The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

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Worshiping together

ggangi@dailyegyptian.com

By 7:15 p.m. Friday, the Lesar Law Building Auditorium had standing room only. Students and community members gathered from many different cultures and backgrounds to share "One Love": God.

"It is great to see so many people from different congregations come together and worship," SIUC Chancellor Walter Wendler said during his opening comments.

"A Night of Worship," an event that began planning last semester, brought together 10 different campus ministries to celebrate their faith. A five-piece band helped create a high-energy atmosphere and reinforce the evening's theme of "One Love."

"This is the first time anything like this has happened," said Jolene Fisher, a senior in advertising from Richmond. "It is so awesome to see so many people here from different denominations."

Beth Swartzendruber, who sang lead vocals for the event, is an intern for the Chi Alpha ministries of which she has been a part of for the past three years. She said the turnout for the event was surprising and refreshing.

"I was overwhelmed by the amount of people and their reactions," Swartzendruber said. "In that sense it was a success. We wanted as many people to get together as possible."

She said the event was something that several ministries had been planning since last year to bring Christian students together both on and off campus. She said the event helped a lot of people meet one another and share a common connection they could bring to classes and social gatherings.

"Only with Jesus can you put away the differences of theology and practices to come together for a common focus and goal, which is to love on one another," Swartzendruber said. "This will create a greater sense of community on campus. Now we are able to recognize one another and reach out to each other on campus."

Joe Mortimer, a senior in agricultural systems from Chana, said the event gave him an opportunity to meet other Christians on campus.

"I found people who were in some of my classes who I didn't know were Christian," Mortimer said. "Something like this really challenges people. It was amazing to see all of the different cultures come together."

Megan Nelson, whose father gave an exhortation, said there was a need for many of the campus ministries to come together. She said it is necessary for fellow Christians to share their faith with one another and have a strong support system.

"This is important, especially in a secular campus," said Nelson a sophomore in pre-medicine from Champaign. "I think people wanted to see this for some time. It is encouraging for everyone. I wish we could do this every weekend."

She said the event could possibly become a forum for people from more denominations to come together and worship. Anna Evans, a freshman in pre-nursing from Carterville, said she is looking forward to planning the next night of worship for next semester, but ultimately would like to see the event occur monthly.

"I see this just getting bigger," Evans said. "We need to expand to include other ministries on campus. We can help and encourage one another no matter what the denomination. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you are a brother or sister."

She said one of the best parts about the event was how it created a sense of quality for those in attendance.

"It was so amazing how much positive energy was in the room. I was loving everyone. We didn't care about denomination or skin color," Evans said.

Plans for a future Night of Worship are already underway and many members of the sponsoring organizations said the next event might be held in a larger venue.

"We are definitely going to need a bigger place," Swartzendruber said. "Maybe one day it will be held in Shryock."