One of the most important parts of Wesleyan is its strong faith and loving community, and this can be seen in each year’s Christian Life Theme. A new Christian Life theme is presented during the first All-School Chapel. Students and faculty always get excited for this big reveal, as the theme gives everyone a new way to look at the scripture and their faith, and it discusses a different aspect of the message each month.
Every Thursday, students attend chapel and listen to a speaker, usually a student or teacher, give a devotion focused on the month’s smaller message and connected to the year’s larger theme. The theme is chosen by Greg Lisson, Wesleyan’s Director of Christian Life, and when asked about it he said, “The theme for this year is Stories of the Kingdom, and the image that we’re using to capture the theme is the image of a tapestry. The quick version of the theme is that each month we’re going to look at different stories from scripture, stories and parables that Jesus told.”
Wesleyan’s Christian Life Theme is always geared towards everyone, no matter their age or time at the school. Every student, from kindergartener to senior, can tell their stories to one another and help each other grow in faith, becoming part of the tapestry. When asked about this year’s theme, fifth grader Piper Morris shared, “I like how it is about the entire Bible and not just part of it, and how everything is woven together.” Morris has been a student at Wesleyan since she was a kindergartener, and said, “Wesleyan has helped me become closer to God because of how kind the teachers have been to me, it makes me feel like doing good for others.”
Another student, sophomore Palmer Louthan, speaking of the theme said, “I’m really excited for it, I think it will be super cool to hear people’s stories and see how God uses everyone’s story in God’s greater story.” Louthan came to Wesleyan as a freshman, and it is currently her second year at the school. When asked about Wesleyan’s focus on faith she said, “I feel comfortable to share a lot of things in grade Bible studies, and I like being able to be open with my friends.” Both Morris and Louthan really enjoy chapel and agree that their favorite part of it is singing songs and worshiping.
Lisson has been Wesleyan’s Director of Christian Life since 2006, and when asked about the job he stated, “It’s the best job on campus. I love missions, bible studies, retreats, chapels, community service, all of it. I feel so grateful to have really great people working for me who do a lot of hard work to make sure that students have really meaningful experiences with classmates and meaningful experiences with God and in their faith.” Lisson also coaches a softball team at the school, and he is very involved in the Wesleyan community.
Though the school year has hardly begun, many students and teachers are excited to see where this new theme will lead their faith and relationships with each other. When asked how he thinks the theme will affect the school, Lisson said, “My hope is that the theme will give us images and ideas of really important concepts in scripture, and I hope that as we tell stories and as we share one another’s stories, it draws people closer to one another. Not only will we be learning intellectually, but we will be pulling closer to one another into the tapestry of the Kingdom.”
