Note that photos, text and audio of several of these events and activities can be found on the Reflections page of our site.

At Brent House:

• Renewed Mission and Vision statements (near-final drafts, which echo the Diocesan vision, “Form the faithful, grow the church, change the world.”):

Brent House’s Mission is to be a sanctuary for students, a hallowed place for discernment, learning, and spiritual growth, and a facilitator of communities—the academy, the church, and the world.

Brent House’s vision is

• Individuals [who are] mature in their faith
• A richer Academy
• A stronger Church
• A better world

• Two positions were added to the board for members chosen by the students and Brent House residents, providing a direct voice from the students to our governing body.
• The Canterbury Club, our student-led recognized student organization, co-sponsored several of our major and ongoing events.

On Campus:

• The Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne, physicist and Anglican priest, spoke to an audience of more than 200 people on “The Friendship of Science and Religion,” preceded by a dinner at Brent House.
• Brent House students and the chaplain were involved in the counter-activities in response to the visit of Westboro Baptist (a hate group) to campus in March.
• Brent House and Interfaith Dialogue co-hosted a joyous interfaith Advent/Christmas party, complete with Advent wreath, Christmas pageant (with home-made costumes, of course), a potluck of holiday favorites, tree decorating and caroling!  See pictures here.

With the Diocese and Province:

• Brent House students had leadership roles at both the 2008 and 2009 Diocesan Conventions.
• Two students were confirmed and one received at the Cathedral’s Easter Vigil.  More than 20 people from Hyde Park attended with us.
• Through the energy and leadership of Lee Behnke (member of the board, U of C faculty and St. Chrysostom’s), we knit hats and scarves for refugee families and the homeless.

In the Nation and the World:

• Students from Brent House and Canterbury Northwestern planned and led the provincial student gathering in February.  It was a rousing success, including significant time with Bishop Lee and a jazz mass from the folks at University of Michigan’s Canterbury House.
• Brent House, in cooperation with St. Paul and the Redeemer, was awarded a one-year grant of $12,000 from the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship for a special project of Bible study, reflection and worship that seeks to explore and blur the boundaries between sacred and secular.
• Three Brent House students attended Gather, the bi-annual gathering of college students at Estes Park, Colorado.
• Sarah Staudt, a former peer minister, was chosen to be a member of the Committee for Young Adult Ministry, which provides resources for, advocates on behalf of, and promotes ministry relationships to young adults.
• Laura Eberly, now a fourth-year in the College and first-year at SSA, and a former peer minister, was a member of the Anglican delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March.

And these are only the highlights!

Thanks to the energy, persistence and compassion of Lee Behnke, who teaches in the Classics Department, and Amanda Ratliff, 1st year in the College, we knitted a number of hats and scarves over the course of winter quarter. Some stayed to knit during Wednesday Afternoon Tea, while others took projects with them.

Here you see our handiwork, modeled by some of the knitters.  The knitted items were donated to Neighbors in Need, the monthly feeding program at St. Chrysostom’s Church, and to a refugee ministry called IRIM (Interfaith Refugee Ministry) on the near north side.

http://www.chicagomaroon.com/2009/3/10/westboro-church-protest-meets-students-mocking