A group of faculty and a handful of students sit quietly in the brightly lit Sacred Space room in Numen Lumen. They listen on as the next 20 minutes is a time of song, speech, positivity and relaxation.
It is a time to reflect, and during these weekly "Thursday Inspirations," attendees take a moment to breathe and enjoy some time of calmness in between class and work.
Sophomore Lydia Jobe comes to this event almost every week. She said her feelings toward the messages and their theme of peace keep her coming back.
"It gives you something good to think about,” Jobe said.
Every Thursday from 9:50 to 10:20 a.m. in the Numen Lumen Pavilion, members Elon University community members gather to take some time out from their busy days and listen to speakers and musicians. Each week carries a different theme.
Today's event featured guest speaker Eric Biebel, who has been working with Physical Plant for 10 years.
Though he spoke in a nervous tone, Biebel shared a story of being the youngest of 10 children raised on a dairy farm in Eerie, Pennsylvania. He read aloud what it was like to live on a working farm and said “some called us poor, and we were, but we were poor and we did what needed to be done.”
He then shared a memory of a cold, snowy, blustery day as a child when he worked alongside his father and finally felt loved and welcomed.
In the spirit of welcoming and hospitality, Biebel related his experiences and rural upbringing t life working on behalf of the university.
"Elon is a farm we seed and harvest every year tilling and growing people and buildings," Biebel said. "We are working in a park of learning and growing."