This year’s Christian Life Emphasis Week (CLEW) speaker, Rev. Dr. Meredith Lee Griffin Jr,. delivered a series of messages focusing on identity formation and spoke on the theme of “The World Needs the You God Sees.” The pastor, who hails from Wilmington, Delaware, encouraged students to articulate one simple question out loud: “How do I know who I am?” Griffin addressed the student body in chapel on Monday and Wednesday and delivered two additional messages on Monday and Tuesday night.
On Monday night, Griffin held a public discussion in Java 101, integrating Christianity with the recent incident in Charlottesville. Reflecting on the coffeehouse, Dean Jordan mentions that he is particularly proud of the students who asked hard questions, and respected how students from multiple backgrounds came together trying to find answers about Houghton’s direction in the future.
In his addresses, Griffin often referenced a change occurring on Houghton’s campus. Dean Jordan also comments about how there is less of a common understanding about Houghton’s true identity, saying “It’s up to us to think about what Houghton means and start to live it out in different ways.” To assist in the change that he is advocating, Dean Jordan states that he plans to “help students find out who they are and then help them put it into practice.” He also noted that his preaching centers around a theme common to Griffin’s messages, focusing on a singular idea: “Before you are anything, you are God’s beloved child.”
Madison Detwiler ‘19 says the content of the two chapel messages Griffin delivered were “things just about everyone on campus needed to hear.” She continues, “Sometimes we can forget that we are changing and figuring out who we are when we come to college. There is so much going on here between school and social lives, so it was nice to step back and be able to think about those crucial questions.” Detwiler also says that she appreciated Griffin’s engaging tone. “The student body seemed to be really engaged. People were laughing and showing verbal expressions of their agreement to what he was saying. Overall, It was a really good week and I hope he comes back.”
“He provided an equal mix of being encouraging and challenging,” Stephanie McMahon ‘19 contributed. “Encouraging us to take off our mask but also challenging in that he told us to step into that role that God has called us to be in. He did a great job picking a message that was applicable to people he was speaking to. He said what a lot of people needed to hear right now where we are.” When considering a way to keep Griffin’s message relevant in her heart even after he has left Houghton campus, McMahon said: “It’s good to remind ourselves how God sees us continually through the day. You don’t need to put on a fake face for other people.”