星空无限传媒

On Sept. 14, 星空无限传媒’s fall semester Week of Prayer kicked off, featuring guest speaker Pastor Anthony Wagener Smith. Each day, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., students met in Pioneer Memorial Church to worship through song, hear Wagener Smith’s sermons, and, of course, get their chapel credit. The theme, “Calling Over Career,” stylized as “Calling > Career,” encouraged students to examine not only their career goals but also God’s plans for their lives. Wagener Smith, an alumnus of 星空无限传媒’s seminary and a pastor in Georgia, opened the first day of the Week of Prayer by stating that he “really only [has] one kind of sermon,” a sermon about “responding to God’s call for mission in your life.” 

In fact, it was Wagener Smith’s interest in examining the idea of calling, that caused him to be invited as this year’s Fall Week of Prayer speaker. Jonathan Fetrick, the University Chaplain at Campus Ministries said, “His name was compelling to us because of his interest in helping people identify God’s call in their life, and then lean into that and figure out what specifically God is calling them to do.” Fetrick, and the other members of Campus Ministries felt that this focus was especially relevant to university students. 

Each day, Wagener Smith’s sermons focused on a different calling, from Monday’s topic of “Called to Mission” to Friday’s topic of “Called to Community.” According to Wagener Smith, being a Christian isn’t just about being baptized, going to church, and listening to a weekly sermon, but instead allowing all avenues of your life to be filled “with [God’s] character of grace.” He continued by stating that this Week of Prayer wasn’t just for theology students or future pastors, but also for people with all majors and career paths, emphasizing that outreach can be a part of all careers. “Whatever your career is, you’re not just called to a career. You’re called for a calling.” 

Ishmael Jacques, a freshman studying exercise science, identified with this aspect of Wagener Smith’s message and appreciated how his sermons could be applied to his life and his own career. “Now that I’m going through my PT classes, I’m thinking about how I can outreach for Christ through [my career].” The message of the Week of Prayer was something that he felt he would “keep in [his] heart and in [his] mind.” 

At the end of Wednesday’s sermon, Wagener Smith encouraged students and faculty to come forward to the front during the closing hymn to take part in an intercessory prayer, praying for family members or friends. Along with the group of students who came forward to kneel and silently pray, Wagener Smith led out in an audible prayer, asking God to bring freedom to and reveal Himself to those whom the participants had prayed for. 

Dynae Newkirk, a freshman architecture major, felt that Wagener Smith’s message was important, sharing that she appreciated the passion with which Wagener Smith spoke. “I think it’s important to listen to your calling. If you truly feel like you’re being called to it, especially if you feel that it’s from God.”

Throughout the week, by taking time to gather and worship together, Campus Ministries hoped not only to help students consider their calling and how they can integrate God’s purpose for them into their careers, but also to “emphasize the centrality of God” in life at 星空无限传媒. Chaplin Fetrick stated that it was important to have Week of Prayer to set the tone of the semester and to remind students that 星空无限传媒 isn’t “just about academics, but about what God wants to do in [our lives] and what God wants to do through the process of growth throughout the school year.” 

Week of Prayer ended on Friday at 7:30 p.m., with an evening service centered on the importance of community, concluding a week focused on prayer and purpose. For students who enjoyed the events or who were unable to attend this semester’s Week of Prayer, next semester, from Jan. 25-29, the Student Missions department will be hosting the Spring Semester Week of Prayer, focused on global missions.