By Rick Vacek
GCU News Bureau
“Thank God it’s Friday” will take on a whole new meaning this week for the College of Theology at Grand Canyon University.
The first installment of the popular Integration of Faith, Learning and Work "Lunch and Learns" for all GCU faculty is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Friday in Howerton Hall. Brandon Juarez and Paul Danuser of the College of Education will give a presentation, and then COT Dean Dr. Jason Hiles will talk on “Work as Divine Calling.”
That evening, students in the Center for Worship Arts will get their first look at the recording studio on the fourth floor of the new engineering building. The event, for Worship Arts students only, is scheduled to start around 10 p.m., after Bart Millard, the Worship Arts director, and his award-winning band, MercyMe, play at North Phoenix Baptist Church. MercyMe, which recently had the No. 1 Christian song in the country (“Flawless”) and was nominated for three Dove Awards, will perform a special acoustic concert in the studio.
There also is another big recording studio event Monday. The media and special guests from the community are invited to attend Chapel at 11:15 a.m. in GCU Arena and then go to the studio afterward to hear Worship Arts students Desiree Aguilar, Maddison Harris and Tanner Krenz perform their songs on the Canyon Worship EP, released last spring. Hiles will give the welcome and conduct the prayer, and Millard and GCU President/CEO Brian Mueller will speak at the event.
It’s all part of another year of COT growth, especially in Worship Arts. The second-year program has gone from about 60 students to more than 150. Overall, Theology has more than 450 students, up from 320 last year.
The Integration of Faith, Learning and Work program is designed to help instructors become better equipped to make prayer and reflection a daily part of the classroom. Each of the faculty presenters shares their insights into the integration of faith and work based on their experience and knowledge of the discipline in which they teach, and then Hiles follows with a short talk.
The other Lunch and Learns are:
Oct. 16: Josh Danaher, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Hiles: “Work as Cultivation and Service”)
Nov. 20: Dr. Daisy Savarirajan, College of Science, Engineering and Technology (Hiles: “Work That Demeans, Dissatisfies and Drains”)
Jan. 22: Tamara Wisely, College of Nursing and Health Care Professions (Hiles: “Work That Honors God”)
Feb. 19: Dr. Moronke Oke and faculty panel from the Colangelo College of Business (Hiles: “Work as an Expression of Neighbor Love”)
March 18: Final year-end fellowship featuring presentations and faculty testimonies about IFLW experiences from the current academic year
Lunch is supplied, and faculty members in all colleges are invited. Click here to RSVP to reserve a lunch.
Contact Rick Vacek at 602-639-8203 or [email protected].
