Walking into the upstairs room of the CLC House, I feel relieved that my week has finally arrived at this hour and a half of sanctuary. I take my place on an over-stuffed floor pillow and I hold the hands of my best friends sitting around me, greeting them, letting them know that I’m so happy to be back for another CLC meeting.
Prompted by our leader, everyone starts unloading themselves by listing off their highs and lows of the week. Someone mentions that she was overjoyed to finally see her parents for Fall Family Weekend. Another girl cries, expressing her frustration regarding the midterm she is almost certain she failed. Another shares the relief she feels that she is being moved to a new dorm, away from the toxic relationship she has with her roommate.
We all sit in a circle, turned toward each other, holding hands or rubbing backs when we need to. Phones are placed behind us because we know that this is a time for us to connect with ourselves and with God, and we don’t need to connect to the wider world right now.
It is a given that what is shared in this room stays in this room. There are moments when people feel compelled to share something emotional, something that makes them vulnerable, and we respect that vulnerability by assuring them that that information does not go past these four walls.
Our leader opens a book called Jesus Calling, and we all bow our heads to hear Jesus calling to us. We are comforted by the fact that Jesus is in the space with us and we ask him to fill our minds and our hearts with his love and peace.
We are all empowered in this space. We treat our upstairs room as a place of community, of worship, of mutual respect, of acceptance. We feel blessed to be surrounded by peers who lift us up and to know a God who loves us just the way we are, and as we file out for the week, we feel refreshed and renewed.
Annie Stanger
Prompted by our leader, everyone starts unloading themselves by listing off their highs and lows of the week. Someone mentions that she was overjoyed to finally see her parents for Fall Family Weekend. Another girl cries, expressing her frustration regarding the midterm she is almost certain she failed. Another shares the relief she feels that she is being moved to a new dorm, away from the toxic relationship she has with her roommate.
We all sit in a circle, turned toward each other, holding hands or rubbing backs when we need to. Phones are placed behind us because we know that this is a time for us to connect with ourselves and with God, and we don’t need to connect to the wider world right now.
It is a given that what is shared in this room stays in this room. There are moments when people feel compelled to share something emotional, something that makes them vulnerable, and we respect that vulnerability by assuring them that that information does not go past these four walls.
Our leader opens a book called Jesus Calling, and we all bow our heads to hear Jesus calling to us. We are comforted by the fact that Jesus is in the space with us and we ask him to fill our minds and our hearts with his love and peace.
We are all empowered in this space. We treat our upstairs room as a place of community, of worship, of mutual respect, of acceptance. We feel blessed to be surrounded by peers who lift us up and to know a God who loves us just the way we are, and as we file out for the week, we feel refreshed and renewed.
Annie Stanger