By: Breanna Kane, Staff writer ’19
Spiritual Life at Lebanon Valley College influences the campus community by offering diverse activities that are open to everyone.
Natalia Smith, administrative assistant for spiritual life, service and volunteerism, skillfully keeps the events organized for the student body..
“One of the events coming up is the Henna Tattoo Workshop,” Smith said. “Candy Sparks– she’s an art student– is going to be leading the workshop.”
Sparks also leads student-led mindfulness.
“She’s tying mindfulness meditation to Henna body art,” Smith said.
Every Friday night, Spiritual Life has a fellowship activity. Recently, the group sponsored a hayride and corn maize after dark. They’re also planning laser tag, bowling and a visit to Sight and Sound Theater to see “Miracle of Christmas.”
“Christian life at LVC pays for and develops these events, but these are not religion-oriented,” Smith said. “They’re just fellowship. Anyone can go, and it’s just a fun time.”
Student activities are mostly for amusement, but Spiritual Life encompasses much more. For instance, Christian Life adopted a child through Compassion International.
“There is a financial commitment of $38 a month to pay for the sponsorship,” Smith said. “The problem is that the people who made the commitment to adopt the child are gone– they graduated. It’s an all new group of students that have to keep it going.”
To alleviate the struggle of raising funds, Smith extended the opportunity to the LVC community so that faculty and staff can contribute to the sponsorship. The sponsorship relies on donations as opposed to fundraising.
Spiritual Life also involves religious activities including student-led worship and Islamic Fellowship– both on Wednesday nights.
“It’s interesting how we don’t necessarily have specific services,” Alex Mora, a music major with a concentration in sacred music, said. “Everyone who goes there is from different beliefs and denominations. It’s kind of cool.”
LVC hosts a variety of religious backgrounds in its student body, faculty and staff.
“A pastor from a local church comes to lead prayer in the prayer room on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m.,” Smith said. “We have Catholic Mass on Sundays, and we have a rabbi who’s one of the affiliate ministers.”
The affiliate ministers come to campus from the outside to provide support to students who identify with a corresponding religion or faith. LVC also invites representatives of different religious backgrounds to serve as panelists in the Interfaith Dialogue series.
Smith encourages students to sign up for Spiritual Life’s events on Redbook to ensure they are properly planned, especially when they involve food and limited capacity.
brk002@lvc.edu