Page 2 – The Waltonian

To be revived means “to be refreshed, strengthen, or given new energy to.” On Sunday Jan. 20, Eastern students experienced these very things when they attended a student-led Gospel Revival.

First year students Isaiah Martin and Tiffany Faulkner hosted the event, which was filled with praise and worship, a sermonic message and performances by members of both Transformed and Audacity. Martin and Faulkner were inspired to create this night of praise and worship one day while singing Gospel songs in the chapel with a group of.

“After that event happened, me and Tiffany received a message saying that this is what we need to bring to Eastern and we are going to do it no matter what” Martin said.

The theme of the night was Faith, Hope, and Love and they were echoed through every performance. The night opened up with El-Faith Chase and Tiffany Faulkner leading the worshippers who attended the event deeper into the presence of God as they encouraged them to open their hearts to the Father.

After they worshipped, Jaclyn Favaroso spoke on the theme of the night to which she referred to as, “The Three Divine Sisters.” She broke down the importance of each other three words and how personal and necessary they are to the life of all believers in Christ. These three words ring together in harmony when, “you have a deepened relationship with the Lord” Favaroso said. She spoke of how people can tend to put faith in things that can be easily destroyed but placing faith in Christ would not produce this result.

“Our faith in Jesus is something that can never be shaken or torn down. Our faith in Jesus can indeed be hindered by earthly things I will say, but God is sovereign and will remain whether we have faith or not.” Favaroso said.

After her message came Megan Schoenleb and Kerry Phillips who are both members of the spoken-word group Audacity and they both delivered powerful poems that spoke of their relationship with God.

As the night drew on, the Spirit of God showed Himself strong in a performance by Eastern’s own drama ministry, Transformed. Three of the group members put on a skit that detailed the life of a young Christian woman, played by Phillips, who has a relationship with God but struggles to daily commune with Christ as her social and academic life begin to take up more of her time and attention. Her conversations with God, played by one of the members of Transformed, become more brief. However, as the hardships of life begin to weigh on her, she starts to cry out to God and ask Him where He has been in all of heartache and stress. God replies and says, “I’m right here.” The skit served as a reminder to all Christians that God is always near and He cares about everything that happens in the lives of His believers.

Khandace Mitchell, a member of the praise dance ministry Precious Movements, gracefully worshipped God through dance. The song that she chose was about spending a day with the Lord from sunrise to sunset and her moves mimicked that of the peaceful lyrics.

Finally to close the evening, worship leaders Davier Daniels, El-Fatih Chase, Kristen Bradley and Tiffany Faulkner led the crowd of revived worshippers into a jovial atmosphere of praising and worshipping God. The night was a refreshing success which was all Isaiah Martin and Tiffany Faulkner could have hoped for.

“The whole goal of the Gospel Revival was to allow people to release themselves and worship God through Gospel music. We hoped that people would receive this Gospel Revival as a refresher and that those who didn’t know God that were there that they received Him that day” Martin said.

The next Gospel Revival will be held on Feb. 17.

On Friday November 16, I got the chance to see Eastern’s Arts Department put on a production of the play “Three Sisters” by Anton Chekhov, and it was amazing! The play was written in 1900 and was performed for the first time a year later at the Moscow Art Theatre, and it’s considered to be one of Chekhov’s best plays. Eastern’s production of the play was directed by Lori Reed. The play takes place in a small Russian town where the three sisters, Olga, Irina and Masha Prozorova, along with their brother Andrei Prozorov, are all attempting to cope after the death of their father.

Olga, played by Katelyn Rediger, is the eldest of the siblings and she busies herself with teaching at the local high school. Masha, played by Morgan Leavy, is the second sister. She is unhappily married to Fyodor Kulygin (played by Pascal Guerrier) and finds herself in love with a Lieutenant-Colonel (played by Bryan Eltman), who is also already married. The youngest sister Irina, played by Aubrey Carey, is a woman filled with dreams of returning back to her home in Moscow like her other siblings, but because of their declining fortune, her dreams cannot come true. She occupies herself with working as well as getting her teaching degree.

Finally, there is their brother Andrei, played by Hector Davila, who is married to a woman named Natasha Ivanovna, played by Naomi Roth. In the beginning of the play, Natasha was terribly shy and did not have the greatest sense of fashion. However, as the play progresses, she becomes more feisty, takes charge of the house and uses Andrei as a tool to manipulate his sisters to do whatever she wants.

On top of Natasha’s shenanigans is Andrei’s increasing gambling debts which have lead him to mortgage the house. He initially does not reveal to his sisters the fact that he has mortgaged the house, a fact that makes him the primary reason that they cannot return home to Moscow.

Although the siblings lead seemingly mundane lives, characters such as Dr. Chebutykin, the Baron, Solyony, Ferapont and Anfisa add humor to the play which is what the actors set out to do.

“[The play] is supposed to a comedy. The writer thought it was really funny but it turns out it’s really depressing a lot of the time so we do a really hard job of trying to make it really upbeat and funny” Zack Wilson, who played Dr. Chebutykin said.

His character especially was known for being extremely funny during the play as the Doctor who was drunk most of the time and would have random urges to get up and dance. However, despite his drunkenness it was not hard to tell that he deeply cared for the three sisters as well as their deceased mother.

The youngest sister, Irina, meets with three young men who try everything they can do to get her attention and affection. The Baron (played by Ian Maxwell), Lieutenant Fedotik (played by Spencer Lyons) and Solyony (played by Mary Cassel), all attempt to grab her attention through flattering language and photography; however, she is not interested in them because she wants to marry for love but she is unable to.

The three sisters have had many unfortunate hardships in life but what remains steady and strong is their bond–a bond which could easily be seen through the actors’ performance. Katelyn Rediger, Morgan Leavy and Aubrey Carey brought a natural sisterly connection to the stage which is what I think made the play such a success. The cast did not seem like they were merely just acting and trying to remember their lines. Instead, they made their characters come to life! Their characters seemed real to me, and that was because the actors did an amazing job at making them believable. This was my first time ever seeing a play at Eastern and it was a tremendous experience. I’m excited to see the next one!

On Wednesday October 31st, myself and my friend went to see one of the best movies out right now, “The Hate U Give.” I have been dying to see this movie for a while now, and I can honestly say that it was well worth the wait. The movie is about a young black teenager named Starr Carter who lives, like many teenagers, a double life. She resides in a predominantly Black neighborhood that is crime infested and impoverished in some ways, yet it still exudes Black excellence as there are Black-owned businesses. She acts one way while she’s at home, but when she goes to her mostly white school outside of town, she refers to herself as “Starr 2”. This version of Starr makes it a point to not use slang or to use the “n-word” around her white peers because she does not want them to think that it is okay for them to use it. She tries her best to keep these two vastly different words apart, but after witnessing her friend being shot and killed by a white officer, these two worlds begin spill into one another. Starr begins to see the true colors of everyone from her neighborhood and her school when she decides to testify against her friend’s murderer.

This movie is incredible for a number of reasons, but what drew me in the most was the moment during the opening credits when the title of the movie came across the screen vertically, and I realized that it was an acronym! The title spelled out the word T.H.U.G and I when I saw that, I was instantly intrigued to see how this would play out throughout the rest of the film. One of the two most powerful scenes in the film was when Starr was in the car with her friend Khalil and they are listening to a song by Tupac called T.H.U.G L.I.F.E. The acronym stands for, “The Hate U Give Little Infants F**ks Everybody.

For me, what this means is that because America has been perpetuating this cycle of extreme racism since the foundation of this country, children, and more specifically Black children, have been taking this into their system. If we keep feeding little black kids the idea that they are nothing but drug dealers and thugs, then that’s what they will grow up to be. It also should not be that Black children should have to grow up in fear of being shot by the police for something as innocent and free as walking down the street. If we keep feeding white children the notion that they are superior to other races, then we will continue to see the prevalence of ignorance.

The acronym is brought up again towards the end of the movie (spoiler alert), where Starr’s younger brother is seen aiming his father’s gun at a gang member trying to kill their father. The cops pulled up and aimed their guns at the child, and at this point, I just broke down in tears because this is our reality. Cops are so quick to pull their guns out on Black people, and it is heartbreaking for me because it just makes me wonder: when is all this killing going to end? How many lives have to be stolen away from this earth in order for us to wake up? At the heart of racism is a sinful spirit that only Christ can cast out with His light and love. Are we willing to humble ourselves and let Him into our hearts and allow Him to heal what is broken?

In the words of Starr Carter, “And that’s what I’m gonna do. Light up the darkness.”

On November 9th, Pastor Amy K. Butler spoke at Eastern’s Windows on the World event. She expressed the importance of preaching the Gospel to a broken world that’s longing for a Savior. Butler is the Senior Minister of Riverside Church in New York City and is also the first woman to ever hold this position. With degrees from several well-known universities such as Baylor, Butler has been in professional ministry for several years. She was the director for a women’s homeless shelter in New Orleans for a number of years until she went on to pastor a few churches after her time at the shelter.

Butler began her talk with discussing the Charleston shooting which occurred three years ago and the impact it had on the members of her predominantly Black church in New York City. Butler mentioned that after this tragic event, police showed up one Sunday at her church and told her of their concern of making sure that a copycat shooter would not try to perform this act on her church as her building is one of the tallest in America. The officers remained in the church throughout the service, and Butler mentioned how the atmosphere of worship was seemingly off. Though usually joyful and uplifting, worshippers felt uneasy being around the officers, and tension was in the air. She mentioned how these security measures continue even now due to the steady increase of gun-related tragedies across the world.

“I can’t believe all the fear and anger inducing events that have happened in our world. In national and local news” Butler said. She went on to name Alton Sterling and Philando Castile as victims of gun violence as well as naming other injustices such as officers being killed, members of the LGBT community not being able to use the bathrooms they identify with, and other things.

Butler then discussed the nature of the church in today’s world and how it has lost the early church’s boldness for challenging the political system under which they lived. She believes that the Body of Christ as a whole has in some ways settled for a “secular American” form of Christianity in which Christians do not get involved with the issues of the world, but instead practice their faith only within the walls of the church. However, Butler challenged believers to imitate the loving walk of Christ and not to conform to this secular form of Christianity.

“People say all the time that the Church is dying; well I hope that that [form of] church does that. But to the Church that has the courage to preach the radical Gospel that will not shy away from the prophetic task I would say this: the world needs us more than ever” Butler said.

Close your eyes for a moment and allow yourself to picture activists who have made an impactful imprint on your heart either from our current age or from the past. Some people who come to my mind are Jesus, Frederick Douglas, Ava Duvernay, Colin Kaepernick and Chance the Rapper. These people all had the same heart set: to advocate for the broken-hearted, to voice the pain of muffled voices, to abolish old laws and establish new ones. All these people brought winds of hope to those in despair, yet they all have done this in different ways. They displayed their hearts for activism through these forms of art: love, journalism, filmmaking, sports, and music.

Jesus was and is, in my eyes, the biggest activist this world has ever come to know. He came down from His heavenly throne to tell the people of the Father’s love and the importance of loving one another and caring for those considered less-than. However, he did not just stop there. He showed the world that at the heart of activism is loving your neighbor and being willing to lay down your life for them. It is recognizing that not everyone’s needs are being met and we should stop at nothing until all of humanity is truly free.

Another notable activist, Frederick Douglass, escaped from slavery on September 3 1838 and traveled all the way to New York to begin his new life. However, he carried a piece of his old life with him: his journal. He chose to document the harsh realities of being an African American slave and became an abolitionist. When he told his story of bondage, he was also telling the stories of those who still lived in slavery. His writing was a torch that passed on through generations of people of color who continued to keep the flame of activism lit.

It’s because of people like him that we have modern day activists who because they are in the public eye have an opportunity to make a difference in the Black community. Activists such as Ava Duvernay, one of my favorite filmmakers, who makes it a point in her films to have Black people, especially Black women, in lead roles. She portrays us in a beautiful, powerful and intelligent light which many mainstream movies fail to do. She uses her artform to show the vastness and diversity of the Black race through our different skin tones amongst other things.

Colin Kaepernick, a former football player, used his artform to advocate for justice to be served for all of the Black lives that the “justice” system took away. He took a knee at every football game when the national anthem was sung and it has started a movement across America. Chance the Rapper also has used his music to advocate for Black youth especially in his home city of Chicago. He advocated for those who have grown up in rough neighborhoods with limited resources thanks to the government, and he pours the money that he earns back into the community and has even started his own charity. This is what makes activism so beautiful and inspiring! It can take on many different forms of art, and all you need is a cause that sets your heart on fire.

Source: Loc.gov

On Oct. 19, four members of Eastern’s Multicultural Awareness Advisory Committee (MAAC) held a panel discussion geared towards ethnic students to discuss what it is like being a minority at a predominantly white institution (PWI) and the ways in which students can go about handling race-related issues. The discussion opened up with the panelists answering the question of how they adjusted to attending a PWI.

“I had to compromise in a lot of ways,” Victor Guillen, Senior Political Science major said. He is from Venezuela, and he told the audience how it is a custom in his country to greet those of the opposite sex with a kiss on the cheek. However, he began to notice overtime that this was not an American custom. He said this was a culture shock for him because in Venezuela value closeness whereas Americans are more so individualistic and value their space.

Another question that was raised during the discussion was how the panelists deal with negative comments from either professors or students in regards to their cultural backgrounds.

“Either you walk away or you educate them,” said Senior Psychology major, Babz Johnson.

Johnson, who is from Nigeria, told of an experience that he had with someonein which the person asked him if they have cars in Nigeria. He has had other encounters with people who made ignorant statements and he said that he makes it a point to educate people by showing them pictures of the houses, cars, and buildings in Nigeria in efforts to dispel the stereotypes of his country being poor.

Lastly, the panelists tackled the question of how they have made Eastern their home.

“I had to find something where could be myself. Where I could just drop my shoulders, relax and be myself” Senior Exercise Science major Pascal Guerrier said.

He said that he is most able to be himself on Eastern’s Blaze Step team as well as being the leader of the Natural Hair club of which just had a successful fashion show recently.

Alysia Green, a senior Biblical Studies major and President of SAGE, interpreted the question differently in that she said home for her is a place where you shouldn’t have to feel challenged at every turn to defend your opinion on your beliefs which often happens when students go home.

“A lot of the MAAC clubs have been home for me so like BSL, SAGE and it’s like a place where I have people that I can go to and I can trust,” Green said.

For the past five years, first year students have been required to take the

StrengthsQuest assessment from Gallup in order to learn about what their top five strengths are. In the assessment, students are asked a series of thought-provoking questions in order to get them to think about how they go about making decisions on a daily basis, what kind of thinkers they are and what kinds of things motivate them. At the end of the assessment, students get a detailed description of what their strengths mean, as well as a couple of questions for students to ask themselves about how they feel about their results.

Jessiah Garnett, a first year student here at Eastern, took her StrengthsQuest assessment this year and some of the strengths she obtained were Futuristic, Achiever and Ambitious. She felt that some of the strengths that were listed did apply to who she is right now and who she hopes to become in her future endeavors at Eastern. She felt the most connected to the Futuristic strength because she often thinks about the future to the point where it can feel she’s already living in the future instead of the present which is a common trait for people with this strength. The strength that she hopes to develop more into during her time here is the Achiever strength because she said that she does procrastinate a lot but she still manages to get assignments done. She wants all of her strengths to tie in together so that she can be successful during her college years.

“I think they all tie together so I need them to tie together at Eastern so I can get my degrees and get out of here” Garnett said as she laughed.

Sarah Todd, the Director of the Talent and Career Development, helps students after they have taken the assessment to understand what their strengths mean and how they can best apply them in their Eastern career. She believes that it is important for students to take this assessment freshman year so that they can feel “empowered and affirmed” in things about themselves that are “right” and “ that are great” Todd said.

“My take is that by spending a bit of time in students first years helping them just to identify aspects of themselves that [make them realize that] hey, when you go into a situation, you’re already doing this [strength]. You don’t have to think about it. It’s natural. It’s apart of who you are. And the language that we’re using here at Eastern [is that] it’s a way to understand God’s gifts” Todd said.

The goal is to help students, especially first year students, to realize that not only does Eastern have something to offer them but also that they have aspects of themselves that Eastern and the overall world needs to experience. This assessment is designed to truly help nourish the seeds of strength that is already inside of students and to help them grow into their Godly purpose here at Eastern.

Khandace Mitchell is a first-year student here at Eastern and is a Criminal Justice major but is thinking of switching over to Music because she is a huge music lover. She was born and raised in West Philly and yes, on the playground is where she spent most of her days. She loves to dance, listen to music, make music, sing and worship God through song. I think it is safe to say that she breathes musical melodies as her way of filling her lungs with oxygen. She feels the most freedom and selflessness when she is worshipping her Creator. “It’s a selfless moment for me. Nothing matters in that moment and other people around me don’t matter, either. It’s just about glorifying God” Mitchell said.

She also enjoys sitting by the pond and enjoying nature as she reflects on her life and the world around her. It is these small moments of deep reflection that motivate her to continue growing, to push herself past her limitations and to become all that God has called her to be. “The old me is my inspiration. It reminds that I don’t want to be that old person again” Mitchell said.

A person who is one of her biggest inspirations is Steffany Gretzinger who is one of the lead singers for Bethel Music. “When I started listening to her, I did not have an identity and I was trying to be like other people. Seeing her worship was how I was feeling on the inside. I wanted to be vibrant” Mitchell stated.

Her relationship with God and her experiences throughout life have greatly shaped who she is and it shapes her worship as well. She has gone through some rough times in her life where she didn’t know who she was and she struggled many years from having a broken identity. However, by the grace of God, she has been and continues to be changed by her relationship with him.