There is no denying the impact that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made and has continued to make on the world, most notably in this country. All of America has benefited from his life and legacy.

While the nation celebrated his life earlier this week, West Chester University is hosting a series of events today to remember this great leader. All throughout the day, we encourage you to participate in the events held on campus, including a performance by the Gospel Choir and especially, a panel discussion tonight in Sykes Ballroom C.

The Gospel Choir will be in the lobby of Sykes during the lunch hours. You won’t be able to miss them if you’re stopping for lunch in Sykes.

Reflecting on A Letter from a Birmingham Jail Then and Now will be the topic for tonight’s panel discussion, which will be moderated by WCU history professor LaTonya Thames-Taylor. Local religious leaders from area churches will give insights on various letters Dr. King wrong from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. The panel discussion will start at 7 p.m.

These are perfect opportunities for you to learn outside of the classroom, and we encourage each of you to take part in these events.

Well, it’s hard to believe that the semester is winding down. We’ve only got two more Wednesday night Impact Gatherings remaining, and you won’t want to miss either of them!

This Wednesday, Gibson Largent from Riverside Community Church will be sharing his story with us and teaching us how we can make a bigger impact with our lives — even during the summer. We’ll also have some musical worship to enjoy. See you Wednesday night at 7:30 in GOSHEN 108A!

This weekend is a busy one. There is still time for you to take part in the FOCUS Leadership Retreat, where students from across the Philadelphia area will join together to hone their leadership skills and gain a better understanding of what it means to lead in your specific areas of influence. The cost for this retreat is $45 and includes all food and housing for the weekend. The good news, we’ll be close to West Chester, so you don’t have to go far to experience a great retreat.

If you aren’t making the trip to FOCUS, The Journey (a local church partner) would love to have some help caring for children during a special conference on Friday night and Saturday morning. If you are able to participate, let Brodie know ASAP at brodie@crossseekerswcu.com.

IGNITE starts up next Tuesday night at The Journey (200 S. Church St.). This is a multi-campus worship experience for students in Chester County. Check out the facebook event and invite your friends to take part as special guest SWIM joins us to lead some musical worship. It looks to be a pretty cool evening. IGNITE starts Tuesday night at 7:00. We’ll see you there!

Next Wednesday night is a special Impact Gathering completely designed by the student leaders of CrossSeekers Campus Ministry. They’ve planned the night, invited the guest and chosen the theme. They’ve also planned to provide a meal for everyone who makes it out that night, so come ready to scarf down some dinner as Chuck Keiffer (a WCU alum) from The Foundry shares with all of us. You’ll definitely want to be there for that.

And don’t forget about the Discussion Groups going on each Friday at 2 p.m. (led by Susie) and Mondays at 10 and 11 a.m. (led by Paul) in Sykes (the lounge area near the food court). These are informal groups designed to dig deeper into what we’re learning on Wednesday nights. Even if you can’t make it on Wednesdays, take part in a discussion group and dig a little deeper.

Finally, the Finals Week Study Break is coming. More details will be coming, but plan for a big blowout right on campus!

Join CrossSeekers Campus Ministry this Wednesday night at 7:30 in GOSHEN 108A for a presentation from The Traveling Team, a special group of guests whose heart yearns to mobilize college students to understand God’s heart for the nations. Come on out, bring some friends and enjoy an awesome presentation what will challenge you and encourage you to live differently on campus and out in the rest of the world.

We’ll have plenty of free grub and some drinks to wash it down with as well as tons of free resources that will help you grow in your faith while at WCU this semester and beyond.

We look forward to seeing you out this Wednesday night at Impact!

Okay, so you’re a new student at West Chester University. You’re in the process of packing your bags and making your way to campus (or, some of you will be commuting to WCU and will pack your bag every morning before setting out). Are you ready?

Aug. 22 marks the big day for many freshman and transfer students. It’s move-in day, meaning thousands of you and your fellow students will be crowding into the dorms, trying to find an available cart and waiting seemingly forever for one of those dorm elevators to arrive and whisk you up to your floor. In short, it will probably be a little chaotic.

If you’re moving in and would like some help, we’d be happy to assist you. Some of our students will be  on campus that day to help serve WCU’s new students by hauling their stuff to their dorm rooms. After all, you’ve got enough to worry about. If you’d like a hand, feel free to drop us an e-mail at wcubcm@yahoo.com and make a request. We can meet you at your dorm and load ourselves down with everything you brought with you (though we can’t guarantee that everything you bring will fit into your room!).

Welcome to WCU! We know it’s just the beginning of your time here, and we’d like to help make the transition as easy as possible!

From Aug. 2 through Aug. 7, we’ll be in North Carolina with students and staff from ministries all over the eastern United States for Ridgecrest Collegiate Week, an annual gathering of students designed as a launching point into the fall semesters at universities across the country. Ridgecrest is actually run in simultaneously with Glorieta Collegiate Week in New Mexico. Having one in the East gives students on this side of the US the opportunity to join together in leadership training and worship in the mountains of North Carolina.

CrossSeekers Campus Ministry will be sending two students and two staff members down this year along with 12 or 13 others from the Philadelphia region. It will be a long drive to North Carolina, but we are excited about the opportunity to join in with hundreds of other students in the worship of our God.

Please pray for all four of us from West Chester University who will be on this adventure together. It will be an exciting time for us all!

If you’d like more info on Ridgecrest, you can find it here.