Attendees working on prayer journals The Xavierite
On Thursday, April 3, a new RSO (Registered Student Organization) called S.O.U.L (Showing Others Unconditional Love), held a prayer journal event in the Wiseman Lounge.
S.O.U.L’s main mission is to give African American Christians a safe space to strengthen their faith and explore their connection with God.
The event lasted about an hour, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and anyone was welcome to come and participate.
At the event, attendees were allowed to decorate prayer journals for personal use. Markers, faith-themed stickers, stick-on gems, and small brown journals were laid out for everyone at tables.
A prayer journal is a journal to record thoughts, feelings, prayers, Bible verses, and more. According to S.O.U.L, the goal is to deepen your connection with God and reflect on your spiritual journey.
They’re also intended to be meaningful down the line, as people can look back on their old journals and see how their faith has evolved.
“We wanted our first event to be decorating prayer journals because many people may not have them, and we wanted people to be able to have a place to put their thoughts or prayers as they document their walk with Christ,” said Taylor McDonald, co-president of S.O.U.L.
Around the room, people chatted and shared their faith while working on their prayer journals. The organization fostered a calm and relaxed environment.
Paris Brown, the other co-president of S.O.U.L, decorated her own prayer journal at the event and filled the cover with faith-oriented stickers. All of them serve to inspire, such as one that read: “For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).”
“For our first event, I think we had a pretty good turnout. We’re still getting our foot in the door as far as being an RSO, but we hope to keep creating safe and intentional spaces where students can feel loved, seen, and spiritually refreshed,” said Paris Brown.
“The prayer journal event was really special. Although it was simple, it was meaningful. Just seeing people take time to slow down and reflect meant a lot to us,” Paris Brown continued.
As a brand new RSO, S.O.U.L is working hard to establish itself on campus. With how well the prayer journal event went and the turnout it got, S.O.U.L is excited about doing similar events in the future.
Whatever events are next for S.O.U.L, the goal will stay the same: provide a judgment-free space for SXU students to explore their faith, particularly African American students.
To those who wish to learn more about S.O.U.L and their upcoming events, S.O.U.L’s Instagram is up and running. There, interested students can learn more about S.O.U.L’s mission and future events. All upcoming events will also be listed on The Den.