With the Luther College campus being closed and its students spread out all around the globe, it could be difficult to maintain a sense of community, but Luther College Director of College Ministries Pastor Anne Edison-Albright is coming up with ways to keep the Luther community connected and encouraged.
"We are connecting with students, alumni, professors, staff, community members, and friends near and far in new ways these days, but many of those ways are based on the ministry we were already doing," says Edison Albright. "As always, we are connecting with students one-on-one for pastoral care, but instead of meeting in person, we meet via online video or by phone. We've been reaching out proactively too, to check in with students, faculty, staff and community members and I'm grateful for all the people I get to pray with and for. Next week we'll be praying by name for people who live at Eastern Star. Residents and people with loved ones who live at Eastern Star who'd like to be kept in prayer by College Ministries can send a note with the first and last name of the person to ministry@luther.edu. We'll be looking to get in touch with and pray for folks in other senior housing in Decorah in coming weeks, too."
Edison-Albright says one of the first things College Ministries did when Covid-19 reached the US, was encourage people to follow the Luther College Ministries facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/luthercollegeministries/. "For those who have Facebook," says Edison-Albright, "t's a good way to find out about ways to connect and also receive messages that ground us in the genuine hope and comfort of faith in these days."
After spring break, the College Ministries team moved the practice of weekly chapel online using Zoom, and they follow much the same format as the in-person chapel services. "Mondays we gather for morning prayer, which is a service of sung and spoken prayer with readings from scripture. Wednesday and Friday chapel includes music, readings, a message from a faculty, staff, student or community member, prayer and blessings," explains Edison-Albright. "A benefit of Zoom is being able to see each other and chat with each other in the chat box.."
People join Luther chapel via Zoom from all over the world. In addition to students, faculty and staff, many participants are community members and alumni. Edison-Albright says, "Chapel is less than 30 minutes and it's different from other Zoom meetings/classes people may be having. For us and for many folks we've talked to, it feels like taking a deep breath. It's a source of encouragement and renewal mid-morning." Anyone can join online chapel using the link found on Luther's calendar of events page at luther.edu/events
"After getting some practice using Zoom for chapel, our team started to think about other ways to connect with our community that would offer similar benefits: shorter than 30 minutes, consistently scheduled, something different, something spiritually renewing and grounding," shares Edison-Albright. "Interim College Pastor Judd Larson and I worked on ideas to connect with students and recent alumni through Tea with Pastor Annie and Coffee with Pastor Judd. Vicar Amalia Vagts is continuing to lead a weekly book study group with students that started before the pandemic, and has now also taken Nap Chapel, a short, restful, guided meditation, online. She also leads Dance It Out on Tuesday mornings--a brief, joyful dance break. What I love about Nap Chapel and Dance it Out is that, like chapel, these are regularly-scheduled gatherings where there are some people who come every week, and many who bop in and out, and there's no expectation that it's a fixed or set group. Everyone is truly welcome and included. It's a welcome break from whatever else the day may bring and it's good food for the soul. Also, our student-led multi-denominational Christian worship service (Focus) on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. is a whole wonderful hour of worship that will continue online until the end of the academic year."
The people taking part in these activities are from Decorah and all over the world, says Edison-Albright. "We've gotten great feedback, especially from alumni who are living far away and don't get back to campus often."
Edison-Albright concludes, "There's so much I'm missing these days, especially direct face-to-face interaction with students and some of the more casual interaction that can happen just being on campus and immersed in that setting. But I'm also grateful for the connections that have been possible during this time, because they are real and meaningful, too. Physical distancing doesn't mean the same thing for everyone, and people are experiencing the pandemic in different ways. Regardless of what each of us is experiencing or feeling individually, staying connected beyond ourselves reminds us of the world that is bigger than ourselves in powerful ways. For Luther students--and other members of our community, too--having ways to stay connected to Luther and Decorah means keeping a crucial part of our identity and sense of belonging in what is otherwise a disorienting time."
For links to all of Luther's College Ministries activities visit luther.edu/events.