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Love Your Neighbor
- Sat, Aug 29, 2026
- 12:30 pm–3:00 pm
Covenant Fine Arts Center (CFAC) Auditorium
The Love Your Neighbor event during Welcome Week invites new students into the biblical call to loving your neighbor right here on ÐßÐßÊÓƵ's campus.
Kickoff: 12:30–1 p.m.
Love Your Neighbor starts with a kickoff in the CFAC auditorium, where we'll introduce the theme, sessions, and logistics.
Then, you'll choose your breakout session options, which will further explore how to love your neighbor as yourself as a new student at ÐßÐßÊÓƵ.
Rotation One: Love Your Neighbor, 1:15–2 p.m.
| Topic | Speaker | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music = where community is formed | Nate Glasper | Recital hall | Gospel music has always been about more than singing it has been about building community. Through stories, conversations, and music, this interactive session explores how gospel music teaches us to love our neighbors, celebrate every voice, and create a culture of belonging at ÐßÐßÊÓƵ. |
| Anti racism | Josh Samarco | Gezon Auditorium | An anti-racist community is one where everyone feels seen, respected, and valued. Each incoming student has the power to shape the culture around them. This session explores how first-year students can actively contribute to a culture of belonging by focusing on how small, intentional actions can challenge racism, interrupt exclusion, and support classmates from diverse backgrounds to help build stronger communities. First-year students will leave with practical ways to foster belonging on campus in their social circles and classes, as well as discover campus resources available to support those who experience bias, discrimination, or exclusion. |
| Disability Inclusion | Kevin Timpe | Meeter Center Lecture Hall | Love isn’t neutral; it requires the disposition to work to bring about the others’ good. Many people are marginalized or oppressed on the basis of their social identities, like disability. Love puts demands on us to actively work to end that marginalization and oppression. In this session, Prof Timpe will show how disabled people still face mistreatment because of their identities and then argue that the Christian faith gives both the motivation and strategies for engaging in advocacy. |
| Political difference | Micah Watson | Commons Annex | Whether you eat, breathe, and sleep politics, or strive mightily to avoid those who do, at least part of your college experience will include rubbing shoulders with neighbors who think differently. In this session we’ll explore how Jesus’s command to love each other applies even to the important matters that can divide us. |
| Christian Community | Pastor Mary | Chapel | How to embrace different theological opinions as part of Christian community. |
| Enviornmental justice | Andrea Lubberts | Hekman Library Basement | What do environmental sciences, engineering, art, music, education, languages, film/media, social work, business, marketing, health care, and probably everything else have in common? Each brings a unique skill set to restoring a thriving watershed community. If you are looking for hopeful ways to combat climate anxiety; connect with others in lasting, memorable ways; or you simply need a hands-on experience that combines belief, knowledge, and action—bring your interests and curiosity to discover ways to join Plaster Creek Stewards in local efforts to love our downstream neighbors. |
Rotation Two: As Yourself, 2:15–3 p.m.
| Topic | Speaker | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Health | Hennie Schoon | Recital hall | Are these thoughts normal? Why do I feel this way? What's the difference between being sad and depressed? What's the difference between stress/nerves and anxiety? Is this behavior normal? Am I going crazy? Am I the only one? Rather than diagnosing through TikTok, let's have a conversation. We'll review the difference between clinical diagnosis and experiencing symptoms. We will also talk about what to look for when concerned about mental well-being, what to do, how to maintain good mental health, when to seek help, and specific resources here at ÐßÐßÊÓƵ. And bottom line, you are not alone! |
| You, I (and AI) | Amanda Matthysse | Gezon Auditorium | What role should AI play in your college learning experience? That question could have many answers, but this reflection session led by librarian Amanda Matthysse will prompt you to consider not just how you might use AI at ÐßÐßÊÓƵ but why. By exploring the values at the heart of academic life and unpacking how these values can really make a difference in your academic work — no matter what major or class or project you're facing — you can feel more ready to make wise decisions about using AI as a student and to find common ground for conversation on this topic with your fellow scholars. |
| Personal Wellbeing | Caitlin Finch | Meeter Center Lecture Hall | This session will introduce new ÐßÐßÊÓƵ Students to the wide range of care and wellbeing resources available to support their success during the transition to college. Students will learn about offices and services that promote mental, emotional, physical, social, and academic wellbeing and how to access support when needed. Through reflection and personal activities, students will also begin creating a personalized Wellbeing plan for their first year. They will identify strengths, goals, support networks, and health habits that can help them thrive both in and out of the classroom. By the end of the session, students will have a clearer understanding of how to care for their wellbeing and where to turn for support throughout their ÐßÐßÊÓƵ journey. |
| Study habits | Kyle Heys | Commons Annex | This session will equip ÐßÐßÊÓƵ with practical strategies and resources to help them thrive academically from their first semester through graduation. Students will explore key academic success skills, including time management, effective calendaring, goal setting, and balancing academic responsibilities with personal commitments. This session will also introduce campus resources designed to support student learning and achievement, while guiding students through the basic of four-year planning. By the end of the session, students will have a stronger understanding of how to organize their time, plan ahead, and make intentional decisions that support their academic goals and long-term success. |
| Making the Faith my own | Pastor Mary | Chapel | What Questions to Ask as You Start College... |
| Race and Identity | Stacia Hoeksema & Sherita Washington | Hekman Library Basement | Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but that invitation assumes we are learning what it means to love ourselves in healthy, honest ways. Loving yourself isn't about self-centeredness—it's about understanding who God created you to be. In this interactive session, we'll explore how our identities—including our racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds—have shaped shape our experiences, relationships, and sense of self. We'll discuss racial identity development, the lifelong process of understanding our own stories, and how greater self-awareness can help us grow in humility, empathy, and faithful relationships with others. Whether you've spent a lot of time thinking about your identity or are just beginning, this session will provide a welcoming space for reflection, conversation, and growth. |