The Compass Center

by Hannah Riffe

I traveled home to Cincinnati this past weekend in hopes of getting to vote for the 2012 presidential election in early. I had procrastinated on getting my absentee ballot and had an urge to get off campus anyway so I figured I would vote in person. As I made it to downtown I was surprised to see that most of the city was dead, barely a person in sight, and on a Saturday afternoon this was uncommon. But as soon as I turned my car towards the Elections Board building I knew why the rest of the city was quiet. It seemed as though everybody in the downtown area had converged to the two-block radius surrounding the only early polling site. I parked and sat in my car just looking at the barely moving line and tried to convince myself that it wasn’t worth the wait. But I concluded that I had already driven two hours from Indianapolis, so what would another half hour be?

Three hours later when I finally dropped my freshly marked ballot into its box and received my “I Voted!” sticker I had never felt more accomplished. I stood alone in line for three hours shivering in 40-degree weather as the sky kept spitting out rain. Being a 21-year-old young white female alone in a predominantly African-American crowd I was uncomfortable. Not scared, not suspicious, just uncomfortable. Those handing out political propaganda and the politicians continuously ignored me because they either didn’t care about my vote or decided in their mind that I was going to vote a certain way. But I did it. I voted. Don’t get me wrong, every 20 minutes or so I decided I was just going to get out of line and go back to the car with heated seats and drive to the closest Starbucks for a grande hot chocolate. But I didn’t. And I want to say it was all because of my own will power and convictions but really it was peer pressure. I was surrounded by so many people who were so excited and so willing to wait even more than three hours to vote for somebody they truly believed in. I was not only inspired by their dedication but also slightly ashamed of my indifference. But that indifference slowly faded away as I was able to think (three hours is a long time) about why I was voting.

In a phone conversation with my dad a few days before I admitted that I felt that my vote wouldn’t even matter. He immediately said, “Do you know where you come from? Cincinnati is one of the most democratic cities situated in one of the most republican counties, in one of the biggest battleground states. Your vote may change the whole election!” Well, when he put it that way how could I not vote? But I was still conflicted on who to vote for. I knew that my personal beliefs aligned strongly with one candidate but my parents’ aligned with the other. In those three long hours I struggled on what my ballot would say. Most of the people in line with me were open and proud Obama supporters, so what would one vote for Romney really do? But on the other hand many of my core beliefs matched Obama’s stance on social issues. Do I vote for a candidate who could help my family and our economy or do I vote for a candidate I think will push our country into progress with social issues?

In the end all that matters is that I voted. I voted for the first time in a presidential election. I voted as a way to fulfill my civic duty as a US citizen. I voted for the women who came before me and sacrificed all they were for my rights. I voted for myself, for my beliefs, and for my future.

by Lauren Reed

The Blue House asked me to reflect on my internship and what I’m learning. I’m about due for some reflection. I usually put my head down and go go go until the end of the semester, waiting to reflect until I’m at home on my couch eating Christmas cookies. But reflection is important (hey, that’s the first thing I’ve learned) so here’s what I’m thinking about my internship and life as of 8:25 this morning:

1. College is for growing, not learning. Sure, I’m learning things in my classes and that’s important. Let’s be real, though; I won’t remember a lot of the details a few years from now. What matters (to me, at least) is that I can take personal meaning from what I’m learning. That’s why my religion minor and this internship feel so right to me. I understand how to take themes I’m learning and apply those to my understanding of myself. I have a dance teacher who always says that dance class is about “collecting sensations” rather than copying movement. With enough practice, anyone can move the same way the teacher does, but understanding how the movement feels and where it’s coming from and what it means to YOU is a different story. In college, anyone can learn facts; it’s tougher to know how to grow from them.

2. Numbers don’t count. Working in ResLife has gotten me used to numbers. I should have at least 5 people at each program I host. I can use x% of my budget for this event. It’s a pragmatic and effective way to do things and it’s what I knew, so I brought it with me to this internship. I’m still getting used to the way the Blue House functions because it’s all about the presence on campus rather than the number of people who come through the house. What matters most is that we are available. It’s ok if I don’t reach everyone, but I’ll really invest in the people I do connect with. It’s so liberating to have permission to focus on a few people rather than to desperately try to engage everyone.

3. Talking with people is the best way to serve. As people, we all need lots of things, right? We need food and money and friends and an education (preferably in something sustainable). It is so easy to want to provide these things, especially to those who are close to us. As a CFV intern, I want to give each of Butler’s faith groups funding, students, and publicity. And lots of it. Almost 3 months in, I’m starting to realize that I haven’t been exactly realistic. I can’t give each group everything I’d like to but I’ve had some fantastic conversations with student leaders that were more meaningful than a strategic blog post or financial donation. We need a lot of things, but one thing that we tend to overlook is the need to be listened to. I’m glad that I’ve been able to provide that in lieu of giant money bags.

So that’s where I’m at. I’m so, so grateful for this opportunity to learn and share.
Peace,
Lauren

By Hannah Riffe

Being the communications intern for the Center for Faith and Vocation I find myself, well, communicating, a lot. I email, Facebook, greet, tweet, chat, listen, and laugh. You’ll usually find me on my computer or my phone corresponding with student organizations, Butler faculty, students, community members, and other CFV staff. And I love it. I love being able to create a connection between the larger Butler community and the CFV. If I am even able to get one student to the CFV who has never been there I feel accomplished because I was once that student. As a freshman I didn’t really understand what the CFV really was or what it had to offer. And never trying to find out is probably one of the biggest regrets. The CFV has become a place for me to come and work, relax, meet, study, have fun, and most of all make connections. Not just professional connections but personal, spiritual, and enlightening bonds. I’ve meet people who have helped me see that what I do with my future is up to me and the possibilities are endless. Besides getting great professional experience I’ve gained a better understanding of what I can do with those experiences to further myself. I truly believe that from working at the CFV I gained confidence in my ability to go after my goals which I will be doing this spring by studying abroad in London for 5 months. Being able to talk out my hesitations and fears with the CFV staff I was able to see that I can overcome any challenges. Be it planning an event such as Big Questions or planning for my future on a different continent. The CFV has not only been an employer but also a friend, mentor, and inspiration.

by Moira Frazier

A dancer at the Hindu Temple Fest; this is a great example of the beautiful costumes!
This past Saturday I was able to attend Temple Fest, at the Hindu Temple of Central Indiana. I did not real-ize that the Hindu community in Indianapolis was so large; there are almost 10,000 Hindus around here! It was an exciting experience, and the closest to another culture I have been able to get without traveling. It also included lots of Hindu dancing, which was a wonderful thing to experience.
The atmosphere of Temple Fest was somewhat like walking into India for a brief bit; there were multitudes of people gathered in a tent, milling around different attractions, and I was definitely in the minority as a non-Indian person. This was a very interesting experience, since it happens so rarely in this country as a Caucasian person. The environment of the festival was wonderful; the energy was high and the feel was festive. Everybody was gathering around food tables, the stage where the dancing was, or chatting in smaller groups. There were people of all ages enjoying the festivities, from tiny babies in colorful, elabo-rate Indian costumes to older people. It was a lovely event to be a part of.
The food and culture was amazing. I partook in eating some Indian food; although the food was unfamiliar and quite spicy, it was delicious, and very eye opening to experience cuisine that was different even from the more American versions of Indian food we usually get in this country. I was also able to experience walking around inside the actual temple, which is still a work in progress but already very large and beauti-ful. It was amazing to be integrated so fully into another culture and religion for the day.
The highlight for me, of course, was the dancing I was able to watch. There were several different groups of classical Hindu dancers, of all ages. Each group had intricate, colorful, and sparkling costumes, which really complimented the dances they performed. Most of the groups performed classical Hindu dance, which was completely different from other kinds of dance I have seen. It was intricate and involved several symbolic movements that showed the religious influence. There was also a bit of Bollywood dancing, which is a sort of popular dance in India. It combines classical Hindu dance forms, belly dancing, Indian
folk dancing, and even Western styles of dance; it is very popular in movies from India. It is important to understand the distinction between the religiously influenced classical Hindu dance and the more secular form of Bollywood. It was nice to see examples of both within the same festival to illustrate this difference.
It was also great to see how friendly the Hindu people were. While I was eating, a nice gentleman started up a conversation. After explaining who I was and describing my project, he ended up introducing me to the Hindu dance teacher at the temple. This was exciting, and gaining such a wonderful contact was an unexpected bonus. It felt so personal, and it was wonderful to meet new and interesting people. I talked to the dance teacher, and she was extremely friendly and immediately enthusiastic about my project. I really hope she can be involved in one of my events!
Overall, attending Hindu Temple Fest was a wonderful experience that I would definitely recommend to others. Even if you are not Indian or Hindu, the community as a whole is so accepting, friendly, and excited to share their culture with others. It is amazing what wonderful events I discover when I look for them! Indianapolis has many vibrant cultures to explore, and Temple Fest was a way to experience the Hindu culture.
Below, I have included pictures of one of the groups of dancers I saw perform. Also, there is a link to the Hindu Temple of Central Indiana. Stay tuned for more information about my first dance and religion event!
http://www.htci.org/

Greetings!
My name is Moira Frazier, and I will be an intern at the Center for Interfaith Cooperation this year. I am a junior at Butler University, where I am a Religious Studies major and Dance minor. This blog will follow my path as I attempt to find the connections and parallels between religious customs and dance traditions. I plan on using the intersection of these two entities to promote an educational and ultimately ecumenical message about the many different religious traditions that are present in the Indianapolis area.
As part of this internship, I am attempting to organize a series of events that incorporate both dance and religious traditions. I would like for these events to include learning and discussion about how dance and movement are incorporated in different religious and ethnic cultures. This series of events will ideally include not only textual information, but also actually learning phrases of movement from specific tradi-tions. By getting people to learn the movement themselves, I am hoping to promote a greater personal understanding of how movement fits into religion.
Ideally, each event would focus on a different movement tradition. For example, one event may focus on Jewish/Israeli folk dance, while another would be dedicated to educating oneself about Hindu dance. Each event would include a hands-on approach to learning about each dance tradition. Ultimately, I would like to gather a following of people throughout the series, and culminate in one special event that incorporates all that we will have learned thus far about the role of movement in religious traditions.
Dance and religion, and the intersection and connection of the two, is a topic that is not discussed in great detail very often. There is little scholarly work on the subject, nor is there much common knowledge even within either dance communities or religious communities. However, my own experiences have led me to see that movement is an integral part of religious practice for many traditions. I want to use this blog, and this series of events, to promote knowledge about the interplay between two interesting subsets of human culture, and ultimately encourage a strong ecumenical and educational message.

by Lauren Reed 

Last Friday evening, I went to my first actual interfaith event of the semester.  “Continuing Lessons from 9/11” was hosted by Studio Ninety-Six along with Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church and our friends at the Christian Theological Seminary in downtown’s wonderfully unique Earth House Collective.  Studio Ninety-Six’s motto is “facilitating experimentation with artistically savvy, culturally sensitive, innovative worship” and I can’t think of a better way to describe the evening.

The service focused on remembering the sadness and fear of 9/11, but also on remembering the precious moments when the attack brought different faiths together instead of driving them apart.  The stories shared by three storytellers- a Jewish woman, a Muslim woman, and a Christian woman- encouraged us to reach past our own seclusion to grab our neighbors’ hands. 

One story was about a group of New York Christian women just after 9/11/01.  Some of their Muslim neighbors were so afraid of being targeted in the aftermath of the attacks that they were scared to go out alone in public.  In a beautiful act of humanity, the Christian women and Muslim women began going to the grocery store together in large groups to protect each other. 

This story and the service were wonderful examples of how people of different backgrounds can come together in peace to serve others.  The elated words the entire congregation sang as we left the building were perfect:

Let us go out and light up the dark!

Let us go out and bring joy to each heart!

Let us go out with indifference destroyed!

Let us go out with joy!

Amen.

Peace,

Lauren

 Check out Studio Ninety-Six’s website (http://worshipstudio.wordpress.com/about/)

by Lauren Reed 

This Friday, I went with my friend Morgan to an event hosted at the Blue House by Hillel.  Hillel is our very welcoming Jewish group on campus;  I’m always struck by the friendliness of this particular bunch.  This was my first time meeting the very funny Rabbi Spiegel who led the service and played a mean guitar.  I’ve also been told that he’s really into motorcycles.  I’ll have to ask him about that next time I see him.

The event was a Shabbat service, which falls on the 7th day of the Jewish week.  In Judaism, the 7th day of the week begins at sundown on Friday and leads into a day of rest.  We began by singing a nigun, which is a very simple melody (that is easy enough to predict and follow) sung with one sound (la or da) instead of words.  Rabbi Spiegel paused to quiz the group on the purpose of opening with a nigun, which he said is to allow everyone to participate, even if one does not know the Hebrew words to the traditional songs.  It is to make everyone welcome, which was a nice way to start since, after that, we launched into Hebrew songs and blessings that were much harder for me to follow!  I was familiar with one song, though.  The words, “Hine mah Tov umah naʿiym sheveth aḥ-iym gam ya-ḥadh,” mean “behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together,” and we sang it with linked arms as Rabbi Spiegel played guitar. 

After a few more songs, it was time to bless the challah (a Jewish braided bread) and wine.  Then, Rabbi Spiegel led us in a short discussion about the coming Jewish High Holidays and the current Jewish month, Elul, which is dedicated to repentance of sins.  He taught us that, in Judaism, forgiveness abounds, but sins against others are only forgiven by making things right with those that were wronged.  Personally, I think this adds weight to the sins against others because only the sinner can right them.  It was a beautiful and well-needed exercise to think about asking for and giving forgiveness.

 

Next came a delicious dinner catered by Noodles and Co. and some great discussions.  There were about 6 of us, including Nonie, Hillel’s kind faculty advisor, that stayed half hour past dinner talking about everything from Israel trips to Greek houses on campus.  It was so nice to relax and spend time in the cozy Blue House with some wonderful people. 

 

Shalom, everyone, and enjoy your week!

 

Peace.

Lauren

 

 

By Lauren Reed

Hello, my friends!

Thanks for visiting me here! I created this blog mainly as a means to keep Butler’s community up to date with what I am doing in my internship for the Center for Faith and Vocation in the Fall 2012 semester. My official title, the Butler University Interfaith Liaison, is a new position that Judy Cebula, the CFV director, and I are sort of honing as we go along, which is very very exciting! Internships like this have existed in the past, but in different capacities and with different duties. The fantastic thing about this year is how diverse my responsibilities are; I’ll be attending religious and spiritual group meetings, connecting with campus leaders, and researching interfaith initiatives, but I’ll also have a chance to attend and even help facilitate religious events, network, have coffee with Butler students, help religious and spiritual groups teach and share with each other, blog about everything (something very different for me!), learn about other religions and practices, and, most importantly, EXPERIENCE things that are bigger than myself, which is, to be honest, why I have a religion minor in the first place. These are things that I would have wanted to do anyways and now I’ll just have a reason to do them, even when the semester gets busy. So, I feel pretty lucky to have this internship and I hope you’ll keep up to date with this blog so I can share my experience with you!

A little about my current path. I am a senior dance performance major with a minor in religion. I call these my useless degrees (don’t worry; I don’t actually mean it). I don’t intend for either of these areas to be a lifelong career- I want to dance until I fall apart and then get my Masters in Student Affairs and continue immerse myself in religions as a lifelong passion. I guess, if this gives me one advantage, it’s that I’m not wasting any time here at Butler. I know that what I’m doing here won’t be forever, so I want to do it all now. This year will be especially tumultuous for me since auditions for dance companies are coming up in the spring and I have absolutely no idea where I’ll end up if anywhere at all. I don’t like not knowing. The upside to this is that I have all the more reason to throw myself into my last year here and soak up everything I can. Another reason I am so grateful for the opportunities this internship will give.

So that’s that! Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you’ll visit again soon! (Is that the right blog lingo? I have so much to learn…) I’ll post in a few days with some exciting college interfaith initiatives/partnerships formed by Obama!

Peace,
Lauren

by Kate White

This summer I interned at the Indiana United Methodist Conference Center with the Rev. Dr. Daniel Gangler, director of communications. My interest in strategic communication and my faith background in Methodism made the internship the perfect fit for my summer experience. Not only did I gain professional experience, but a broader understanding of where my spirituality is rooted and opportunities available for communicators within the church. Also, my special ties to these causes helped me to create a more meaningful experience for myself. I almost feel overwhelmed from my whirlwind of a summer, but I’m so excited to share with you all of the insight that I’ve gained.
The first day on the job is always interesting. I set out my professional intern attire the night before, packed my lunch, rose bright and early, double-checked my GPS, allowed extra time for the commute (including Indianapolis construction!) and stepped off the elevator fifteen minutes early, bright-eyed and eagerly anticipating the unknown. Surprisingly, the first day was highly uneventful –unless you count that I left my headlights on all day and had to traipse back up to the third floor business suite to sheepishly ask my new boss to jump my car. So embarrassing you could crawl under a rock, right? Only, not so much. The incredible things that faith can do for you.
My first week or two seemed so “uneventful” because I felt amazingly comfortable –almost too comfortable. Working in a faith environment can affect your mood, work ethic, how you interact with others and ultimately your outlook on life. I found myself fitting right in because, well, I did. My boss and the rest of the staff understood the Church’s concept of “radical hospitality” and took every effort to make room for the new intern. I didn’t have to worry about my mistake of leaving my lights on because my faith told me not to worry and my co-workers reassured that it happens to the best of us. I further felt a sense of belonging at work and compatibility with the mission because I’d already been involved with The United Methodist Church for twenty years, an odd concept for a not quite 21-year-old to contemplate.
While The United Methodist Church wasn’t a foreign concept for me, I found that there was a whole lot more that I didn’t know. For instance, the organizational structure of the church extends far beyond my congregation and our pastors and their superiors. Without getting too technical, let’s just say that The United Methodist Church is a global powerhouse with several committees, global initiatives, annual meetings, active laity, various clergy and a thirst to continuously improve “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” As you can imagine, an organization that large requires a vast amount of communication to keep the ball rolling.
To fulfill the church’s needs, there are communicators at the national, conference, district and congregational levels. Mediums include:
• publications like magazines, newsletters, mail, email and bulletins;
• electronic media such as projector screens for hymn lyrics, mission photos, YouTube videos, sermon outlines, and congregational responses;
• tools for real-time interaction like video-conference calls, live web-streaming, social media and Skype;
• and resource archives like online databases, websites, search functions and physical district resource centers.
Most communication teams are comprised of editors, writers, designers, and photographers/videographers. Thinking realistically, which nonprofit has a budget to bolster their own media team? Most communication tasks fall to the clergy and laity. This is not all bad because those closest to the subject matter tend to be the best sources of information. Nonetheless, communication is not just slapping words on a page for mass consumption. Trained communicators must provide resources and advice to enable others to communicate effectively to further the goals of the church.
So where did this intern come into play? I mainly worked with my boss scouring the national news and reformatting it to be used at the state and congregational level. This meant hours of consuming information and proof reading. With my help, congregational leaders stayed informed at the state level and became gatekeepers for their own congregations. I also became the in-house expert on social media, giving pointers here and there about tweeting and blogging. In addition to editing, I reported about long-term recovery after the March 2 tornadoes in Henryville, developed and maintained social media platforms, executed a social media campaign for the Indiana annual conference, pitched the conference events to local media outlets and contributed to a 16-page bi-monthly newsletter. I knocked out most of my bucket list, but a few things remained: writing a reader for radio and observing the church lobby for government legislation. I guess that gives me something to shoot for next summer!
Aside from my time in the office, I took advantage of my summer and my resources by contacting local church officials and asking questions, attending various congregations throughout Indianapolis, and enrolling in a Methodism course, all the while building relationships with other believers. Those experiences were just added little bonuses that helped me grow in my faith and provided context for my work in the office. I wasn’t just communicating for the sake of communication, but for a larger cause. A cause that carries my personal faith and its likeness for the transformation of Indiana and the world.
In the future I hope stay involved with Meridian Street United Methodist Church, just a few blocks from Butler’s campus, and help establish a Methodist group on campus. As far as communications in the church, who knows! This internship has given me a good foothold and taste of the opportunities that await. I think I’ll leave the rest in God’s hands.

SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2012

by Laura Micklich

This past Friday I accompanied my younger brother to Purdue University for a visit day, but was afforded some insight of my own. During one of the sessions designed for the families of prospective students, we discussed Dr. Holland’s six codes, which are often used to match personality types and vocations. The six types are described as being Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. After a brief survey, I found myself identifying mostly with the Social and Artistic areas. Social people are typically cooperative, helpful, friendly and outgoing. Artistic people are creative, original, independent and inventive. It was mentioned that all areas need Artistic people and their creativity and ingenuity…. It would then be nice to think of myself as a Social person with the ability to think outside the box. This got me thinking about my current experience with my internship at Benedict Inn, as well as my prospective career path. Am I able to fully express and utilize my personality traits at Benedict Inn? Certainly, it is a social environment. All staff members, myself included, try to make themselves available and helpful to guests at all times. Indeed, amongst the staff we work in a social environment; no one could work in the office without cooperating with one another. For example, once a program is planned, the facilities manager must be contacted to procure a date, time and location. Once this is settled, our marketing coordinator then creates a pamphlet to advertise it, which needs to be proofed by multiple people before being sent to print. Our secretary is then in charge of organizing and printing the address labels, which I often attach to the pamphlets before they are mailed out. Finally, the day of each program requires the cooperation and interaction of all staff members at Benedict Inn, from the program director and the administrator, to the housekeeper and the cook. The entire basis of most not-for-profit organizations and businesses is to provide services for others. Such a Social career allows people to work with one another to teach, serve and support others through all different types of interaction. From my experiences as a volunteer, and as an intern with Benedict Inn, I believe that I am on the right path to the vocation that will best match me and my personality and values; and, thanks to my visit to Purdue, I have been able to reflect on this in a new way.