“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20: 8-11.

Many of us have grown up in Christian households, where these words were read from the pulpit. Though most Christian denominations do not keep the Sabbath in the traditional sense, many of us still grew up with Sunday as a holy day with no or few obligations. From all initial appearances, a college student could keep Sunday holy. There are no classes on Sunday, no projects to present or tests to take. We can attend the service of our choosing, with even more options since churches are streaming their services. Even Zime is closed, so students who work there can kick back and take it easy. And how lucky we must be! Instead of one day off, we now have two. For all on-paper matters, Saturday is the same. Two full days of complete rest. Except, this is not the case for most students. 

The number one villain that stalks our Sabbath plans is homework. A student could diligently keep up with every reading or minor project they get during the week, but the moment an essay or larger project is assigned, at least a portion of the weekend can be vital to keep afloat with school. A student with no other responsibilities would still have to take time away from their rest to do homework.  But as much as homework interferes, it’s not the only burden on those who want a holy day of rest. 

Financial pressure can drive a student to give up parts of both weekdays and weekends. Many students must work a job on top of going to school in order to pay for college tuition. Even a few hours a week can dip into their rest days. Resident assistants sometimes work weekends, and student athletes devout most of their weekends to the game schedule. Athletic activities and extracurricular clubs can eat away at what little time remains. Not only that, but Saturdays are full of events, like dances or festivals. 

But what about Sundays? Isn’t Sunday the important part? Sundays aren’t exempt from the bustle of work; this is where homework sneaks in the gaps. If Saturday is full of games, evening rounds, and trying to support the ever-increasing expense of tuition, Sunday is the day full of catch-up work and preparing for Monday. While many students may still make it to church on Sundays, the rest of that day may still be filled with other obligations. 

What happened to a day of rest? The truth is, for the modern student, this day of rest doesn’t exist. This is not a question of time management. A student with perfect motivation to accomplish everything in the week could not possibly keep up with the all the demands of the modern student. As for the student who doesn’t come from money, it’s impossible to “have it all.” 

In order to engage with fulfilling rest and community with others, a true sabbath is needed. If a Sunday is filled with doing the next day’s reading, finishing an essay, or answering discussion posts, where is the time for engagement with a church community, or to spend time in prayer or reading scripture? Those who want to have a rich spiritual life are locked off from it by a time barrier.  As students, it becomes a struggle to prioritize, and spiritual life can often be neglected. When spiritual life is neglected in the student body, as a religious institution, we have to wonder, what kind of Christians are we creating?

The Fall Coffeehouse was abuzz with chatter at the beginning. Performers and audience alike milled about with an excitable energy. But as the day turned into night, the frantic mic checks and lively conversation dimmed into the chill vibes that would characterize the rest of the evening. This event took place on the 24th of September at Walton Patio, closing the school week out with a vibrant and diverse beacon of Eastern pride. 

Two poets and nine musicians graced the stage for one evening. Even though most of the acts were music, the musicians themselves still made up a variety of genres and tones. Three performers sang cover songs of popular hits, but most of the acts were original content. I was surprised at how cleanly the acts transitioned into each other. Poetry, pop, funky guitar, emotional ballads, high-energy rap, and even actual worship music all melded together into a delightfully diverse lineup that was hard to look away from. 

I spoke with performer Caitlin Casey about the event after it happened. Caitlin performed a song of her own called “Lights” that held some delightfully similar elements to the Taylor Swift song it preceded, while still maintaining a unique flair. “I suppose I felt a little nervous, since I haven’t played in a while, but since I’ve done coffeehouses with SAB before I knew what to expect. I feel like it went well, and people enjoyed it, which is ultimately the important bit,” said Caitlin. 

Caitlin also commented on the struggle performers can face with audience feedback. “It’s hard when I don’t get quite the reaction I hope from the audience, but also it’s nice to be able to do what I love and have people enjoy it.”

This statement was something I resonated with. As one of the two poets to perform that night, I was also nervous about how original content would be received. This is what made the originality of the acts even more surprising; despite the possibility of rejection, these performers put out creative energy that showcased the unique talent at Eastern. 

It wasn’t just performers who had something to say about the event. Megan Schoenleb, an attendee of the event had this to say: “This was not my first coffee house, but it’s the one I’ve stayed the longest at,” said Megan. “Lance’s song about Eastern University stuck out; I thought it was fun and it was nice to see some campus pride.” 

Lance Lozada’s ballad about Eastern University featured many aspects of campus that were immediately relatable, such as the creative licenses the Dining Commons takes when calling their meals food, or the ever present fear of geese that plagues the campus. Even with these light jabs at the campus, it still felt like a song about the Eastern experience, with all its ups and downs. 

While Megan had comments on the event’s performers, Simon Kwilinski brought more insight to the experience as a whole. “I was pleased to see Zime was open, as a small hot chocolate was the perfect relief from the cold weather,” said Simon. I have to agree–Zime opened shortly before the performances began, and to the pleasant surprise and raucous cheers of the audience, the offer only to accept Flex Dollars was rescinded in exchange for a plan that allowed patrons to use meal swipes. 

Simon also noted the energy of the crowd during certain acts. “It was fun watching Simeon perform because of how excited the crowd got,” said Simon. Indeed, there seemed to be fan favorites. Though I can’t confirm these artists have performed at previous coffeehouse events, their loud and vocal fanbases made this evident. Since the coffeehouse, I’ve noticed posters with QR codes in Sparrowk hall that link to the Spotify and Instagram of two of these fan-favorites: Unc0mm0n1 (Simeon Walther) and Saladhead (Jacob Craig). Though small artists, (>1000 streams for either artist), they have clearly established a following of some kind. The Coffeehouse is a staple of Eastern University, and I wonder if in the future it will be a launching point for artists to make it big. But for now, it’s a delightful evening full of music, energy, and meal-swipe-bought hot chocolate. 

 

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