This from Brian Augustine: Redeemer Classical School is hosting a seminar on the state of marriage and the family Friday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Keezletown United Methodist Church. Skip Burzumato has been doing extensive research on the subject and will be presenting an overview of the current statistics on marriage and the family. Skip used to be the executive director of the Center for Christian Studies in Charlottesville, so some folks here might know him from that context. Here’s a flier on the event.

(Server often busy, it seems)

At our next regularly scheduled meeting (Friday, October 2, 7:30 a.m., at Mr. J’s Bagels on East Market Street), our topic is “State of the Student 2009.” We can be more effective in our jobs and in helping students grow and mature if we understand them better. In this discussion, our starting point will be national and local student surveys. Among the findings from JMU surveys: Our student body has become slightly slightly less Protestant, slightly more Catholic, and slightly more “no religious preference” than in earlier years. Join us for a friendly and helpful discussion. Advance reading: The national survey and the JMU survey.

The Impact Movement is an international, nondenominational Christian ministry that focuses on the African American community, though all are welcome. The purpose of the movement is to provide a spiritual environment for students to grow in their relationship with God as well as develop leadership tools necessary to confidently minister for Jesus Christ on JMU campus, the Harrisonburg Community, and the world outside of JMU. We provide resources for students, weekly Bible Studies, conferences, socials, and retreats each semester.

Webmaster’s note: The Impact Movement is working on a web site. We’ll have a permanent link to it as soon as it’s up and running.

For our first meeting of the semester, 7:30 a.m. Friday, September 4 at Mr. J’s Bagels on East Market Street, the topic will be: “Christian perspectives on health-care reform.” Health-care reform is one of the most-discussed political issues today, but how does our perspective change when our view is informed by Christian faith? Some argue for a central government role, including the religious coalition Believe Together: Health Care for All. Others, including the Acton Institute, find that their faith leads them to a more decentralized approach. Background reading for our session: This article from the Washington Post and this editorial from Christianity Today.

In the past, our fellowship has taken out a welcome-back ad in The Breeze to welcome students back and to signal our willingness to talk with students about matters of faith. Below is the planned ad from Taz Daughtrey for this fall; here’s the planned layout.

Here’s a note from Taz about the particulars: “Please distribute and ask folks to contact me directly no later than next Monday, August 17, if we are to be in the first issue. I just need their name and affiliation as they would like it listed…. along with a pledge of $20-30. We need $250 for a quarter-page ad, and if we get closer to $500 it can run as a half page. Checks or cash can be sent later to me at MSC 4103. Here is Taz’s email address.

Welcome-back ad for The Breeze

Here is our fall schedule of meetings for discussion and study (all meeting at Mr. J’s Bagel’s, E. Market St.):

September 4, 7:30 a.m.
October 2, 7:30 a.m.
November 6, 7:30 a.m.
December 4, 7: 30 a.m.

If you’d like to be on a list to get e-mail reminders during the year, send a note to reminders@faithatjmu.com.

Just a bit of Internet housekeeping: We’re now at http://faithatjmu.org (not .com). For another year, the dot-com address will continue to redirect here. You may want to update your bookmarks.

Our fellowship is preparing to place an ad in The Breeze in anticipation of the Easter holiday. The ad features pictures of Alexander the Great, King Tutankhamen and Julius Caesar above a line of text that says, “They conquered everything but death.”

The body of the ad copy says, “Past world rulers like Alexander the Great, Tutankhamen, and Julius Caesar have all had one thing in common: the past. They’re stuck in it. It makes more sense to follow a ruler who has conquered death…and a leader who has shown us a better way of conquest, through love. Jesus is that ruler. The message of Easter is that Jesus passed through death into an eternal life. And his conquest can be our own, too, for we do not have to fear death but can — even now — enter into life everlasting.” Here is a .pdf of the proposed ad.

This note from Taz Daughtrey explains the details of getting the ad placed: “Please distribute and ask for signatures (name and affiliation) by noon on Thursday. If each person indicates a contribution of between $20 and $30, I will place a quarter-page or half-page ad for next week depending on the total pledged.”