This semester we will be continuing our “Faith Flicks” program. We will be showing a series of movies during the semester that touch on different issues relating to our faith. Starting tomorrow, Jan. 20, Faith Flicks will be shown in the TV Room at the PSC at 8pm, every other Thursday night. For the full lineup, see below.

Jan. 20          Gasland
Feb. 3             The Pursuit of Happyness
Feb. 17           Soundtrack for a Revolution
Mar. 3            Into the Wild
Mar. 17          No Movie (Spring Break)
Mar. 31          Through My Eyes
Apr. 14           Life Is Beautiful
Apr. 28          Food Inc.

For more information, contact Clay Mersmann (cmersmann@uga.edu).

Some of our students got into the Christmas spirit a little early this past Tuesday after worship, as they gathered to prepare gifts for children in the third world.  Participating in an event called “Operation Christmas Child,” students stuffed shoeboxes with toys, candy, school supplies, and basic health items.  These gift boxes will be taken to a collection center here in town, and then shipped half-way around the world to children in third-world countries who do not typically get to enjoy Christmas in the ways we have been blessed to become accustomed to.

Holly Aversano, our student minister for service, can be seen in the picture to the right, surrounded by presents that will be sent off to these children.  Other students who participated in the “stuffing party” included Abby Crawford, Ben Sheppard, Meagan Rowe, and student ministers Daniel Kilfoyle and Karen Hartsfield.

Following are the results of the survey on prayer and meditation that was given out to members of the Presbyterian Student Center. This survey was created to gather information on the attitudes of those members toward prayer and meditation. Survey data was collected between October 5, 2010, and October 18th, 2010 and was taken from 44 respondents.

The percentages included next to the multiple-choice answers reflect the rounded percentage out of the total number of respondents per question. Every question was not necessarily answered by each respondent, and  some respondents chose more than one answer for some questions, so total percentages to some questions over 100% may reflect this. There were a number of people who wrote comments out to the side of some of the multiple-choice answers, and this was informative for me, but for the sake of expediency, only those comments which were given in the short answer areas were included in these results.

I would like to encourage anyone and everyone who has an interest in our community to take a look at these results and share your thoughts with one another. The purpose of this survey, after all, was ultimately to facilitate such discussion.

-Mitch

–

Which of the following statements best summarizes your general attitude toward prayer?
14%  Prayer is our way of letting God know what we need.  (6 of 44 respondents)
0%  Prayer is unnecessary because God knows our innermost thoughts.  (0 of 44 respondents)
48%  Prayer is our way of acknowledging what God already knows. (21 of 44 respondents)
16%  Prayer is less about talking to God than listening for God. (7 of 44 respondents)
30%  Other:  click here to view individual answers. (13 of 44 respondents)

Do you believe that prayer deepens your relationship with God?
100%  Yes (43 of 43 respondents)
0%  No (0 of 43 respondents)

How comfortable are you praying in a group?
16%  Very comfortable (7 of 44 respondents)
55%  Somewhat comfortable (24 of 44 respondents)
27%  Somewhat uncomfortable (12 of 44 respondents)
5%  Not at all comfortable (2 of 44 respondents)

How often would you say you pray in a group?
32%  Never or rarely (14 of 44 respondents)
32%  Once or twice a month (14 of 44 respondents)
20%  About once a week (9 of 44 respondents)
18%  Multiple times each week (8 of 44 respondents)

Do you believe that there is a spiritual difference between the practice of corporate prayer (prayer in groups) and solitary prayer?
75%  Yes (33 of 44 respondents)
25%  No (11 of 44 respondents)

If you answered ‘yes’ to the previous question, please briefly explain your distinction.
click here to view individual answers.

Do you come to the weekly Prayer Group on Sunday evenings?
9%  Yes (4 of 44 respondents)
77%  No (34 of 44 respondents)
16%  I’ve come a few times (7 of 44 respondents)

Have you ever come to pray in the Chapel during the week?
11%  Yes, on a regular basis (5 of 44 respondents)
30%  I’ve come a few times (13 of 44 respondents)
57% No (25 of 44 respondents)
5%  People pray in the Chapel during the week? (2 of 44 respondents)

Do you feel that the Prayer Request Board is an adequate means of informing our community about your prayer concerns and/or joys?
93%  Yes (39 of 42 respondents)
7%  No (3 of 42 respondents)

If you answered ‘no’ to the last question, please briefly explain how you believe this process could be improved.
click here to view individual answers.

Do you believe that people who have very different thoughts on prayer and/or God can come together to pray?
98%  Yes (42 of 43 respondents)
2%  No (1 of 43 respondents)

How comfortable would you feel praying with someone of a different Christian tradition than your own?
0%  Not at all comfortable (0 of 44 respondents)
30%  Somewhat uncomfortable, but open to it (13 of 44 respondents)
18%  Somewhat comfortable (8 of 44 respondents)
52%  Very comfortable (23 of 44 respondents)

How comfortable would you feel praying with someone of a different religious tradition than your own?
2%  Not at all comfortable (1 of 44 respondents)
25%  Somewhat uncomfortable, but open to it (11 of 44 respondents)
27%  Somewhat comfortable (12 of 44 respondents)
45%  Very comfortable (20 of 44 respondents)

Do you believe that music, sung or played, can be a unique form of prayer?
98%  Yes (43 of 44 respondents)
2%  No (1 of 44 respondents)

Which of the following phrases best describes your feelings on the prayerful use of music during worship at the Presbyterian Student Center?
51%  Wonderful (20 of 39 respondents)
44%  Satisfactory (17 of 39 respondents)
5%  In need of improvement (2 of 39 respondents )

If you answered ‘in need of improvement’ to the previous question, please briefly explain how you feel this could be improved:
click here to view individual answers.

Do you believe that visual or performance art can be a unique form of prayer?
98%  Yes (43 of 44 respondents)
2%  No (1 of 44 respondents)

Do you believe that athletic performance can be a unique form of prayer?
76%  Yes (31 of 41 respondents)
24%  No (10 of 41 respondents)

How often do you read and reflect on contemplative and/or prayerful books or writings in your free time?
50%  Never or rarely (22 of 44 respondents)
39%  Sometimes (17 of 44 respondents)
11%  As often as I am able (5 of 44 respondents)

How likely is it that you would participate in an overnight prayer retreat sometime before the end of the academic year?
14%  Not at all likely (6 of 42 respondents)
21%  Only if I had nothing else better to do (9 of 42 respondents)
24%  Fairly likely (10 of 42 respondents)
31%  Unless I had a conflict, I would participate (13 of 42 respondents)
10%  I would go out of my way to participate (4 of 42 respondents)

Contemplative meditation is sometimes also referred to as ‘prayerful silence.’ How important do you believe it is to set time aside regularly for personal prayerful silence?
0%  Not important (0 of 44 respondents)
18%  Not that important, but it’s a good idea (8 of 44 respondents)
27%  Somewhat important (12 of 44 respondents)
55%  Very important (24 of 44 respondents)

How many times a week do you usually set aside time for personal prayerful silence?
36%  0-1 times per week (16 of 44 respondents)
34%  2-3 times per week (15 of 44 respondents)
7%  4-6 times per week (3 of 44 respondents)
14%  Once each day (6 of 44 respondents)
9%  More than once each day (4 of 44 respondents)

Are you familiar with the phrase ‘Centering Prayer?’
55%  Yes (24 of 44 respondents)
45% No (20 of 44 respondents)

Are you familiar with the phrase ‘Lectio Divina?’
23%  Yes (10 of 44 respondents)
77%  No (34 of 44 respondents)

If you answered ‘no’ to either of the previous questions, would you be interested in learning about these prayerful practices?
92%  Yes (35 of 38 respondents)
8%  No (3 of 38 respondents)

How likely is it that you would participate in activities involving one of these prayerful practices?
7%  Not likely at all (3 of 41 respondents)
10%  Only if I had nothing else better to do (4 of 41 respondents)
51%  Fairly likely (21 of 41 respondents)
32%  Unless I had a conflict, I would participate (13 of 41 respondents)
0%  I would go out of my way to participate (0 of 41 respondents)

Which of the following statements best describes your thoughts on prayer labyrinths?
14%  What’s a prayer labyrinth? (6 of 44 respondents)
34%  I’ve never had the chance to walk one, but I’d like to soon. (15 of 44 respondents)
18%  I’ve walked one before, but I didn’t gain anything from it. (8 of 44 respondents)
34%  Prayer labyrinths help me to quiet my distracted mind. (15 of 44 respondents)
0%  I think prayer labyrinths are a distraction from true prayer. (0 of 44 respondents)

Using the space below, please feel free to add any additional thoughts you may have about prayer and meditation.
click here to view individual answers.

Things are looking different around the Presbyterian Student Center lately. We have a new parking lot, complete with new sidewalks, lights and updated landscaping that looks pretty impressive from the road. Another thing that is about to change, given a couple of months, some hard volunteer work and God’s blessing, is a small, unassuming circular area on the back end of our property here at 1250 South Lumpkin Street.

As part of my ministry project for the academic year, focused on prayer and mediation, I have committed to helping senior student Hayley Callaway complete a long-held dream of hers to have a prayer labyrinth at the PSC. For those who have never heard of a prayer labyrinth, it is a centuries-old prayer tool that is used to simulate a pilgrimage. Long ago, christians who couldn’t afford to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem used labyrinths, and today, many use labyrinths to simulate one’s pilgrimage toward God throughout life. Usually circular, the labyrinth consists of a single path that winds in serpentine fashion around the circle, eventually bringing its pilgrim to the center of the labyrinth, which symbolizes union with God. In the center, pilgrims can take time to pray and reflect on their personal walk of faith.

We’ve formed a Planning Committee with a handful of other students (a full list of these members is found at the bottom of this page), and we have already crafted a comprehensive vision for the labyrinth. Our students have decided to use a seven-circuit pattern for our labyrinth, which can be seen above, and we are going to define the lanes through the artful re-use of glass bottles, inverted and placed in the ground, similar to those in the picture you can see on the right. The lanes will be filled in with pea gravel, which will make the labyrinth barefoot-friendly and allow for good drainage, and  in the center we plan to have a number of small benches, as well as plaques with verses of scripture and poems, to facilitate meditative reflection. The labyrinth will be encircled by a small fence to mark it off as sacred space, and we hope to add a tree or two for shade and greenery. Construction of the labyrinth is planned for April 2011, so mark your calendars! We have a lot of fund-raising and materials collecting (bring us your glass bottles!) to do in the meantime, and we will need the help of PSC community members and friends to make this dream a reality! Please contact me, Mitch Roper, or any of the students listed below to find out how you can help us with this joyful project.

Students on Labyrinth Planning Committee:
Hayley Callaway
Kyle Mackey
Ben Sheppard
Jonathan Torres
Justin Van Wicklen