Illumine
Lumos/Presbyterian Campus Ministry announces new vocation initiative
8:24 a.m., Feb. 8, 2016--Lumos/Presbyterian Campus Ministry at the University of Delaware has announced Illumine, a new vocation initiative on campus.
Inviting students into conversation around the big questions of life, the group will meet from 3:30-5 p.m. on Friday afternoons beginning Feb. 19 at the Lumos/Presbyterian Campus Ministry House located at 157 W. Main St.
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In a recent op-ed in The New York Times, columnist David Brooks wrote about his desire to work on his “eulogy virtues,” something that, even with all of his career success, he finds himself still lacking.
As opposed to “resume virtues” -- the skills and experience that help a person get the next job and that might ensure financial success -- “eulogy virtues” are the character traits and moral compass that lead someone to be an admirable person.
Brooks wrote, “We all know that the eulogy virtues are more important than the resume ones. But our culture and our educational systems spend more time teaching the skills and strategies you need for career success than the qualities you need to radiate that sort of inner light. Many of us are clearer on how to build an external career than on how to build inner character.”
Brooks is not alone, according to the Rev. Nona Holy, who directs Lumos/Presbyterian Ministry. Students on college campuses are seeking answers to big questions about their greater purpose in life, and how to make decisions about their career, relationships and other important life choices consistent with who they want to be as a person – not just the title on their business cards.
Illumine is Lumos/Presbyterian Campus Ministry’s response, Holy said. “Through thoughtful exploration of vocation and the issues surrounding it, we aim to provide students with the moral vocabulary to understand that their choices are a reflection of what they hold sacred. We hope that as students gain knowledge of themselves, they will feel confident that the light they hold within is something they can share, by choosing a path that fits for them.”
Holy said the purpose of Illumine is to engage students at the University in a deeper conversation around life choices, a conversation enriched by drawing upon the resources of the world’s spiritual and religious traditions around themes of call, purpose, service and ministry.
Each week students will consider a big question while sharing appetizers in the comfortable living room of the campus ministry house. All UD students are welcome to be part of the conversation, Holy said, adding that being Presbyterian, Christian or affiliated with any other spiritual tradition is not required. Illumine is designed to be a hospitable place for anyone who may appreciate a chance to consider these ideas.
An interest meeting for students who want to know more will be held from 12:30-1:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11, at Panera Bread on Main Street. For more information or to arrange transportation, students may contact Holy at nholy@udel.edu.