Campus Lifeline

What's Happening at Lees-McRae College?

The fall semester at Lees-McRae College has been blessed by the excitement of new students, returning students, and faculty and staff ready to dive into a new academic year. In addition, Lees-McRae inaugurated our 13th President, Dr. David Bushman, on September 29, 2005, which turned out to be one of the sunniest days of the fall. We are excited about President Bushman’s vision for the college and his deep commitment to the college’s relationship with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I hope you will get the opportunity to meet him. Please consider inviting him, a college representative, or the Highlanders to your church to share all the wonderful ways God is at work at Lees-McRae College.

This report will focus on some of the many ways that Lees-McRae is sharing in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church on our campus and in the world.

• To prepare for the president’s inauguration, we held a campus wide Founder’s Day Chapel and Investiture Service. The history, the mission, and the Christian vocation of our college were shared during a creative worship service led by almost 40 students, staff, and faculty.
   
• There are two active campus ministry groups which meet weekly: Approaching the Throne (an InterVarsity chapter) and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Both groups offer large group meetings, small group Bible studies, and service projects.
   
• Campus Worship takes place every Tuesday at 10 a.m., which is a free hour in the college schedule. Students, faculty, and staff join together in an informal Christian worship time that includes drama, dance, discussion, meditation, story telling, praise music, hymns, and a variety of ways to worship the Lord!
   
• This fall, we are also offering a meditation group over the lunch hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays—a time for campus folks to learn how to deal with stress, to relax, and to listen to the still, small voice of God.
   
• Daily devotions and prayer requests are offered online campus-wide.
   
• Soup Lunch on Wednesdays at the McRae House (campus ministry and counseling center) offers informal time for students and employees to get of their cliques and get to know other people on campus. Homemade soup is cooked by a different person each week.
   
• The Peer Educators’ Network got off the ground this fall. The fourteen students who are currently members spent 10 hours in training to assist students with problems and to learn how and when to make referrals. In addition, each Peer Educator coordinates three wellness programs per semester.
   
• The 40 Bonner Leaders of Lees-McRae College volunteer 10 hours a week at local non-profit service agencies including schools, hospitals, nursing homes, humane societies, and wildlife sanctuaries. They donated over 14,000 hours of service last year to the local community.
   
• Banner Elk Presbyterian Church and Lees-McRae College have begun to work together in ministry and mission. The congregation supports the campus through prayers, donations, building use, and joint mission projects. F.C.A. meets weekly in the church fellowship hall and college students assist in leading worship monthly. The congregation and Lees-McRae shared in the building of a Habitat House in Avery County and are preparing to send congregation and campus members to Guatemala in May 2005 to run a school day camp in the jungle region for indigenous children.
   
• Sixteen students and staff are spending fall break in Louisiana helping with recovery from Hurricane Katrina. They were able to raise $7,000 for expenses and relief supplies.
   
• The Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Series is offered each semester. This fall’s Staley Lecturer was Dr. Bill Leonard, Dean of Wake Forest Divinity School, who gave a presentation on "Spirituality in America."
   
• There will be an open forum on “Christianity and Politics” on November 16. Diverse views on the role of church and state will be presented giving students the chance to ask questions, to share comments, and to listen to views that may differ from their own.
   
• Our first World Religion Week was held in early October. Four Tibetan Buddhist Monks were in residence on campus. They created a sand mandala, led forums on Buddhism and Tibet, participated in classes, and performed for the public school children and for the community. It was a wonderful opportunity for international, intercultural, and interfaith dialogue.
   

We appreciate all the ways the Presbytery of Western North Carolina shares in ministry and supports the mission of Lees-McRae College through your prayers, resources, and donations. If you would like more information about Lees-McRae College, please contact Rev. Kathy Campbell, Lees-McRae College, P.O. Box 128, Banner Elk, NC 28604, campbellk@lmc.edu , 828/898-3142.

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Kathy Campbell
Chaplain, Lees-McRae College