On Friday March 22, students of the Eastern community gathered for Conquer the Night, a tradition that has been consistently kept for several years. The event is put on by the Office of Faith and Practice, however, it is primarily led by the Chapel Worship Team.

      Conquer the Night takes places once each semester of the academic year on a Friday evening, and it is a time where students take part in worshipping with each other throughout the night. This event was particularly significant as it was held during the celebration week of President Matthews’ Inauguration.

      The night began with a prayer by Sophomore Aliia Matthews, in which the theme for the night was introduced and it was titled, “No Bondage.” The theme of the night represented a declaration and a hope for everyone to be free from anything that may have them bound.

      Chapel and Wednesday Night Worship leader, Mariella DiStefano, believes that the theme of the night directly correlates to Old Testament scripture where Isaiah declared the prophecy of God. DiStefano believes that this prophecy is relevant in this day and age as she holds tight to the “new thing” God is doing.

      “God is doing something new, He’s doing a new work, and He’s bringing streams in the desert and we’re waiting to see how He is going to restore and revive this campus,” DiStefano said.

      Followed by the prayer came a reading by first year student, Jabre Harris, from Isaiah 43:16-19 which details the promise from God to the Israelites.

      Conquer the Night is not just limited to the voices of the University’s worship teams, rather it is inclusive and welcomes various different forms of worship. Following the Chapel Worship Team’s acoustic based team ministry, Transformed, Eastern’s drama ministry, performed a series of skits that were designed to bring to light the life and journey of young Christian college students. The purpose of the ministry is to “spread the gospel, focusing on the truths that all Christians need to hear again and again.”

      After Transformed came another segment of worship through a sermonic message by Hector Diaz. Following his message was another worship through song segment with worship leaders Josh Guenther and Davier Daniels.

      Next came a liturgical prayer followed by a performance by Eastern’s dance ministry, Precious Movements. This ministry is dedicated towards committing themselves to “lives of worship, including, but not limited to, the Spirit-led movement of their bodies.” The purpose of the ministry is use their dancing gifts to worship and honor God with the bodies they were given. They often minster on Wednesday mornings at chapel, as well as at local churches.

      First-year student and Audacity member, Mike Weatherbe, performed a self-written rap  as an act of worship. Audacity is a spoken word club that is committed towards working on their “writing skills for the purpose of impacting lives through Spoken Word Poetry.” The club believes that their poetry can serve as “prophecy,” as well as it can potentially help transform the lives of those who listen.

      The night ended with a sermonic message from Malicka Encarnacion followed by worship leader El-Fatih Chase leading the crowd through one last round of worship.

      Sources: Instagram.com, EasternUniversity.com

      During the month of March, Prison Ministry held “March Media Madness,” where they talked about the “intersection of media and crime portrayal.” The club’s meetings were dedicated towards debunking some of the myths that crime shows portray about how the justice system works. Every meeting was uniquely named after well-known criminal justice shows.

      On March 12, there was the “Court Processes and the CSI Effect” meeting, in which they compared how actual court proceedings work versus how a show, such as CSI, portrays it. According to one of Prison Ministry’s leaders, Alicia Michaels, these kinds of shows might “influence jurors and, you know, people in the courts to want more evidence than you might need [on the suspect] or just have higher expectations in general [on the court process].”

      The club’s following meeting was called “Facts & Fakes in Criminal Minds” and they talked about the expectations versus reality when it comes to analyzing the criminals’ motives. They also talked about how the BAU, FBI and criminal profilers are portrayed on the show versus how they are in reality.

      The club concluded their series with “Can We Be Scared Straight?” and they discussed how, “fear based programming doesn’t work,” Michaels said. The show is centered around troubled youth who are sent to actual prisons where they get the chance to talk with real prisoners. It is designed to “scare” the youth into stopping their troublesome ways before it is too late. As a club dedicated to helping the youth, Prison Ministry felt it was their mission to debunk some of these misconceptions about incarcerated people so that they could better relate to those impacted by the justice system.

      If you are interested in attending Prison Ministry’s meetings, they are held Tuesdays at 8p.m. in HHC 222.

      It’s the most wonderful of the year! No, I am not talking about wintertime or Christmas; I am talking about one of the greatest events ever put on by the Student Activities Board (SAB)…the Spring Banquet!

      This special occasion takes place annually during the spring season, so the weather is bound to be amazing for this upcoming event! For many students here at Eastern, Spring Banquet serves as a another prom, but on a collegiate level. This is a great time for those who perhaps were unable to attend their own prom to be able to experience a night where they can dress fancy and dance the night away with their friends.

      SAB members have planned to have this year’s banquet on the Spirit of Philadelphia, which is a fancy yacht located in Penn’s Landing. The yacht is famous for having all types  of occasions held on its platform: birthdays, anniversaries, college banquets and much more!

      The yacht will be in motion as EU students party and enjoy the scenic views that Philadelphia has to offer. Past Eastern spring banquets have taken place at other monumental locations, such as the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Glen Foerd Mansion and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. With illustrious locations such as these, you can be rest assured that SAB is going to your rock your world with this year’s event.

      Last year’s Spring Banquet took place at King Mills and for many, it was a night to remember, which is what SAB had hoped the night would accomplish. It is all due to the overall theme for the event being Tale as Old as Time. The night was meant to be experienced as a fairytale, which is why when advertising for the event, SAB wrote, “Love a good story? Come out to Spring Banquet and have your own fairy tale night with food, dancing, and friends…”

      While I did not go last year, I got to live vicariously through the photos and Instagram stories of my friends, one of them being Maya Hawkins. Hawkins attended the banquet and said that the event itself, “takes you back to high school.” She got the chance to revisit the excitement that her own prom brought her during her time in  high school. She loved getting dressed up for the banquet and being able to enjoy the night with those closest to her. She thoroughly enjoyed the music that the DJ played and the food as well. She took a lot pictures in the photo booth as a way of capturing one of the best nights of her life.

      Shavon Wilson and Olivia Smith were also in attendance last year and they both had a good time.

      “I thought it was a fun time to be able to step out of the normal everyday flow of things and spend some needed time with my friends,” Smith said.

      “It was great. It was a moment that I realized that when we hit spring we were going into another phase which was going to be our fall semester as upperclassmen,” Wilson said.

      While banquets tend to be more formal and elegant, SAB, being the exuberant group they are, planned fun interactive games for guests to participate in. One of the activities included students getting caricatures made of themselves! The games brought to many of the attendees joy and laughter and it goes to show that all of SAB’s hard work and preparation produced great fruit.

      To some students, the Spring Banquet is a result of the significant events SAB has planned over the course of the  year, such as the Homecoming dance. The dance gives students just a taste of what to expect for Spring Banquet. SAB is looking forward to this upcoming event as they have increasingly encouraged students to attend this auspicious occasion through their $30 Flash Sale and social media updates. After the sale, prices went up to $40 this past week. Several different members of SAB welcomed students with smiling and encouraging faces as they persuaded people to buy tickets. 

      For those who, like me, will be attending this year’s banquet, get ready to experience a night of fun, food, and creating great memories with friends. For those who are looking to go, you can still purchase tickets online at bit.ly/eubanquet . Hope to see you there!

      Source: @sabeastern Twitter

      On Friday March 16, Director of Multicultural Recruitment and Mentoring, Frann Mawusi, hosted a Multicultural Overnight in which prospective students of color spent the night on campus and attended several events throughout the course of the night.

      After arriving to campus, students were able to have dinner with MAAC (Multicultural Awareness Advisory Committee) and Wilson Goode Scholars Director, Theresa Noye, as they engaged in fellowship and got to know one another. Following dinner there was the Leadership Presentation in which the theme for the night, Trauma-Informed, began to unfold.

      Worship leader, El-Fatih Chase, lead the crowd of prospective students in praise and worship as fellow Eastern students Olivia Smith, Aliia Matthews and Kristen Bradley sung along with him. Following worship, first-year student Jabre Harris prayed over everyone in the room. Professor Randolph Walters unpacked the theme for the night through a presentation on how trauma affects how we come to perceive the world as well as the significant impact it has on the brain.

      In his line of work, which is counseling, those who have had traumatic experiences, he takes notice of their body language. He informed the crowd of prospective students on how when a person has experienced trauma they tend to disassociate. He said that traumatized people are often times replaying the event or events constantly in their minds and they become stuck. It is because of this that he is intentional about getting people to talk what they went through out loud so that they can heal and continue to move forward.

      Following the powerful presentation was a panel discussion on student leadership in which the prospectives got to hear from current students at Eastern on the positions they hold. The panelists all shared how they got their leadership positions and talked about their journeys of faith in God, among other things. The night was a great success.

      Many do not know that the Barnes Foundation was established in 1922 in Merion, PA by Dr. Albert C. Barnes.

      The art institute was founded  by a man who “ believed that art had the power to improve minds and transform lives.” The institute prides itself on educating people in the area of fine arts and horticulture. The institution itself was crafted by French born Philadelphia architect, Paul Cret, in 1922.

      However, today the institute now resides in Center City Philadelphia and was designed by architect Tim Williams in 2012. It houses the artwork of many well known painters, French impressionists, post-impressionists and photographers.

      According to VisitPhilly.com, the  Barnes Foundation is considered to have “one of the world’s largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings and African sculpture.”

      The institute allows for people to be able to take classes there to learn more about specific areas of art from a certain era in time or through the lenses of ethnic culture.

      For instance, the institute will be holding a mini-course on Black American culture and how the Black Codes, Jim Crow Laws and the Harlem Renaissance affected the Black community, as well as how Dr. Albert C. Barnes played a role in integrating them into the institute.

      On every first Sunday of the month, people are allowed free admission to the museum and offered the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities. On every first Friday of the month, visitors are able to offered access to special exhibitions, a chance to relax and enjoy cocktails while listening to live-music and more.

      For more information on this art institute and how you can gain the experience of a lifetime through visiting, go to BarnesFoundation.org.

      The saying often goes that “There’s no place like home” and this very statement rings true for Eastern’s very own, Dr. Tony Campolo.

      On Jan. 27, Dr. Tony Campolo and Dr. Lindy Backues became the co-pastors of St. John’s Baptist Church located in South Philadelphia. For Dr. Campolo, this is more of a homecoming as he served at this church for more than 60 years, and it happens to be the same church in which his mother and father received Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior. He is more than excited to return to his roots and complete the work God has begun in him through co-pastoring this church.

      “A chance to connect with a church that is so much a part of my life, I mean, it’s like the circle comes around…The way I want to end my ministry is where it all began,” Dr. Campolo said.

      The church was founded in the early 1900s with its first pastor being Reverend Alberto Chiera who worked with Italian immigrants in South Philadelphia and was called by the Baptist City Mission Society to do so. Since then, the church has seen four faithful pastors who have served its members well and guided them into being people of love and  openness. Initially the church was predominantly Italian, however, as the neighborhood surrounding the church began to grow and become more diverse, the congregation welcomed more believers of Christ into its place of worship who were of different ethnicities.

      This remains to be a distinct and welcoming trait of the church as it is centered in a neighborhood that is predominantly Indonesian. Dr. Lindy Backues lived in Indonesia for about twenty years, where he served as a missionary and worked alongside the people there, and it was with purpose that he moved into the predominantly Indonesian neighborhood near the church.

      Though experiencing a decline in attendance and finances, both Dr. Campolo and Dr. Backues consider it an honor and a privilege to serve at the people at St. John’s Baptist Church.

      “When the phone call came, and I called Lindy, our response was – what a gift. What a gift this is to us…It would be one thing to go to a church which had 3,000 people out on a Sunday and a lot of money, and we can find those options easily, but, to be here is the privilege,” Dr. Campolo said.

      Their mission is to create a place where immigrants are welcomed with open arms and by doing this, Dr. Campolo and Dr. Backues are mirroring the life of Christ, as He welcomed everyone, far and wide, to come and know the Father. In a world that is divided by racial tensions, heated religious debates and many more adversities, these co-pastors seek to reach out to and love the people in the community, regardless of their circumstances. This is what they are rebuilding and affirming their church on as their foundation.

      “We want to be a service to the community. We want it to maintain the sacred space….this is a church, and we worship Jesus, but we worship the Jesus who talked to everybody. We worshipped the Jesus who embraced people that other people wouldn’t embrace,” Dr. Backues said.

      With Christ guiding their walk as co-pastors of a multicultural church, Dr. Campolo and Dr. Backues humbly have accepted the call to lead the community surrounding their church into coming to know the Jesus that is longing to embrace them.

      Sources:SJBC19148.com,Campolocenter.org, SouthPhillyReview.com

      Isaiah Martin is a first year student here at Eastern and he is already making his mark. Isaiah wears many hats here on campus where he is the Marketing Chair of the Student Activities Board, Co-President of the Gospel Revival and Class Secretary of the Student Government Association. He does a lot of the “behind the scenes” work in these positions which he said is something about what he enjoys doing the most.

      As a member of the SAB staff, he is able to serve the community by sharing his gift and passion of graphic design as he helps to make many of the awesome flyers that we see around campus that advertise upcoming events. One of the things he loves to do as far as graphic design is making desktop backgrounds among other things.

      “I love making websites. Websites are so much fun” Martin said. He enjoys helping people to get all of the pictures and information they need to organize their website and make it visually appealing. His passions also include video editing and photography. He loves capturing memorable life moments as they happen in his camera lens and he shares his art through his social media sites.

      His biggest passion is serving the youth at Little Rock Tabernacle Baptist Church in West Philly where his grandfather is the pastor. Martin is the Youth Director  and he adores working with the young people from ages 6-17.

      “That [the ministry] is my absolute passion! I love them with my entire heart. I do everything I can for them” Martin said.

      He is so passionate about the next generation that is rising up and he is dedicated to helping them grow into all that they are meant to be. He does devotions with them, and plans trips and activities for them. He gives a lot to the youth under this ministry and has a clear vision of how he wants to expand this ministry.

      This ministry allows him to also utilize another one of his gifts/passions which is planning. He enjoys planning events, where people can attend and enjoy themselves. He believes that planning things has the power to produce positive changes. “Through planning you can move mountains [and] change rivers to oceans” Martin said.

      Did you know that Philadelphia annually holds Black History Month mural tours that display historical Black figures?

      February is well-known across the nation and the world as being Black History Month. This month is observed by countries such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Carter G. Woodson, a Black historian, originally declared the second week of February to be “Negro History Week” in 1926, yet over the years it grew into an entire month of honoring the accomplishments of Black people.

      On the tour, attendees are taken on a tour trolley, and for two hours, they are given a lesson on the stories of those who paved the way for Black people to be as successful as they are today. Attendees can expect historical figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his wife Coretta Scott King, W.E.B. DuBois, Malcolm X and many more.

      Attendees will also get to learn about the various artists who painted these murals and their reasoning for doing so. The murals are all over different parts of Philadelphia neighborhoods such as South Street and Broad Street. They will also get the chance to see murals such as, “A Celebration of Poetry” which depicts the journey of an African-American poet. The mural is of two women and one of them is pouring water into the ground while the other plays an instrument. This is meant to symbolize how rich Black poetry is because of where it was birthed out of as well as the many things that rose from it, such as jazz music and the blues.

      It costs between $28-$32 to attend the tour. However, if interested, people can simply look up the locations of where certain murals are, gather up a group of friends and go on a journey for themselves to learn about Black history through an artistic lens. For more information, visit muralarts.org.