Under normal circumstances, the most popular way to spend an hour of canceled classes would be a nap. However, the people in charge of Christian Focus Week are hoping students will use their time to re-focus their relationship with Christ rather than re-focusing their sleep schedule.
“If people don’t choose to participate, then they don’t get the benefit,” said Ian Cosh, vice president for community and international engagement. “Then the whole thing was a waste. I hope they fight the temptation to take a nap and come willing to be surprised.”
Christian Focus Week is a long-standing tradition that has been going on for four decades.
“Christian Focus Week is a time where we can focus on our walk of faith and celebrate our tradition as Ouachatonians,” Cosh said. “It’s so important to the school that we allow classes to be canceled. That doesn’t happen for any other event.”
Because Christian Focus Week is set heavily in tradition, it does not change much from year to year.
“Part of its power is in its consistency,” Cosh said.
The only major changes that can be expected from last year to this year are the new speakers and musicians.
“The speakers always change,” Cosh said. “And then there are always new students as well, so it’ll always be different for them. I think there’s a strength in familiarity, but I would hope the seniors could compare and contrast.”
Although the event may not change much from year to year, Cosh believes it still has value not only for new students, but also for students who have attended before.
“It’s really a matter of stewardship,” Cosh said. “People are invited take it seriously. It’s a very unique opportunity for them, as well as a significant challenge. They’re addressing an entire student body. The speakers are prepared, and they’ll certainly do their best.”
Cosh also believes the event’s consistency in itself is a good reason for students to attend.
“The consistency of the message throughout the week has more of an impact than the average snippet that you’d get in a sermon during a regular week,” Cosh said. “I also believe that there’s a power in shared experiences. It’s not just you hearing the message, but it’s your friends too, and I would hope that you could feed off of that.”
Cosh said Christian Focus Week tries to cater to what the students want.
“We really do try and craft it to what the students will enjoy, as far as the music and the speakers go. it’s really geared towards this generation, and I’d hope that would have an appeal as well.”
Cosh’s favorite part of Christian Focus Week is the smaller breakout sessions.
“With small groups, speakers can engage the students and the students can follow through with questions,” Cosh said. “With a lot of things, the speakers come, talk and then they leave. But with this, students have a chance to get to know them and ask questions because the speakers will be on campus for a longer period of time.”
With the event drawing closer, officials such as Cosh and James Taylor, director of student ministries, hope to have many students attend the event.
“This week obviously doesn’t replace all we can and should be doing throughout the year, but it allows us to be encouraged and energized to serve throughout the year,” Taylor said in a Ouachita News Bureau article.
To see the Christian Focus Week schedule of events, visit www.obu.edu/campusministries/cfw-schedule-2012/.
Picture by Sarah Henley.
