and fun just being together and acting silly. Students who take advantage of these opportunities are always grateful for the relationships they build and the sheer amount of fun they are able to participate in! A few other allresidence hall events the RAs and I planned included Willetts Water Wars, dodgeball tournaments, worship nights with our “brother” residence halls, Bagels for Finals, and many more. Residence halls at Cedarville make it difficult to not have fun. Lawlor and Printy Halls are famous for their Gridiron Classic flag football game as they go head-to-head with The Hill and Maddox Hall. Deck the Halls, an annual event at the end of the fall semester, is another all-residence hall, all-campus event that allows residence halls to decorate their space to tell a story. The themes I’ve seen still make me laugh. Whether it was the story of a wrestler or a Cinco de Mayo party, I’ve never been disappointed by the creativity my girls and other residence halls produce. While fun is a top priority in the residence halls, they wouldn’t have the profound impact that they do if it weren't for the spiritual investment of the RAs and RDs across campus. Students grow in their spiritual and emotional maturity as they live their life in proximity to one another. RAs take special care to facilitate hall Bible studies, prayer nights, and worship nights and engage in intentional discipleship conversations in hopes of fostering relationships between students. I recall countless stories from RAs of how they witnessed the encouragement of the Lord as they engaged in spontaneous worship nights in their halls or had spiritual conversations during hall dinners. As students actively engage in these moments, they are being shaped by the Word and their interactions with others to more faithfully pursue Jesus and apply His Word to their lives. Living in close proximity to hundreds of people in a similar life stage presents an array of opportunities for fun and laughter as well as frustration and difficulty. Many of the most encouraging conversations I have had with students are based on their living situation and how they are dealing with the newness, and sometimes difficulty, of sharing their space, maybe for the first time. Learning how to engage with people who are different from themselves provides students with the opportunity to help others follow Jesus. These types of conversations help students navigate how to have healthy relationships, how to cultivate selflessness, and, ultimately, what it means to love another person the way Jesus loves us. These everyday moments help shape a person’s thoughts and reorient them toward the truth of the Gospel for their own lives. All of the little moments and big events focus on providing outlets for fellowship, laughter, spiritual formation, and a little friendly competition. Each residence hall is unique in its opportunities for students, and it is a joy to see the creativity the RDs and RAs put into planning events for their particular halls. From pancake breakfasts to relay races to writing notes of encouragement to shaved ice trucks to sharing bagels and coffee together. Residence hall leaders are purposeful in their planning and seek to engage with students and provide avenues to build lasting and meaningful relationships. God does amazing work in the hearts of students during their time at Cedarville, and those mundane moments, fun activities, and deep conversations that happen when students live 24/7 in community become rich soil for inspiring life change, creating lasting memories, and forging lifelong friendships. What a privilege to be a part of Residence LIFE at Cedarville! Charlotte Burcham, MMin ’21 serves as Dean of Women at Cedarville University. Cedarville Magazine | 7
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