Celebrating the Wonder of Creation
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Celebrating the Wonder of Creation
“Worship Under the Stars.”
What could bring a group of fifty college students to the top of a mountain on an early June night? A a summer bonfire? A wild kegger? Perhaps, but not this time. No, these students were bundled-up to participate in “Worship Under the Stars” -- a night for college students to get together, sing worship songs, read scripture and pray while surrounded by God’s celestial beauty.
Last year, when I was in charge of our Restoring Eden campus chapter, we hosted a similar star-gazing event. While this was a good experience, I felt that we could reach a larger audience if a campus ministry hosted the event instead. So earlier in the year I met with a staff member from Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF), one of the ministries at my college that serves over 500 students and they agreed to sponsor the night of star-gazing as an act of worship.
After scouting out a location and locking in volunteers to lead worship, things were set in place. The only glitch in planning was conflicting schedules, so we ended up having no choice but to schedule the event on the night of the full moon. Good for howling but not for star-gazing.
The turnout doubled from the year before to over 50 people. All though it was early June, it still was cold in the Cascades so we were wrapped up in the hats and gloves we hadn’t worn since winter, worshipping and watching in wonder as the moon rose in its full glory from behind the distant mountain peaks. For many students that night was one of their first experiences of connecting with God through the glory of creation.
The comments I heard about the event were extremely positive. I’ve already been asked when the next star-gazing night will be. Maybe “Worship Under the Stars” will be a yearly event through CCF. I joke that while this may have been the first CCF event to have been planned around the moon calendar, it certainly will not be its last.
-Alexis Illyn is a recent graduate from Western Washington University. She now works for Conservation Northwest, an environmental non-profit based in Bellingham, WA.
What could bring a group of fifty college students to the top of a mountain on an early June night? A a summer bonfire? A wild kegger? Perhaps, but not this time. No, these students were bundled-up to participate in “Worship Under the Stars” -- a night for college students to get together, sing worship songs, read scripture and pray while surrounded by God’s celestial beauty.
Last year, when I was in charge of our Restoring Eden campus chapter, we hosted a similar star-gazing event. While this was a good experience, I felt that we could reach a larger audience if a campus ministry hosted the event instead. So earlier in the year I met with a staff member from Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF), one of the ministries at my college that serves over 500 students and they agreed to sponsor the night of star-gazing as an act of worship.
After scouting out a location and locking in volunteers to lead worship, things were set in place. The only glitch in planning was conflicting schedules, so we ended up having no choice but to schedule the event on the night of the full moon. Good for howling but not for star-gazing.
The turnout doubled from the year before to over 50 people. All though it was early June, it still was cold in the Cascades so we were wrapped up in the hats and gloves we hadn’t worn since winter, worshipping and watching in wonder as the moon rose in its full glory from behind the distant mountain peaks. For many students that night was one of their first experiences of connecting with God through the glory of creation.
The comments I heard about the event were extremely positive. I’ve already been asked when the next star-gazing night will be. Maybe “Worship Under the Stars” will be a yearly event through CCF. I joke that while this may have been the first CCF event to have been planned around the moon calendar, it certainly will not be its last.
-Alexis Illyn is a recent graduate from Western Washington University. She now works for Conservation Northwest, an environmental non-profit based in Bellingham, WA.