“Have you made space for grace this year?” That is the question the Monmouth College Chaplain’s Office and College Chaplain, The Rev. Dr. B. Kathleen Fannin, is asking all MC students this year.
            This weekend, Oct. 5-7, Fannin, 17 students and two faculty/staff members are making space for grace. Fannin is leading a three day retreat, titled “The Fabric of Prayer.”
            The group will travel to Muscatine, Iowa, to Camp Abe Lincoln to enjoy fellowship and get into the Word and to study the act and art of prayer. During the three day retreat, there will be five Bible studies, as well as plenty of time for students and faculty to relate and build relationships with one another.
            Also on the retreat with students, are faculty/staff members Marjorie Bond, associate professor of mathematics and computer science, and Associate Dean of Students/Director of Campus Events Karen Ogorzalek. They will join the students as they make prayer journals, prayer beads and other crafts associated with prayer.
            Fannin said this retreat will help students explore ways to live a life of prayer, thus making space for grace. The group will focus on the importance of prayer in their lives and in all college students. They will also explore how a solid prayer life builds a relationship with God.
             Coinciding with this retreat is Fannin’s new prayer partners plan. Fannin has enlisted the help of students in each of the College’s residence halls to be praying for the needs around campus.
             According to Fannin, the goal of the program is to “increase the practice of prayer on campus. It is to intentionally hold our campus accountable to prayer.” Some of the prayer partners will be attending the retreat.
            This year’s chapel service has also taken on the name Space for Grace, which Fannin says is just showing students they need to make time for God and his grace during their busy lives. Fannin said, “When our lives get hectic, God is usually the first thing we leave out. You leave God out of your life, and you will get lost more quickly than ever.”
             Fannin also pointed out that, “It is we who turn away from God; He never turns His back on us.”
             The Space for Grace program is held every Monday at 12:10 p.m. in the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium, and all students are invited to attend.
             On Monday, Oct. 8, the Space for Grace message will be offered by Reverend John Sims, pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Monmouth. Sims has titled his message “Spiritual Makeup.” The Monmouth College Chapel Choir also performs weekly and is led by Sarah Graham, director of choral activities.
             Second semester will have the second retreat of the year hosted by the Chaplain’s Office. On Feb. 15-17, Fannin will host another retreat, giving Monmouth students yet another opportunity to make space for grace in their lives.
             For more information on retreats, Space for Grace or the prayer partner program, Fannin encourages students to contact her, by scheduling an appointment via telephone. Her new office is located at 1002 East Broadway, at the corner of 9th Street and Broadway.

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