It was that time of year again, the rain was pouring, the sun was hiding, and everyone was ready for a new week of SEW. I’ve attended two Spiritual Emphasis Weeks (SEWs) before, one in tenth grade and another in eleventh, and had powerful experiences in both. It is with a happy heart that I can report that last week's SEW did not disappoint.
The week of October 27th started quietly; the whole school was still buzzing with the triumph of Boys Volleyball in ACSC the Saturday before, but things had quieted down now that all the extra people on campus had left. Since the week started on a Tuesday, it made it much easier to ease into rather than the jarring coldness of a Monday. The first day of SEW started slower than I thought it would, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t really enjoy the chapel service on Wednesday. There were some good themes, but I just felt like they weren’t tied together all that well, and all in all, it really just didn’t speak to me.
The second day was better than the first, with a good morning service and an even better evening service. When the third day rolled around, I was excited.
The third night of SEW is always a highlight for me, because instead of a sermon, the message is composed of the testimonies of senior students in the Leadership Development (LD) class. What I did not expect was how powerful the morning service would be. Due to several last-minute changes, the original speaker for that day hadn’t been able to make it, so the school had reached out to Coach Brooks to ask him to take over. I had been warned beforehand by several LD members that Coach Brooks had been given very little notice, but as it turned out, that was completely irrelevant. The fire and passion that Coach Brooks brought to his sermon were infectious. After chapel was over, all my friends and I were repeating quotes that he had brought up and couldn’t stop pointing out things that we had taken away from it.
The atmosphere for the third night was electric. Everyone who was there had consciously taken their Friday night to come and worship in fellowship with their peers, and it showed. The worship during the last night of SEW always has a different feel, since the front half of Harbor Hall is always cleared of chairs, creating a large space that is packed with people singing, jumping, spinning, and dancing. In my opinion, the worship band also put on their best performance of the week that night, with close to half an hour of strong worship.
After all that, it was time for the testimonies, and it was very moving to see my peers Rebecca Wood (12), Candy Kim (12), Sarang Jin (12), and Aidan Boyd (12) sharing how God had brought them through hard times in their lives, closing it off.
As Zoe Bahr (12) eloquently put it: “I loved hearing from my classmates about how God came to them at dark or difficult times in their lives and showed himself to them.”
When asked about how speaking in front of her classmates and peers felt, Rebecca said, “God gave us [all] peace.”
All in all, I’m sure all who attended SEW this time would agree with me in calling it a spiritually eye-opening experience, and a memorable week in the year.
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