckled, unbound.
Bless our pilgrim quest for restoration!…Waken our vision to perceive
such subtle expressions of your nature.
Rouse also our hearts
that we might be quietly shaped
by those whisperings of divine beauty…You are our rest, Jesus.
May this vacation serve your holy purposes.
May the deep enjoyment
and the grand adventure of it
stir within us eternal longings,
whetting our anticipation
of that best holiday celebration
that will one day
encompass all days,
and all of heaven
and all of earth.Amen.
Congratulations Horizons Fellows, Class of '23 and our Perkins Fellows!
And just like that, another academic year comes to a close. What a year this has been for our Horizons and Perkins Fellows!
Our Horizons & Perkins Fellows flourished this past year as Fellows met with mentors, gathered for challenging conversations over meals, read diverse readings on faith & vocation, and served and learned alongside community leaders in the city. One Fellow writes: “The Perkins Fellows program has changed my career path and my life. It has helped me wrestle with the crazy truth that I am God's beloved child and has shown me what true justice work looks like. Perkins has provided me a community like no other, both through my Community Partner and the other Fellows, where I am able to learn and serve as a follower of Christ and a seeker of justice."
Another Fellow, Kayla Concepcion, wrote this post in response to our Bryan Stevenson which drew 5000 people in person and 1000 online! She begins: "I had the privilege of listening to social justice advocate and lawyer Bryan Stevenson speak about how to sustain the work of pursuing justice and loving others well. He shared that in order to maintain an attitude of mercy and love towards others, the key was proximity to people, specifically the poor and disfavored in society. The following week, I found myself face-to-face with such a person in my clinical shift at UVA Medical Center...." Read her story here!
As we celebrate, we also say goodbye to our graduates. We wish all of our Horizons Fellows (first pic) and graduating Perkins Fellow Porter Brown (second pic far left) a blessed transition. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for this special group!
The Patron Saint of 20 somethings | UVA's Meg Jay
We’re honored to count Dr. Meg Jay as a friend (and neighbor!) here at TH. From the classroom to her office, from the TEDx stage to our Vintage Lunch gathering, Meg Jay has made the rounds to share her expertise on "twenty-somethings," gleaned from years of clinical experience. Her book, The Defining Decade: Why your Twenties Matter and how to make the most of them now.
Dr. Jay was recently featured in the New York Times. Read the article below.
Dr. Jay also joined us during the pandemic to offer her wisdom with our students over a Vintage Lunch.
The Value of Constraints | Fellow Alma Wolf '23
If you ask any of my friends, they would tell you I’m a go-go-go type of gal. Catch a glimpse of my Google calendar (which I often try to shield from disconcerted eyes) and you too might agree–I often fill my days, which sometimes start as early as 5:15, with workouts, classes, ROTC training, coffee with friends, homework, meetings, and other activities stacked back-to-back. I don’t arrange this intentionally, I just find myself to be rather busy doing all the things I want to do. There are so many things I want to do!
In the past, my packed schedule hasn’t seemed like a problem. But as the semesters wear on, and especially as my ultimate semester has come to an end, I’ve noticed how running in different directions and trying to do it all actually makes me much less able to do anything well. I’m exhausted in my classes, can’t fully engage with the girls I disciple, and doze off as I try to pray and spend time in the Word. When I view my time as unlimited, I ignore my God-given physical and emotional limits.
My desire to do it all extends beyond the day-to-day. Even though I’m set to commission into the Air Force as a missileer shortly after graduating, I contemplate different career paths, wondering if I’m called to be a teacher, a nurse, a missionary, a diplomat, a prison minister, a journalist. I’ve grown up in a culture that tells me I can do anything, at any time, and that I would be wasting my potential not to shoot for the stars and follow my heart. As a result, I’ve often worried that somehow, I’m messing up God’s plan for my life and am not living out what He has called me to.
At the beginning of our year as Horizons Fellows, we read an article by Kate Harris called “Constraint and Consent: Career and Motherhood.” Harris is responding to an article in The Atlantic called “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” and Harris discusses the tension that modern women feel between wanting to have a high-powered career and wanting to be a present mother. Harris is frustrated by the framework of “balance” that’s frequently offered to women, emphasizing how attempting to balance anything is exhausting, and often leaves one feeling overextended and unable to do anything well.
Harris describes how limits, specifically the limits inherent in being a new mother, clarified her purpose. She writes, “Rather, paradoxically, I found that the new constraints on my time and energies helped me to see my true loves and unique responsibilities more clearly.” She continues, “Where my mind was once consumed by a never ending calculus of hypothetical scenario- planning, my life now is made rich by a number of actual, ordinary scenarios and circumstances which root and orient me in my life and work in a way that grants tremendous freedom and purpose.”
As I’ve contemplated different career paths and wondered about my calling, Harris’ words are wonderfully refreshing. A wide array of options can feel paralyzing, and she illuminates how constraint is not limiting, but freeing. Committing to one particular path allows me to pursue something wholeheartedly, to live out the ordinary acts of faithfulness that God calls us to throughout scripture, and to be free from endlessly asking, “what if?” I’m reminded of the words from Psalm 16, where the psalmist writes, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
Boundaries are pleasant indeed. This truth is helpful both day to day and as I think about the trajectory of my life. My limitedness is a blessing as I plan my days, because it gives me the freedom to be present. I don’t need to worry about accomplishing a million things in a day; in fact, I can’t! There are so many things I want to do, but I must choose, and that makes me delight all the more in how I spend each hour.
This is true as I think about my life’s vocation, too. Harris’ experience, along with embracing models in scripture, also allowed me to dismiss the lurking, unbiblical fear of not achieving my “potential.” I desire to have a family, and this manifests in how I think about motherhood: being a stay-at-home mom is a deeply worthwhile vocation, one that generations of faithful women have embraced. But the freedom found in boundaries is true for any work. The Lord has promised to be with me wherever I go, and I don’t have to worry that I’ve messed something up because God is sovereign. I need not wonder whether I ought to be doing something else, because the reality is, I am mercifully limited to being in one place at one time, and I am called to daily faithfulness in that place, to working heartily as if for the Lord and not for man (Col 3:23).
Ultimately, I do have to choose how I’m going to spend my days. That imposes the beautiful constraint to embrace whatever God has called me to in each season. And recognizing my own limitedness allows me to glorify all the more He who is gloriously unlimited in power, majesty, and grace. I will continue to pray the words of Psalm 143: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Ps 143:8).
A Prayer for our Gradutes
As we enter the graduation season and celebrate graduations of all kinds, we offer this simple prayer to help you mark these thresholds with the graduates in your lives.
Graduation Prayer
Good and gracious God,
This is the day, Lord! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Today is the culmination of years of work, years filled with challenges and triumphs,
losses and laughter, friendships and growth.
We thank you, Lord, for getting us safely to this day.
We thank you for the gift of family, friends and teachers who have supported these children of yours
and celebrate with them now.
Dear God, bless these graduates, every one, and fill them with the Spirit of your love.
We pray that as they go forth to set the world on fire,
may they remember you are in all things and all people.
May they continue to challenge themselves intellectually
and share the fruit of their knowledge.
May their commitment to justice lead them to make a positive difference in our world.
May they build community wherever they go
and remain forever the important part of our community that they are today.
And may they, through their ongoing growth in wisdom and grace,
bring others to you as they share their talents in the wider world.
We ask you, who are both Father and Mother,
to protect and guide these Men and Women for Others throughout their lives.
We ask this in the name of your son Jesus, who unites us with one another and with you forever.Amen.
YEAR END RECAP: Deeper Dialogues @ UVa + A Special Thank You to the UVa Parents Program
During the past academic year, Theological Horizons hosted four events using the Reflective Structured Dialogue format designed by Massachusetts based non-profit Essential Partners.
These events would not have been possible without a generous donation from the UVa Parents Program 2022-23 grant cycle. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Parents Fund Council; thank you for all you do in supporting programming for UVa students!
The first event was a virtual day-long dialogue training hosted by Essential Partners to learn how to lead discussions using their Reflective Structured Dialogue format. Students, faculty, and community members attended this training, which equipped them to facilitate dialogues around delicate issues of race and justice, as well as engage with folks they might not meet otherwise, like older community members or people with a different political background.
The next event was a virtual dialogue on Monday, November 7 titled Rituals of Hope in Seasons of Loss that began with a talk by Professor Vanessa Ochs on death rituals and practices of mourning in the Jewish tradition. This was followed by participants moving into breakout rooms where a trained facilitator guided them through questions about how they have been experiencing or struggling with grief recently.
Who could have known the tragedy that would occur at the University on November 13? Participants met for an in person lunch gathering on Tuesday, November 15 at Hotel E on the West Range. While originally this event was designed to purposefully further deepen the connections that had been prompted by the initial virtual dialogue by sharing a meal, because of the shooting that happened on Grounds, this event became an open space of grieving and support for students, faculty, and staff, whether they attended the virtual dialogue or not. Professor Vanessa Ochs led attendees through various Jewish rituals of mourning and soothing, leaving each participant with a sense of community.
The final event that we designed thanks to the Parents Program’s donation was Act Justly, Love Mercy: A Community Conversation, a companion dialogue to the 2023 Scoper Lecture featuring Bryan Stevenson. Community members and students met at UVA’s Alumni Hall on the Sunday following Stevenson’s visit, April 2, and watched a clip from Stevenson’s documentary True Justice to begin the time together. Participants then shared food in small groups while a trained facilitator led them through a discussion about how Stevenson’s words had been impacting and inspiring them. This event fostered connections between folks from across UVa and the Charlottesville communities.
Throughout the year, we also incorporated principles of Reflective Structured Dialogue into our Vintage Lunch programming with the weekly Deeper Dialogues Lab. We experimented with question structure in small break out groups as well as in a large group setting with the purpose of having students meet and get to know peers outside of their usual circles.
Feedback highlights
The funding from the UVA Parents Program covered the costs of putting on these three dialogue events, including: publicity (graphic design, poster printing, filming and creation of publicity videos), coaching and program design from Essential Partners, venue rental, food catering, and technological support. For both the fall and spring dialogues, we created anonymous pre and post evaluation surveys to evaluate the impact of the events. Overall, participants who took part in Deeper Dialogues reported very positive results:
Fall Dialogue
89% of respondents gave the dialogue a 4/4 rating
79% of respondents felt positive or hopeful about engaging with community members of different viewpoints after the dialogue
89% of respondents expressed a commitment to using future dialogue opportunities to engage across difference after the dialogue
Prior to the fall dialogue, 55% of respondents reported they strongly agree that they feel respected in their community. After the dialogue with us, this number rose to 89%.
Spring Dialogue
71% of respondents gave the spring dialogue a 4/4 rating
86% of respondents felt positive or hopeful about engaging with community members of different viewpoints after the dialogue
86% of respondents expressed a commitment to using future dialogue opportunities to engage across difference after the dialogue
Prior to the spring dialogue, 33% of respondents reported they strongly agree that they feel respected in their community. After the dialogue with us, this number rose to 71%.
Participant Responses
Participants shared feedback to the questions: What stands out as the most significant thing you are taking away from this dialogue experience? Is there anything that surprised you?
“The thoughtfulness of my discussion-mates and the wonderful and supportive space that was shared [was most significant]. I am truly grateful to have had a chance to join in the dialogue!"
"[I am] grateful for a rich dialogue [where there was] lots of learning & shared resources...As a bonus everyone in our group wanted to stay in touch after."
"I think that people (in general) in our society easily miss the value of the physicality of mourning. Our group talked about multiple ways physical mourning has been helpful to us whether through being with people or writing things down."
When asked about her experience as a facilitator during the Stevenson dialogue, one student said that “the Essential Partners training definitely equipped me to be a facilitator” of “older individuals” who had “less hesitancy to share differing opinions than there would have been if it were a group on Grounds.” She felt able to navigate a difficult conversation where people shared “opinions that I disagreed with about race and reconciliation,” keeping her newly learned skills in mind. “Overall,” she said, “everyone was respectful and thoughtful, so I thought it was a productive dialogue.”