Rev. Matthew Yoder, pastor of Grace Mennonite Church, Pandora, Ohio, came to Bluffton University the week of Oct. 28, 2024, for fall semester’s Spiritual Life Week. Yoder provided the Forum and Chapel messages and worked with students as they explored Ephesians 6:10-18 and the theme “Put on the Armor of God.”

“Often when we are shielded by God’s armor, we don’t even realize,” said Haylie Lero, senior pastoral assistant. “This Spiritual Life Week is about being purposeful about using God’s armor, especially the word of God.”

Yoder’s Oct. 29 Forum was entitled “Privilege, Marginalization and Paul’s Subversive ‘Of.’”

“Apostle Paul takes each piece of the Roman soldier armor and connects a Christian value to each piece,” said Yoder. “The soldier’s sword represents the word of God. When we put on the armor of God and live out the values of Jesus, the word of God has the power to spread itself.”

The week also included a Campus Ministries takeover of the Commons, a fall breakfast cart and a fellowship event at the campus fire pit.

“Put on the Armor of God” not only served as the theme of Spiritual Life Week but the campus ministries theme for the entire semester. Chalsi Campbell, campus pastor, was excited about the growing turnout for Spiritual Life Week events.

“I have really enjoyed working with the theme ‘Put on the Armor of God’ this semester, especially hearing Yoder’s take on the passage at Forum this week,” said Campbell.  “This can be a difficult passage to work through, especially when holding true to our Mennonite, peace church values. So, I have liked spending time thinking about the ways that Paul, as Yoder said at Forum, subverts this text to challenge what it means to be human. It is a call to be righteous, peaceful and live in the word.”

At Bluffton, one week each semester is designated as Spiritual Life Week, a special time for focusing on Christian life. Students play a major role in planning activities during the week that help strengthen growth and faithfulness in their relationship with God. The week includes a guest speaker and special times of worship.

Spiritual Life Week returns during the spring semester correlating with this year’s Civic Engagement theme, “Faith and Memory.”