It\u2019s been an exhilarating week\u2014the Super Bowl and icy roads. I, like most people, have been caught up in the game. What struck me most about the Super Bowl, however, was the commercial in which leaders from different religions all jumped in a SUV and went to the game together. They were soon greeted by nuns who were waiting for them to arrive. There was an overwhelming sense of friendship and love.<\/p>\n
Of course, this commercial is important to me because I see myself as an interfaith person. I am grounded in Christianity, while also deeply interested in Buddhism and Judaism. Interfaith work is part of my being. Yet this idea of different spiritual communities coming together to watch a football team sparked an idea\u2014various groups on campus coming together to help out both our LC community and the Lynchburg City community.<\/p>\n
Last April, our local news, WSET, released a report that said our city\u2019s poverty rate is 24% and that over 60% of city schools have qualified for free or reduced lunch. About a week ago, I heard one of the local news reporters on TV saying that over 30% of people 18 and younger in Lynchburg City are below the poverty line. That\u2019s devastating. I can\u2019t help but hear the words in Matthew 25: \u201cI was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although LC Cares has always helped students and staff who are food insecure, the need has been steadily growing in recent years. The college has now set up a food pantry for the LC community, and there are drop off sites throughout the campus: Wilmer Writing Center (Hopwood 4), Knight-Capron Library, The School of Graduate Health Sciences, The Spiritual Life Center (500 Brevard Street), The Drysdale \u201cHub\u201d (first floor) and the main office of Turner Gym. This is a major step to help those in need. I urge the LC community\u2014students, faculty, and staff\u2014to give what they can to these drop off sites.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not a minister or priest; I\u2019m a spiritual writer. Divinity and letters are my life. With that being said, here are some final words. It is my prayer that we all come together to help the hungry, that we give selflessly. \u00a0Wouldn\u2019t it be great, in fact, if we had a SUPER BOWL, one large enough to feed all mouths? Let this be done in beauty, in peace, and in unconditional love.<\/p>\n
Jer Bryant<\/p>\n
Advisor to SBNR and to the LGBTQIA+ Spirituality Discussion Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s been an exhilarating week\u2014the Super Bowl and icy roads. I, like most people, have been caught up in the game. What struck me most about the Super Bowl, however, was the commercial in which leaders from different religions all …<\/p>\n