Written by Whitney Vitt. Media by Taylor Neal.
Vespers is a student-led worship service that takes place every Thursday night. This event has been around for decades, seeking to bring the Greenville College community together in worship and fellowship. Students, faculty, staff and community members are all welcome. Claire Schmitt, a junior at Greenville College, shares her view of this service: “Vespers is the opportunity to gather with other students and sing songs of worship. It is a really neat opportunity for students to share things that God has put on their hearts and challenge other students.”
The Vespers staff reaches out to students and helps them feel welcomed and accepted. Junior Josh Statler, Prayer Coordinator, says, “We want to provide people that students can pray with and be loved by in their time of need during Vespers. Prayer is more powerful than we think, and it makes a huge difference for those who need it.”
Senior Tyler Kohrs, Executive Leadership Cabinet member, shares how the staff wants to develop more than Thursday night services: “With our Missions and Outreach cabinet, we want to expand more outreach opportunities. We are having some events that will be announced soon by Nate Wieland and Josh Wood. I am really excited about this because they have been a great part of our cabinet this year.”
The Vespers team is also trying to bring in diverse speakers. Speakers range from male and female, different ethnic backgrounds, majors, sports, music, activities and stories. Kohrs adds, “I personally believe everyone has a story to tell and everyone is different, but there is something that connects us all and I wish we could have so many more people speak in Vespers, but due to the lack of Thursdays in a year it makes the decision tough.”
This weekly service gives students, faculty, staff and guests of the college an opportunity to gather in community and worship. Tyler Wright adds, “It re-centers us as a student body. We’re students leading each other, teaching each other, praying for one another and encouraging each other to continue on in love like Christ.” Kohrs states, “I love the effect it has on people. Vespers is something that is bigger than myself and bigger than this college. I have so much hope and excitement for what is to come as we start looking for next year’s cabinet.”
The testimonies of the students involved in Vespers show how the event has impacted each individual’s life. If you see a staff member outside of Vespers, ask them how it has influenced their life.
If there is a night that you can’t make it to Vespers, there are recordings posted on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. Check out Greenville College’s Vespers every Thursday at 9:30 p.m.!
