Imagine 2022 Update: Initiative II
November 21, 2018
Spiritual Vitality isn’t just a slogan at Asbury University — it’s a way of life. And as part of “Imagine 2022: Asbury’s Vision for Faithful Change,” we’re working to “deepen identity as a vibrant community of Christian faith and whole-person transformation rooted in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition.”
Through Initiative II of Imagine 2022, faculty and staff are working to optimize spiritual growth activities for both traditional undergraduate, graduate and APS students. They are also seeking to advance the understanding and appreciation of scripture and the Wesleyan Holiness tradition, and are creating programming to increase Biblical knowledge for students with little to no Biblical literacy.
As Campus Chaplain & Associate Dean of Spiritual Life, Rev. Greg Haseloff is involved with several parts of the initiative and is excited to see how spiritual growth activities, both new and old, will continue to spark growth amongst Asbury students and influence modern collegiate culture as a whole.
“Reality holds true across history that the Gospel meets people at a particular moment in time and a particular place in history,” Haseloff said. “There are spiritual disciplines that we know hold value across time to bring people to Christ and grow their relationship with Christ. We bear the responsibility of presenting those disciplines and presenting that Gospel message in such a way to students that meet them where they are in our culture at this particular point in their journey.”
Two new programs have been created this year that are enhancing the spiritual atmosphere of campus, including Banded Discipleship Groups and Chapel’s Reveal Series.
The Reveal Series has taken students on a journey through the Old Testament from creation to the birth of Christ. Reveal Chapels are providing a chance for students to interact more with Chapel sermons as students discuss the material during Gather, a time of prayer, fellowship and testimony in the residence halls held every Monday night. With 11 Reveal Chapels this semester, the year-long series will continue with a focus on the New Testament in the spring.
The spiritual formation aspects of the initiative are not only strengthening the individual spiritual lives of students, but also enhancing Asbury’s community as a whole.
“Our student body talks a great deal about how the community of Asbury was a part of what attracted them to come to school on our campus,” Haseloff said. “While students are in the experience, they keep giving praise for how the communal experience here is so important to them and has this constant impact on them. The second initiative gives us some theological perspective of what ingredients go into making a community like that. My hopes would be that students would gain more theological insight into what shapes the best Christian communities and shapes communities to be most reflective of Christ and the kind of love that He has for the world.”
According to Haseloff, the work of Initiative II is already producing tangible results on campus. The Spiritual Life Office has received many comments from students about how they’ve been encouraged by the consistent opportunity to pray together in Banded Discipleship Groups. Haseloff also notes that students have enjoyed getting to make connections across scripture that weren’t as natural to them prior to the Reveal Series.
Within the next semester, those involved with Initiative II will begin monitoring and assessing Christian Studies & Philosophy Department classes in order to see how the material is meeting the needs of students, especially those who matriculate with lower levels of Biblical literacy.
Please join us in praying for the continued advancement of Imagine 2022: Asbury’s Vision for Faithful Change.
Learn more about Imagine 2022 by visiting asbury.edu/imagine.