2019 Bluffton University alumnus Lindsay Horn returned to campus the week of March 17, 2024, for spring semester’s Spiritual Life Week.

Now associate director of social mission at Bellarmine Chapel in Cincinnati, Horn provided the Forum and Chapel messages and worked with students as they explored Mark 5:25-34 and the theme, “Even when we are not… God is.”

A food and nutrition major, Horn was involved in campus ministries as a student and took “Christian Theology” as an elective during her final semester. Just before graduation, she came to a crucial realization.

“All of the questions, all of the Forums, all of the interactions on campus, they’re important,” explained Horn. “They helped me to realize that this is something I wanted to further explore.”

At the suggestion of Dr. Alex Sider, now interim vice president of academic affairs, Horn applied to graduate school at the University of Dayton. She earned her Master of Arts in Theological Studies in 2021.

During Forum, Horn shared four practices students can use daily to cultivate an awareness of peace: detachment, silence, meditation and remembrance.

“I want students to think about the things that are preventing them from becoming who they want to be. What are the things that are distracting them? What is not allowing them to be fully themselves,” said Horn. “For me, detaching from my ego and just learning to accept myself has given me much more peace.”

In addition to Forum and Chapel, Spiritual Life Week also included student-organized evening worship, a takeover of the Commons and time for contemplation.

“The buildup to Spiritual Life Week with the committee is great, but during the week, seeing how we can spread the message and share with other students is amazing,” said Ashley Eachus ’24, a middle childhood education major from Bluffton, Ohio.

Madeline Kidd ’24, a nutrition and dietetics major from Middletown, Ohio, said she plans to continue some of the practices shared during this semester’s events.

“I’m very busy, so I have a hard time stopping to quiet myself,” said Kidd. “But I realized it allows me to center who I am and who I am in Christ.”

The week also connected to Bluffton’s year-long Civic Engagement theme “Exploring the Continuum of Emotional Wellness.”

“We’ve been talking a lot about mental health and wellness all year, and I don’t want them to forget about their spiritual wellness,” said Chalsi Campbell, campus pastor. “This is an opportunity to recognize that even when we feel we are not at our best, God is providing what we need in that moment.”

Spiritual Life Week will return in fall 2024. A speaker and theme will be decided later this semester.