On behalf of the Chaplains — Joel Harter, Meir Goldstein, Shane Atkinson, Peter Tremblay and myself, Chaplain Jan, and all the professionals who serve with us — I want to welcome you! It is a joy to have the campus teeming again with happy and energetic students.
Our presence on campus means that Elon cares about your whole self: “mind, body and spirit” as the University Mission statement articulates. Our mission in the Truitt Center is to provide you with resources to explore, consider and deepen your religious, spiritual or ethical commitment. We also offer you opportunities to understand and interact with those who follow different paths. And we provide events and moments to support religious and nonreligious students to think together and learn from each other. We can offer personal support when life gets tough and for all your celebrations too. Invite one of us to have coffee and get to know us!
Opening events are planned to help you connect with spiritual communities and to make friends.
As you begin to settle in you will find that this is a unique time in your life. This is the developmental window in which your faith, practice and viewpoints move from inherited to owned, when you become the authors of your own worldview and faith. This internal move involves questioning your own ideas, and can be troubling or can cause a sense of conflict in yourself. It asks time of you — time to consider your own beliefs and values, time to learn about your own traditions and those of others, time to care for self, time to talk with trusted friends, time to celebrate what you do know for sure. Imagine the process of owning your own faith or worldview like a suitcase you packed to come to Elon. It contains items your parents threw in, items you thought you would need but really don’t, items you use every day that you know for sure are necessary. The suitcase will be sorted over these years and repacked. Patience will be required.
The Chaplains’ commitment is to offer you resources to help you pack, unpack and repack your suitcase. We want to be part of your journey of discovery and exploration. We have wonderful people to offer, and resources of events, celebrations and identity groups. Look for us on Phoenix Connect and come by the Numen Lumen Pavilion. A spiritual connections card is available on our website at www.elon.edu/rellife. We are here for you, to help you find ways to be connected, to think about religion’s place in your life, in the life of our community and cultures and to make lifelong friends.
Let us know how we can befriend, help and journey with you.