Next week, Houghton students will be hosting New Vision Week. Overseen by director of off campus studies, Marcus Dean, New Vision Week emphasizes the college’s deep connection to global missions. Events will run from October 24 through October 28. Dean stated that the event asks the question, “how do we reach out to people who aren’t like us?” He continued, “This could be a time to find out more about that.”
New Vision Week has been a yearly tradition since the 1930s. According to former faculty member Paul Shea, Christian students throughout the U.S. were engaging with the idea of globals missions. Because of the focus on missions, what is now Global Christian Fellowship (GCF) began at that time, and have headed New Vision Week since. Shea emphasized the importance of student participation in the event, and stated, “If students don’t get involved, New Vision Week doesn’t happen.”
Planning for the event is headed by Bethany Rudolf ‘17 She has been involved with GCF since her sophomore year and is passionate about missions. Rudolf said, “I really love the opportunities to explore different topics and questions through the workshops and chapel messages, but my biggest interest within NVW is just trying to open the missions circle and break down some of the perceptions that are built up about missions.”
The keynote speaker for New Vision Week is Matthew Ayers, who spoke at GCF last year. Ayers serves as a missionary in Haiti, as the president of Emmaus Biblical Seminary, and is the author of a number of books and scholarly articles. Rudolf stated the seminary works alongside Haitians, and its goal is “to reproduce Christ-like leaders equipped for effective ministry and committed to the transformation of Haiti and the world.” Ayers will be speaking in chapel for the entirety of the week, with a Flag Ceremony taking place on Monday to usher in the event. Students representing countries from all over the world will bear their flags in a striking visual of the global church, which Dean said is a great opportunity to find out where students are from.
In addition to chapel, those planning NVM have scheduled a number of workshops, a prayer and worship night, and a culture fair. The workshops will take place on Tuesday and Thursday, covering a broad range of topics including discussions on cross cultural missions, Islam, Bible translation, and human trafficking. The culture fair will take place on Monday at 8 p.m.,with the prayer and worship night on Wednesday also at 8 p.m.