Student Senate President encourages community building

Photo description: Aaron Fosse, Student Senate President of CUNE
Photo credit: Aaron Fosse

By Aaron Fosse

We value a healthy community at Concordia University, Nebraska. So let me challenge you this semester: How are you making our community a better place?

The first big thing you can do to benefit our community is to show up to community events, such as daily chapel and frequent prayer services. We have a variety of interest group clubs that meet regularly.

Go to a home game for the Bulldogs. Attend a small group Bible study. Check the bulletin boards in the entrances of buildings to see what’s coming up. Maybe there’s a band concert or a music recital. Or maybe it’s your turn to start something new.

It’s hard to participate in a community if you are tucked away in your room by yourself – so get out there. Life includes homework, but homework isn’t life. Jesus is life. You find Jesus in church. Church is made up of people. Find people; find community; find Jesus.

Our campus values community. Within this Christ-centered community we value confession and absolution. If our friends wrong us, we let them know we were hurt by them. When you are approached, apologize immediately. The wronged person will forgive you immediately. There is no delay, no hemming over judgment. Jesus doesn’t do that to you. There is free and total forgiveness for you. Jesus institutes this to create a healthy church life.

Use this in all your relationships. Do not let these sins fester. They will surely lead to you spreading bad things about people. May Jesus lead us away from such evil.

My friends, may your year be filled with laughs and tears. But let them be with friends. Your success here is not defined by your letter grade, but by the relationships you develop. ‘Sko Dawgs!