What’s Happening Finals Week

Finals week is a busy time. And here at MSN is no exception. Every day next week there will be fun exam breakers. We’ll start Friday with a planning meeting and some delicious pancakes. Then, Saturday, we’re headed to the farmer’s market and going ice-skating on Main Street. Sunday after service we are hosting a potluck, so bring your favorite side or dessert. And feel free to wear your festive Christmas sweaters.

Once the weekend is finished, we still have more lined up. Monday night is caroling at the Tucker Center. It’s cookie-decorating time on Tuesday night. Then a trip to the Zoo on Wednesday. They have special light displays for their Lights at the Zoo experience. Tickets are $10. Rounding out the week is a board game night on Thursday. Friday we leave for our trip to John’s Island. We’ll be helping residents and chopping wood on Saturday.

While you’re studying hard, we hope you can enjoy some of these exam breakers with us.

Friday, December 4: Planning (8pm) and Pancakes (10pm)

Saturday, December 5: Soda City Market and ice-skating (10:30am)

Sunday, December 6: Potluck Dinner and Sweater Party after service (6pm)

Monday, December 7: Caroling (5:15pm)

Tuesday, December 8: Cookie Decorating Party (8pm)

Wednesday, December 9: Lights at the Zoo trip (5pm)

Thursday, December 10: Board Games (8pm)

Friday, December 11- Saturday, December 12: Mission Trip to Johns Island

A List of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is drawing closer. While we prep turkeys and mash potatoes, we want to remember that there is more to this holiday than stuffing our faces with food. Not that that isn’t great, but there is more to it. In the spirit of really giving thanks, we thought it would be nice to make a list of some of the things we are grateful for.

This list is inspired by the great Twitter hashtag #happylist, where people record what makes them happy each week. Because what makes us happy is a good starting place for gratefulness.

And now that we are in the mindset of thankfulness, let us take a moment to pray, and offer our thanks to God.

 

Thanksgiving

By Ralph Waldo Emerson

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

 If you want to make your own list of what you are thankful for, we would love to see it. Share it with us on our Facebook page, Methodist Student Network, or on Instagram or Twitter @msnatusc.

 

Lake Junaluska Reflection

The delightful Mackin Wall is this week’s guest poster, with a reflection about last weekend’s Lake Junaluska Retreat.

This past weekend, MSN traveled to Lake Junaluska, a beautiful town located in the mountains of North Carolina for a retreat. We all had the opportunity to grow in our spiritual lives, our friendships with one another and learn more about the homeless community in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is located about 30 minutes West of Lake Junaluska. On Saturday morning, we had the opportunity to visit Haywood Street United Methodist Church and hear Brian speak about the church and the community. We learned that there is a large homeless population in Asheville, many of whom attend Haywood Street. Everyone is welcome with open arms to share a meal together, attend worship, receive clothes or shoes, and receive medical care. Brian also walked us around town to the different areas that the homeless tend to go to seek shelter, have a cup of coffee or look for work. This put things into perspective for many of us, and opened our eyes to the daily struggles of those living on the streets. It was a humbling experience and we were able to discuss ways in which we can reach out to those in need with the same kind of love and grace that God shows us every day.

Saturday evening and Sunday, we were all able to engage in activities such as shopping around town or simply going for a stroll around the lake. We ate every meal together around great conversations. We were able to escape the busy college life of USC and focus on our spirituality. One evening we had devotion around the beautiful lite up cross at the top of the lake led by our campus minister Tom, where we sang, prayed and learned together. We all chose words we thought were the most important traits of a Christian, such as serving, forgiving, humble, compassionate, etc., and prayed that we could begin acting those traits out more often. It was a humbling and relaxing weekend spent with wonderful people, growing in the love of Christ.

Kingstree Mission Trip Reflection

The sun would rise up over the fields and burn off the haze of the mornings as we drove out to the work site. Seeing the filtered sunlight through the trees was our encouragement before each day of work. The houses we worked on had been damaged in the recent floods. In two and a half days we managed to clean out most of both houses, leaving behind a clean slate for future work crews and a huge trash pile.

We sorted, cleared, and tried to salvage as much as we could. Wood furniture was washed in bleach, pictures were saved, and dry clothes hung up. Once everything was moved, it was time to take out the drywall and insulation in the house, as it was contributing to mold.Doing the demolition was actually pretty fun. If you’ve ever wanted to punch a hole through a wall, drywall demolition is your opportunity. There were some creative methods of busting out the walls, including throwing a weight at them, and maybe a piggyback ride or two to reach the ceilings.

In addition to clearing out furniture and taking down walls, the insulation under the house had to be cleared out. No one envied the brave souls who had to spend their days crawling around in the dirt or those carrying fiberglass insulation.

All of that hard work required fuel. Luckily, we were extremely well fed. Greater Bethel AME Church was our gracious host for the trip. They allowed us to sleep in their sanctuary, hang out in their fellowship hall, and fixed is breakfast every morning. “Come and eat!” was shouted as we all descended on the grits and sausage like a pack of hungry wolves. Other generous local churches made us lunches to get us through each day, and dinners when we were done. Every meal was filled with discussions of how tasty everything was. We are so incredibly thankful to all of the volunteers who cook, coordinated, and served us during our time in Kingstree.

Certainly one of the highlights of the trip was meeting Deborah, the homeowner, and her family. They were around several of the days we were working, and despite having to face this difficult time, they still managed to remain positive. The strength of their faith was truly an inspiration to us all.

Taking time out of Fall Break to go and serve in Kingstree was more than just a nice thing to do. Meeting new friends, spending time with old friends, and realizing how powerful faith in God can be helped to bring us all closer. Helping the community in Williamsburg county, helped us as well.

Flood Updates

To say that this week has been crazy is like saying the South kind of enjoys sweet tea. All of South Carolina has been a mess. Here in Columbia it has been all hands on deck to help those displaced by the floodwaters. MSN students have volunteered at Aldersgate Special Needs Ministry and several homes around town, helping to clear out people’s soaked belongings and remove debris. They have also spent several mornings at Harvest Hope food bank, sorting and distributing water and food to those in need.

Amidst this push to help our neighbors, we’ve also had to make several repairs to the Ministry Center. It was damaged during the floods, but thankfully not too extensively. It will cost about $1800 to cover the repairs. We sent out a message earlier in the week, asking for donations, by mail or online. Some wonderful donors have already generously given to help us out, but we are still working towards our goal. In the meantime, we’ve managed to replace the damaged carpet and install a new drainage system outside. It is looking like a good start to a restored Ministry Center.

                    Wet carpet removed

                         New carpet!

A very important announcement was also made this week. In light of the increased need right here at home, we will now be staying in South Carolina for Fall Break. Although we were very excited to be going to New Orleans and working with Project Homecoming again, we felt that staying here to help was the right move. The plan right now is to serve Thursday, Friday, and half a day on Saturday (22-24 October) in Columbia or nearby communities like Kingstree. The price of the trip will also be decreased from the original $50. We hope you and your friends will consider joining us as we try to do our best to help our community in this time of need.

It has been a tough week, but we continue to pray for strength to serve, and healing for those hurt.

Floods, Silver Linings, and How to Help

As many of you know, we went on our Swint Lake Retreat this weekend. The theme was beloved community. Our speakers spoke often about why each of us needs our people in times of trouble and joy. As the weekend came to a close, those sentiments were put to the test.

Flooding in Columbia and throughout the state of South Carolina has left the state in disarray. Bridges and roads are closed, homes are destroyed, and people have been warned not to leave secure locations. It was into this mess that we all drove Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, everyone made it back safely. But not without a tree falling across the driveway and having to be removed. Some people could not reach their homes, and had to find friends to stay with. It was truly a time when we all needed community. We had to walk the talk. And in doing so, we found the silver lining to the grey clouds that have been constantly present. When we come together to help our communities, we find love of Christ in all of those around us. It was a difficult and unfortunate situation, but it brought us closer.

Our MSN family is being taken care of, but sirens still blare as rescue efforts and emergencies continue. If you would like to help, many efforts are being organized.

You can donate to the United Way here: https://www.uway.org/news/flood-disaster-relief-fund

Or the Red Cross is also taking donations to help with flood relief here: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation

If you are a student and would like to volunteer with the clean up, sign up here.

All help is greatly appreciated, as are prayers for the safety of all of those affected by these storms.

Spiritual Yet Secular Music

A big theme this month has been how we are incorporating our spiritual lives into our “normal lives.” Just because we like to compartmentalize God into a box on Sunday, doesn’t mean that He isn’t part of our lives the rest of the week. Sometimes we find God challenging us while we would rather be eating lunch and focusing on schoolwork. Other times life gets tough and we are reminded that no matter where we are, God is with us. One way that God can reach out to us is through music. We love music in worship, but music that isn’t classified as Christian can remind us of God as well, if we are looking for him.

It is all a matter of our perspective. If we go looking for God, He is everywhere. Here are a few songs that we found God in when we went looking.

You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone– This song was originally a love song, but it is easy to see how it translates into talking about the love of Jesus. The imagery even parallels Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world.” All told, this is a beautiful and powerful song.

One by U2- When put into a spiritual context, this song asks some pretty deep questions about what kind of Christian experience we are looking for. But in the end it is all about the “one love” of Jesus.

I’ve Got the Sun in the Morning by Tania Grubbs- It is easy to forget to look at all of the little things in life and be joyful and thankful for them. Luckily, there are lots of things to remind us that God has made a beautiful world. This song is a reminder to be joyous for even the sun in the morning and the moon at night.

Shelter From the Storm by Bob Dylan– Every time a storm rises in our lives, God is there to offer us safety and shelter. This song speaks poetically about how we all need the shelter in our lives.

These are some songs that stood out to us. Next time you are jamming out to your favorite songs, see if you can find a little God hidden there. And let us know what you find!

How to Replenish Your Spirit

Some weeks it can be hard to get from Sunday to Sunday without feeling like you’ve lost touch with God. Life can be crazy busy and time for spiritual reflection can slip through the cracks. On the weeks where we need God most, He can feel the hardest to reach. When we are drained and in desperate need of something to lift us up, where else can we turn?

It’s time to talk about what we can do on our busiest, most challenging weeks to remain in touch with God. Of course we all say that we read our Bibles and pray. But when life is overwhelming, those 15 or 30 minutes for spiritual meditation and Bible reading can turn into panicked feelings of guilt for work we aren’t doing. What will we really do when we are busy and overwhelmed to find God in the mess of our lives?

These are a few ideas of small but powerful ways to reconnect with God when you feel stressed out.
1. Lights off– In order to find a quiet moment, sometimes we have to take all distractions away for five minutes. No laptop or phone, just quiet darkness. Then we can have the opportunity to pray. Praying hard is easier if everything else is taken away for a brief moment. So is listening to God. So take a study break and turn your lights off, and with them the distractions of the world, to just focus on God.

2. Write a thank you note– Sometimes the opposite of stressed is thankful. Try making a list in a journal, on a scrap piece of paper, or even just in your head of everything you are thankful for. It will take your mind off the negative and refocusing on the blessings in your life.

3. Walk and pray– While taking time to bow our heads and pray is always nice, there are times when we need Jesus before we have a moment to slow down. Luckily, we can call on God any time. It is fine to pray whenever you need to have a conversation with Jesus. That might mean you pray on the way to class, or over dinner. Even though you aren’t able to drop everything for prayer, praying whenever you can is still a good way to reconnect with God throughout the day.

4. Sing out– Music is a powerful form of worship. The right hymn often expresses what you might be feeling in a way words just can’t. Spotify and other online radios have generous Christian music offerings. Search for the song you need, or a playlist. Sing along at the top of your lungs. Put one song on repeat while you do your homework. Let the music surround and move you with God’s love.

If you want a chance to sing and worship in a smaller, more meditative setting during the week, then you can also come to Replenish. Every other Wednesday at 9pm, we hold Replenish as a way for everyone to have a chance to get a little God into the middle of his or her week. If you have 45 minutes to an hour, it’s a wonderful chance to reconnect with God through song.

We are called to live each day of our lives with God. But that is easier said than done. Yet, even during our most stressful times, there are still ways to keep our spirits full with the presence of the Lord.

This list is only the beginning. What do you do to reconnect with God during the week? Let us know.

Service Stories: Soup Cellar

Amanda Collins is bringing us a guest post this week all about the Soup Cellar.

What is the Soup Cellar?

The Soup Cellar, located in the cellar of Washington Street United Methodist Church, provides a free meal to those who need it Monday through Friday, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. It began on October 15, 1979, serving twelve people that day, and has flourished ever since, serving 47,203 meals in 2011. Volunteers include people from Washington Street United Methodist Church who help out every day, members of various church groups who come in on certain days each month, and, of course, students from the University of South Carolina.

The outside of Washington Street United Methodist Church

My experience

I began serving at the Soup Cellar my freshman year at USC. I have discovered over the years that serving at the soup cellar goes far deeper than just pouring tea. I happen to be a relatively shy and painfully awkward person, so when I first began volunteering, I was polite but guarded, and I didn’t get to know the people I saw every week. Over time, however, I began conversing with people and them with me. Now I’m a senior, and I’ve gotten to know about people’s talents, families, cats, feelings about the metric system, etc. To me, the Soup Cellar is about building relationships with people you might not otherwise encounter in your daily life, and being able to learn from one another. I’ve learned that I can’t share God’s love, a love that transcends cultural, social, economic, and other barriers, without venturing out in the world and meeting the fellow members of his kingdom.

How can I (you) volunteer?
You can volunteer at the soup cellar any day Monday-Friday. I will provide transportation to the soup cellar from MSN on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:45 a.m., and Courtney Sanford is available to provide transportation on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is also opportunity to help set up and prepare food earlier in the day. If you are interested or have any questions, please let me know.

Contact information

Amanda Collins: Colli245@email.sc.edu

MSN: columbiawesley@gmail.com

Service Stories: Prosperity Project

We’re lucky to have Tyler Wagner as our guest writer this week. He’s here to tell us about Prosperity Project.

What is Prosperity Project?

Prosperity Project is an after school program for underprivileged children in the surrounding Columbia area, specifically the apartment complex of Gonzalez Gardens. It is a non-profit, faith based organization where volunteers come to play, tutor, mentor, and spend time with the children (K-5^th grade). In addition, they have recently developed a pre-school program in which volunteers look after and care for children ages 2-5, providing love, encouragement, and education. The overall mission of the program is to aid in the spiritual and educational development of children living in this community, which can only be accomplished by countless volunteers who focus on developing relationships with the students they serve.

My Experience:

 This upcoming semester (Fall of 2015) will be my third year volunteering with Prosperity Project. When I first joined the Methodist Student Network (MSN) here at USC, it took me a little while to settle in and participate in some of the service that this group provides to the local community. I was overwhelmed by the start of my college experience and all the numerous organizations that USC has to offer. However, once I attended Prosperity Project for the first time, I felt called to truly try and make a difference in the students’ lives.

The children who attend Prosperity Project live in a local apartment complex near Five Points that is known for its violence, gang presence, and drug abuse. Unfortunately, this results in kids being surrounded by a negative and harmful environment on a daily basis. Without any help, these children most likely won’t graduate from high school and will fall victim to the circumstances that engulf the crime-ridden housing community. It is because of these conditions that having a positive role model is vital to the future of each and every student.

That is where volunteers come in, and more specifically MSN. To be completely honest, if you asked any student who has given their time to help tutor or mentor a child at Prosperity Project, they will tell you that it is a challenge. However, when I refer to it as a challenge, I mean that in the best way possible. It is a challenge because you eventually really begin to care and want the best for the children within the program. It’s hard when they misbehave, don’t listen, or even show disrespect towards their peers or other volunteers. It is also tough when you have to break up fights, mend hurt feelings, and explain why one shouldn’t say hurtful things. The thing that I find most difficult is realizing that the future will be hard for many of the children.

Yet despite the challenges that many volunteers and I have faced, it is easy to see the potential and success of the all the children in the program. When you put your heart into the organization, you do receive a lot out of it, both mentally and emotionally. I personally feel privileged to be able to interact with the children on a weekly basis and to be a positive role model in their life. When tutoring the children throughout the year, it always amazes me to see their accomplishments as they raise their reading level by multiple grades and become more proficient in their core subjects. To me, Prosperity Project is about making as much of a difference as you can and hopefully impacting one of the children’s lives for the better. While it may be a challenge, it is one that I have accepted and grown very passionate about.

Tyler Wagner

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The schedule for this semester is Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoon from 3:00-6:00 pm. Feel free to volunteer for several hours on one day or even multiple days per week – whatever your schedule has time for!

For more information about getting involved with Prosperity Project contact me, Tyler Wagner (twagner@email.sc.edu / 864-710-7349). And check out the Prosperity Project site!