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students play vital role in ministry at newman center in carbondale

Story and photo by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

School years are winding down across the diocese and around the nation. Colleges and universities are moving into their summer schedules, and the Newman Center in Carbondale hosted an end-of-the-year appreciation dinner for the many volunteers who support the center throughout the year.

Campus minister, Emily Beitel paused in her vegetable chopping chores to talk about the Newman Center and some of the programs that support students at the university.

“Working with the students has been the most fun,” Beitel said.

With the help of Jeff Jenkins, former Newman Center director, Beitel reached out to the campus community with a weekly “metanoia” program at the student center where the group was given space for discussions.

“It has been really successful,” Beitel said. Taking an idea from I-tunes, they called the gathering “My Tunes.”
A student chose a song that was especially meaningful, played the song for the group and then explained how the song fit into the context of their own lives.

Last year, Beitel said, they organized discussions around the theme of “Facebook Jesus.”

In the fall, a theme may be worked out that corresponds in some way to “twitter.”
The overall theme of all of these groups, Beitel said explains “how they’ve grown in spirituality on their journey with God.”

Another weekly program that has been successful was a Thursday evening dinner and discussion group.
The discussions have been led by students, Beitel said, focusing on topics of interest and importance to them.
Chairperson of the Student Ministry Team at Newman, Christine Black explained how she became involved at the center.

“Once I realized that God was calling me home, I threw myself into serving at Newman as much as I could,” Black said.

Black, also a member of the Faith Formation Committee and a small group leader, said: “Serving God in any way means letting God work through you, and there is no way to do that without experiencing spiritual growth.”
Students also learn about social justice and everyone’s call to service in the church.

Beitel said they define social justice and talk about how students and be just and active.
Each month that students attend school, they are given an opportunity to serve others, sometimes at a food bank or a soup kitchen.

“Service and social justice are very important,” Emily Struemph said. “They help define my faith because I feel that helping out others is a big part of a person’s faith life.”

Chairperson of the Social Justice Committee, Megan Baskerville, said she has become much more aware of issues that she didn’t know about previously.

“Being the head of this committee keeps me on my toes,” Baskerville said. “I have to keep looking for issues and events to promote, so this brings me into contact with a lot of information that I had not been aware existed before.”
Baskerville said she has grown spiritually “because I have realized I cannot allow myself to be only consumed with my own trials and tribulations. Also, I have come to realize just how real St. Teresa of Avila’s saying was that ‘God has no hands but our hands to do his work today.’ (It) has given me a broader world view and gives me even more faith that God is everywhere.”

Having students participate as leaders makes programs more successful, Beitel said, because students can design activities and discussions that make sense and are meaningful to students on campus today.

“The groups provide a snapshot of students who participate in the Newman student population,” she said. “They know what students want or are looking for.”