Q&A
With Campus Pastor Chalsi Campbell ’12
How do you see faith and memory shaping the identity of Bluffton University and its students?
Every student has a story and a past that shapes who they are and their faith journey.
Working with the theme of “Faith and Memory” has allowed us to really focus on students
and Chapel speakers’ testimonies and faith journeys.
Can you share a personal experience where faith played a role in how you processed an important memory?
When I think about the most important moments in my faith journey, it is almost always
centered around moments with others or in community. One of my earliest memories is
attending a youth service retreat called “Youth Elect Service” or “YES.” We spent
a week volunteering our time fixing up houses in the area, then we went to Mass every
evening followed by hours of fellowship at the end of the night. I would have identified
as Christian before this experience, but YES really made my faith my own. It was the
first time I saw the way service, worship and fellowship worked together to build
my relationship with God.
How do you encourage students to engage with this theme in their spiritual and academic lives?
I cannot express how important learning about the Bible as an academic text has been
for my faith journey/formation. The professors I had at Bluffton really encouraged
me to ask hard questions and wrestle with the text. It was frustrating at times, and
it challenged me often. But I grew so much in my faith because I went through it.
I would encourage students to do the same. That is why having students take academic
religion classes is so important. It exposes students to those concepts and encourages
them to ask the hard questions.
Can you highlight specific campus events that help students explore the connection between faith and memory?
We had several Chapel speakers give messages focusing on “Faith and Memory” this semester.
I think any intentional (or unintentional) conversations about stories from their
faith journey help students explore this topic. We hosted a “Music, Memories and Mosaics”
night for SLW, which encouraged students to think about music that is meaningful and
nostalgic for them and turning those memories into art.
How do you hope students will apply what they learn from this theme to their future?
Bluffton was a really important place and space for me and my faith journey. It was
not just the theology and Bible classes that left an impression on me and my faith.
The overall focus on relationships and community building shaped the way I live my
life both personally and professionally. I feel that our mission to “prepare students
of all backgrounds for life as well as vocation, for responsible citizenship, for
service to all peoples and, ultimately, for the purposes of God’s universal kingdom”
is not just seen in the religion department classes, but it truly woven through our
Bluffton Blueprint, campus culture, student life experience and the events hosted
throughout the year.
Why is this theme important in the context of celebrating both Anabaptism at 500 and 125 years of Bluffton University?
The theme is important because it makes us stop, pause and intentionally think about
the past and how it shapes our present and future. We cannot fully appreciate where
we are and the beliefs that we have today, without acknowledging all that came before
us.
Campus Ministries focused on Deuteronomy 6:4 this year. How do those verses relate to faith and memory?
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 instructs the Israelites to remember. Remember to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. The way you do this is by binding God’s word to your head and your heart, but most importantly it is by passing the word of God on to your children. This passage is foreshadowing how important the memory of passing on God’s word will be to generations to come.