PSF at WVU

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

End of semester is approaching quickly, here is what we are up to:

Wednesday, April 25 meet at center at 7 pm and head out to dinner to honor graduates

Friday, April 27, meet at center @4:30 pm to head to Parsons for cook-out with Campus Ministry Committee

Sunday, April 29, attend worship at FPC at 10:45 am to hear Campus Pastor preach and receive exam care packs after worship

Send email to WVUPSF@gmail.com with summer contact info!!

Pastors, let us know who is coming next fall by emailing home and school contact info (emails and cell numbers most helpful) to WVUPSF@gmail.com.

Monday, March 12, 2012

What's coming up

Wed, March 14 -- Lupe Fiasco, Beautiful Lasers
Wed, March 21-- Sigh No More/Awake My Soul

Spring Break, Wed. March 28

Wed. April 4 -- Roll Away Your Stone
***Wednesday programs @Campus Ministry Center and include free dinner at 7 pm and program start at 7:30 pm, map in side bar
Holy Week Services

Sunday, April 1--Palm Sunday service, 10:45 am @FPC Morgantown

Thursday, April 5--Maundy Thursday service options: 7 pm @FPC Morgantown, and 6 pm FPC Fairmont (potluck and communion service, you can ride with Shelly to service in Fairmont)

Friday, April 6 -- Tenebrae Service at 7 pm @FPC Morgantown

Sunday, April 8--Easter Sunday, welcome to join Parsons @FPC Morgantown and after for Easter Lunch/Egg Hunt,

More info on all holy weeks services at FPC Morgantown in this month’s newsletter: scroll through to find page about Holy Week

Monday, April 16, 5:30 pm: combined Seder with MCM and UMSM @First Presbyterian Church Morgantown (downtown on corner of Forest and Spruce Sts)

Wednesday, April 18 -- 7 pm dinner, 7:30 pm guest speaker, Forrest Palmer, on God’s call for our lives @Campus Ministry Center

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Member of the PSF@WVU had the chance to see a rough cut of Blue Like Jazz The Movie at the Montreat College Conference in January. It is awesome. You should totally see it. Especially folks who are trying to figure out how to connect with young adults and young adults struggling to maintain a faith while away from their homes. It was awesome--thoughtful and hilarious. We will definitely be making this a PSF movie night.

Here is the trailor

Great discussion last night on "Born this Way" by Lady Gaga.

To recap. First we checked out the lyrics to her song noting where we saw connections to our own beliefs/faith and where they missed the mark. Then we watched the Born this Way Video. We discussed A LOT about this video -- its imagery, how it changes the song meaning, etc. Especially interesting was the note that there is some disconnect between the beautiful people used in the video and singing about being born this way. . .In addition, it was noted that Lady Gaga sings about being born this way while totally creating a new persona (including hair dying, underweight, etc). Is being born this way accepting only who you are on the inside or both accepting the beauty of your outer self as is also?

We looked at the following scriptures
1. Skim Genesis 1, focus esp 1:26 - 31
2. Skim Psalm 139, focus esp 139:1 - 7, 13 - 16
3. Gal. 3: 23 - 29, esp 3:26 - 28

We discussed how these connected, expanded, and challenged the song's imagery and language.

There were also connections made to the second creation account in Genesis 2 - 3 and the beginning of the video that discusses both the birth of good and of evil.

This morning I was thinking, however, a reread of Genesis 1 where it says over and over 'God created . . . and it was good' is an interesting juxtaposition to the beginning of the video that insists on the necessity of the birth of evil.

There was also good discussion about what it means to be created in God's image (Genesis, male and female) as that relates to sexuality and what does it mean that there is no longer male nor female (Galatians).

Also discussed was how people view Lady Gaga in general -- praying for her return to faith, calling her the Antichrist, etc. . .and the reality that something about the church was what drove her from the church (probably the same praying for her salvation and calling her the Antichrist). Again, I wonder the only thing that could be the 'anti-Christ' is something that we elevate to that power in our own lives. . .

What does it mean for both male and female to be created in God's image and/or God to embody both male/female perhaps simultaneously as part of God's being?

Stay tuned for next week. . .and Judas.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

So for Lent we will have a weekly evening service of prayer after dinner. Then we will explore and connect with religious themes in the music of Lady Gaga and Mumford and Sons. I really recommend you read this article from Relevant Magazine. This in some ways articulates my own experience of finding God speaking in secular spaces and the religious experience that can come from many places outside Sunday morning. For me, both U2 concerts I have attended have been more moving and challenging than any worship service and were more 'Reformed' in their liturgy . . .

Here are some more links to read about the spirituality that might be driving the artists we will see and hear in our Lenten journey:
Mumford article 1
Mumford in the Guardian
Gaga and Faith
Gaga in Huffinton Post
Gaga in the Guardian