God Centered Community focuses on religious discussion in three different forums
By Zack Imfeld
A group of students gathered in the Villa Maria basement with a dream. A dream to create a community where individuals on their walk with Christ could come together and have fun, find friendship and grow in faith.
Those students shared their ideas and strove to foster a faith based community at UP. There are so many great programs on campus to grow in one's faith that it was difficult not to overlap with other groups.
Those students craved something unique, something fun, something centered in God. Then, guided by the Lord, it came to them: God Centered Community (GCC). This original idea has been shaped into the current format with three different faith-based opportunities for community.
Within the God Centered Community, there are multiple opportunities to grow in faith. First, there is the After-Mass Social: An opportunity to gather for food and fellowship in St. Mary's after every 9 p.m. mass on Sundays. It is an excellent way to meet or catch up with people you may or may not have seen all week, or to procrastinate on your homework just a bit longer.
Eucharistic Adoration is the second aspect of this God Centered Community. This is a prayer opportunity on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 8 p.m. in the Christie Chapel. Lasting about an hour, individuals are free to pray in silence, worship in song or simply sit in the presence of Jesus Christ, exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. Spending time in Adoration will expand your prayer life and take your faith to a deeper level.
Finally, there is God Centered Community on Friday nights. On at least one Friday a month, a group of students will gather to have an evening that focuses on faith, friendship and fun. These Friday Nights include time for conversation, games, talks, discussion or faith-sharing.
After the second Friday Night meeting, a group of people watched the movie "Signs" together. That is the kind of community that God Centered Community is trying to create.
The hope is that GCC is just the starting point for this type of community.
The goal is to bring together a group of people from all across campus who have a common desire or curiosity about deepening their faith and receiving God's wondrous love.
If Friday Nights, Adoration or After-Mass socials sound fun or interesting to you, then give it a shot. What is there to lose? They are a chance for people to come together and grow in faith and community.
A wise person once told me, "You have to experience something before you can judge it."
So even if these groups on paper do not sound like your cup of tea, give it a shot, because the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Stay on the lookout for signs about the next GCC events of the semester, or contact Campus Ministry with any questions. Give God Centered Community a shot; it's not a shot in the dark, but a shot into the light of Christ and His people.
Zack Imfeld is a sophomore organizational communications major
