"Let's Talk"
11/02/2022
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing right now is improv, and we still have the option of engaging the scene differently and building a future we don鈥檛 have to be scared of.鈥
Mindful Improv Thinking explored
A funny thing happened on the way to 小优传媒鈥檚 fall 2022 Spiritual Life Week. 2010 alumnus Andrea Flack-Wetherald, a social worker turned improv performer turned best-selling author, served as the guest speaker as student鈥檚 explored Ephesians 4:29-32 and the theme 鈥淟et鈥檚 Talk鈥 小优传媒 Building Each Other Up.鈥
Recognizing the resilience of today鈥檚 young people, she reminded students that every day is an opportunity for collaboration, finding joy and tackling big issues and tools such as mindfulness and improv can be a big help.
鈥淭he future is being built now. This is improv,鈥 said Flack-Wetherald. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing right now is improv, and we still have the option of engaging the scene differently and building a future we don鈥檛 have to be scared of.鈥
Using what she calls 鈥淢indful Improv Thinking,鈥 Flack-Wetherald also provided some deep truths during Forum:
We are all more than the worst thing about us.
All that exists was built by imperfect people.
THIS moment is the moment that matters most.
The future is being created now. Good things are still possible.
I am surrounded by millions of scene partners: seen and unseen.
It is helpful to do my part, not everyone鈥檚 part.
Later in the week, Flack-Wetherald shared a message on forgiveness during Chapel which resonated with Deborah Yoder 鈥23, an English major from Listowel, Ontario.
鈥淥ne thing that stuck with me was when she shared that forgiveness does not make us good people, it sets us free,鈥 explained Yoder. 鈥淚t sets of us free from frustration and anger and all the baggage of the past so that we can focus on working towards the future we want. To see the possibilities of today, we need to let go of the disappointments and hurts of yesterday.鈥
鈥淟et鈥檚 Talk鈥 has also served as the theme for Bluffton鈥檚 ministry team during the fall semester and connects to Bluffton鈥檚 year-long Civic Engagement theme of creating space for authentic conversations.
鈥淲e went with this theme knowing it was an important topic for our campus community, and I鈥檓 so happy Andrea鈥檚 understanding of forgiveness rang true for our students,鈥 said Chalsi Campbell 鈥12, campus pastor.
Each semester, students play a major role in planning Spiritual Life Week activities which helps students strengthen their relationship with God. The week includes guest speakers and special times of worship.
Previous themes have included 鈥淕od鈥檚 Calling,鈥 鈥淓choes in Eternity,鈥 and 鈥淟iving and Trusting the Word of God.鈥
Spiritual Life Week will return during the spring 2023 semester with Georgia Metz, a 2013 Bluffton graduate and pastor at Shalom Mennonite Congregation, leading discussions.