By Brandon Agalaba
Staff Writer
The College’s New Jersey Christian Fellowship hosted a Soul Café on Thursday, Aug. 27, in the Spiritual Center, where students could discuss religion in between bites of homemade desserts and sips of lemonade.
A series of diverse performances began the night’s festivities as several different students took the stage. Sophomore music and education double major Caitlin Curran performed a cover of an Alicia Keys song while junior biology major Ryan Koenig played songs by Vance Joy.
Sophomore nursing major Yvonne Njoku offered a riveting spoken word piece about God, which incorporated references to The Beatles.
Junior sociology major Matthew Richards played the saxophone, and an a cappella group known as Voice Of Hope played a cover of “Soldier” by Gavin DeGraw along with a medley of songs by Hillsong United.
The night wound to a close with speaker Jonathan Walter, author of three books and member of InterVarsity’s NYC Urban Project, taking the stage. Walter’s poem was a powerful piece about Netflix, the exploitation of people and our corrupt actions in the modern age. He also spoke about hatred in the post-modern world and how “we are all one people.”
Walter delivered a formidable message with his poem, which opened his listeners’ eyes to the dilemmas they face in the world — adding a new layer to the event.
Walter shared candid anecdotes with the audience about how he became the man he is today, such as the racism he faced while growing up and how he was able to pay for his college education. He also touched upon self-acceptance through the love of God, not taking advantage of Christianity and accepting people for who they are.
Walter believes people should devote themselves to Christianity, realize God’s love for them and that “Jesus transforms us (so that) we might transform the world.”
Students found inspiration in the evenings performances.
“Everything went well,” sophomore English major Kamy Reyus said. “The performances were all great.”
NJCF President Keren Park, a senior special education and psychology major, also informed students of the club’s future events, such as “Eick Outreach,” which is meant to help those who work at the dining hall.
Sophomore English and secondary education major Noelle Tripodi also enjoyed Soul Café and found a powerful message in the performers words.
“The event had a comfortable environment and Walter spoke of God’s grace in his message,” she said after the event.
NJCF hosted a successful Soul Café that provided students with an atmosphere for discussion, entertainment and snacking in an open environment that allowed everyone in attendance to learn more about themselves and their faith.
