Finding a church in Seattle (or anywhere for that matter) can be tough. It's a big city, there are lots of churches in lots of neighborhoods. Where do you start? How do you decide where to land? And when you do land, how do you plug in? We think those are good questions and we'll address them over the course of this quarter and maybe with another blog post. Hooray! For now, we just want to offer up some connections to people and churches that students in GCF know and love. If you are new to the city and haven't found a church or if you're a returning student and you're wondering where to go on a Sunday morning, email another student and visit their local church with them. It'll be great. Or it won't and then you can just email someone else. University Presbyterian Church Email Ping Ping about this…
Reflection on God and Learning by Anna Plantinga In C.S. Lewis’ essay Learning in War-Time, he opens with the question of whether it is right, or morally responsible, to devote our lives to learning. Is academia a frivolous waste of time, when we could be telling people about Jesus, or is there a deeper significance to a life of learning? And if learning is worthwhile on an eternal scale, are some questions more worthy than others? I am convinced that the academic life is right and fitting for Christians. Much of what we do in academia is a pursuit of learning, which for us is a pursuit of both truth and beauty. Augustine says something along the lines of “all truth is God’s truth,” and King David, in the psalms – along with countless others – admires God’s beauty reflected in the world. Any time we are seeking truth and…
Opening sentences: My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities: Response: Who could stand? who could stand? I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word do I hope. Reflection on Ash Wednesday: Two years ago, my grandfather died. And unbeknownst to the family, my grandmother carried his ashes around in her purse for over a year. She ended up carrying them with her all the way from Washington to the National Dairy Expo in Madison, WI, a destination to which both she and my grandfather had made an annual pilgrimage for decades.…
Opening sentences: My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities: Response: Who could stand? who could stand? I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word do I hope. Reflection on trust: The following reflection is excerpted and adapted from “Can God Be Trusted?” by Neal Plantinga. The original article can be found here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1998/june15/8t7045.html He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge. (Ps. 91:4, NRSV) Children often have a unique sense of security in the nest -- a sense that they are loved, protected, and…
Opening sentences: My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities: Response: Who could stand? who could stand? I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word do I hope. Words for reflection: (From John Wesley’s Covenant Renewal Service) Let us give thanks for all of God's mercies. O God, our Covenant Friend, you have been gracious to us through all the years of our lives. We thank you for your loving care, which has filled our days and brought us to this time and place. You have given us life and reason, and…
Opening sentences: My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You. Response: O Lord, hear my voice. Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities: Response: Who could stand? who could stand? I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word do I hope. Familiar words and promises: When the angel came to Mary to tell her of the child she would bear, he said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary.” Do not be afraid. It is the most often repeated exhortation in the Bible, the thing that God commands his people to do more than anything else: Do not be afraid. Abraham and Sara, they’re old…
In our twenties and thirties, we learn that life is actually quite complicated and, potentially, disappointing. We begin to realize that our families, our schooling, our relationships and even our faith, while being great sources of joy and meaning, can also be sources of angst and upset. How do we navigate the gray areas in these aspects of our lives? How do we approach them with appropriate expectations so that we aren’t always feeling disappointed? And, as Christians, who are now adults, how do we ground ourselves? This summer we’ll gather together to talk and wonder (and maybe even agree) about how to do the Christian life well in our twenties and thirties and beyond. We’ll hear from each other, from a few authors and, hopefully, the Holy Spirit. On some of these matters, some of us have wisdom to share because we’ve been there. Done that. Messed it up.…
Thanks to the Emerging Scholars Network, the next generation of Christian Scholars are finding community and sharing stories, advice and knowledge about how to navigate the academy in redemptive ways. For links to articles, interviews with Christian scholars, information about mentors and to join in the discussion, check out www.esn.intervarsity.org
At 8 A.M. on April 12, students, faculty and campus pastors gathered to pray for the people and the purposes of the University of Washington. Here are their prayers: A Prayer for the University by Will Mari, PhD candidate, Dept. of Communication Lord, we come before You at the start of spring quarter asking for Your mercy, Your grace, and Your peace in the path of learning and knowledge. You Who have called us to the academy, to this particular academy, in this time, are our only source of help, inspiration and joy. You made the molecules, people and ideas we study. You are with us in our labs, our offices, our classrooms. It is a blessing to be here, and we thank You for the opportunity to study and work in this place. But as we pray for the University of Washington, we pray first for those who govern…
Graduate Christian Fellowship is a campus ministry for graduate and professional students at the University of Washington. Whether you’re a new or current grad student, we’d love to meet you! To make that happen, please email us at uwashgcf@gmail.com, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. As you can probably tell, this website is still under construction, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for here, please do email us. Also, be sure to check back often for information on upcoming events and small groups.