Chaplain's Corner 
We are entering into a season of remembering the miraculous birth of Christ. These past couple weeks we have been looking for opportunities to present Christ to the students. This semester I've been more aware of the amount of pain that many students carry with them day to day. Broken relationships, betrayal, break-ups, health crises, financial uncertainty and high-levels of anxiety seem to be everywhere. If God really became a human being, which I'm betting my life he did, all the solutions to these problems are found in Jesus!
 
From Bell Tower to Beacon
Virginia Wesleyan University continues to evolve over time. The growth on and off campus continues to amaze those who attend this institution.One of the latest changes introduced to campus is a renovation of the bell tower outside of Monumental Chapel. The renovation includes a complete redesign to fit the campus' recent rebranding, which features a lighthouse symbol and promotes our coastal location. A recent survey of the tower's foundation indicated possible structural issues in the near future, thus sparking the renovation.
 
Devotional from Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Day by Day
This book of daily scripture and devotionals by Peter Scazzero has quickly become a go-to resource for Marlin Ministries and is being utilized in several of our groups, including the new faculty and staff life group.
 
Read about Week 7
Becoming the Woman
Chiereme Fortune graduated from Virginia Wesleyan in 2013 with a degree in communication. Fortune first became involved in Marlin Ministries during her sophomore year after attending an interest meeting for the gospel choir. It was through her involvement in Marlin Ministries that Fortune began feeling confident using her talents for spoken word poetry and music.
 
  

Synthesis: New group supports campus ministry through acting
Skits and videos have not been uncommon in Marlin Ministries for the purposes of learning and promotion. However, I believed that a centralized group for developing such material would be valuable. Synthesis is a new drama team formed over the past semester. So far, we have performed one live skit and produced two videos, each an astounding success.
 
Lessons Learned 
On Oct. 27, 2018, Chiereme Fortune, Kyla Simone, and Rolanda Carter visited Virginia Wesleyan University for one of the most powerful nights of music and spoken word I've ever experienced. These three ladies are part of a movement called Girls and Guitars. According to an email sent out by the group, Girls and Guitars is "an official movement of women armed with six strings and killer vocals!" And boy, can they sing! While their talent is clear and inspiring, the words of their songs and poems speak so much louder.

 Read more from Emily Testroet '19

Tyler's Testimony
I have always been told that a testimony should be the whole story of how you came to the faith, and can be much stronger if you include how your family first experienced it and how they too have influenced your journey. Thus, I would like to begin by recounting the story of how my grandparents came to Christ. Initially, they were not Christians and skeptical of religion in general. However, one day when my granddad was driving across a bridge, he was low on gas. It was then that he decided to hedge his bets.
 
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