Fellowship and the fire pit: Lipscomb students gather to kick off Holy Week with s’mores

The aroma of burning wood filled the square. Three fire pits stood by the fountain, waiting for the rush of students who were returning from worship night in Shamblin Theater. Not far from them was a table that was set with ingredients and tools for s’mores. This snack would not just serve as a late night treat, but a reason to gather to celebrate the start of the holiest week on the Christian calendar.

Fire pits comprised the bonfire in the square. In the distance, the taped windows can be seen forming the shape of a cross.

Two men helped set up this event, one was Brent Roe-Hall, assistant dean of vocation and spiritual formation who leads the Gathering each Tuesday. 

The table of ingredients is prepared as the worship night comes to a close.

Once the students had left the building, they flooded the square, forming smaller groups as they attempted to make lines in front of the table for s’mores. 

“I think [the Worship Night] was beautiful and it was a good experience,” said Ashley Shelton, a sophomore dietetics major. 

Freshmen Briley Dunn and Mary Kate Ferguson seemed to agree. “I love that the school provides opportunities for us to worship during Holy Week … A lot of churches do that, but it’s just so rare to be on a campus and be able to participate in something like that,” said Dunn, a philosophy major. 

“I wouldn’t’ve gotten that opportunity if I went to like a, like a state school … And so that’s just … really amazing about Lipscomb,” said Ferguson, a law, justice and society major. “I feel really connected to my classmates as well as other upperclassmen to be able to worship alongside them.”

Students laughed and talked, and some stayed behind to participate in the first art activity of the night: painting the glass windows of the Bennett Campus Center. Two crosses were formed on either side out of strips of tape. Throughout the week, students will paint the shapes between the tape. Once the paint has dried, the tape will be removed, and the mural will simulate the stained glass of a church window. This seems to have become an annual tradition during Lipscomb’s Holy Week that the students enjoy. 

Peeps were also a marshmallow option for students.

While the worship service spiritually fed the students, the dessert snack left them with a sweet reminder of camaraderie. The small size of the fire pits seemed to promote intimacy and the opportunity for conversations. As groups of friends gathered around them, others also joined and people got to know each other. Overall, the students agreed that the s’mores encouraged them to gather and continue the night of fellowship. 

Students closely gather around the fire to make s’mores.

Sunday was merely the kickoff for a week of festivities honoring the last days of Jesus before his journey to the cross. Ongoing events throughout the week include the art and service projects happening in the student center during the afternoons, the Sacred Space prayer room in Club 1891 and various spiritual services that offer chapel credit. Stay tuned for more activities throughout Holy Week which can be found here.