by Alivia Templeton (Rhodes College ’27)
All Presbyterians know that the best way to connect with your community is through a shared meal. At Rhodes College, a Presbyterian-affiliated college in Memphis, TN, the Office of the Chaplain is providing community members with the chance to share interfaith dialogue about democracy over lunch. “Food, Faith, and Free Elections” is a series of lunches designed to foster discussion among people of diverse faiths. Each week brings a Presbyterian Church (USA) leader in conversation with a leader of a different religious tradition to talk about how their faith leads them to value democracy. This lunch series is funded by the Presbyterian Mission Agency, and hosted by Rhodes College Chaplain, Rev. Beatrix Weil, who was named 2024 Chaplain of the Year by the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education.
The lunches lead up to the presidential election and continue after Election Day, helping our community connect over shared values and promote dialogue across difference. My goals for the grant are to use teaching about Rhodes’ Presbyterian grounding to help our community grow in their understanding of and commitment to our shared values and build relationships across differences. This grant will also encourage community members to increase familiarity with the college’s Presbyterian connection, and learn about different religious traditions. Together, we can support democracy in the South.
Food, Faith, and Free Elections lunches are structured into sections: an introduction by Chaplain Beatrix, two informative narratives by a Presbyterian guest speaker and another religious guest speaker, a back-and-forth discussion between speakers, followed by a small group discussion by all attendees. A pre-survey is encouraged by all attendees upon sign-in, and a written post-survey is handed out during small group discussions. The survey is for Chaplain Beatrix and her planning team to understand the takeaways all participants from diverse backgrounds have from these events over the sessions. Some survey questions include “How comfortable are you speaking to people from different traditions,” and “What does it mean to you that Rhodes College is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA)?” These questions allow participants to reflect on their personal knowledge about the Presbyterian Church and their own familiarity with the PC(USA) and other religions.
The Presbyterian College Chaplain’s Association adopted the following statement on church-relatedness in 2013: Because we are Presbyterian-related, our institutions value learning, faith, service, and connection to each other, the Church, and the world, honoring the dignity and worth of every person. Presbyterian tradition embraces education and lifelong learning, specifically a diverse and integrated approach to education. It is meant to honor the dignity and worth of all people. What does this mean for Rhodes College and the Office of the Chaplain? The affiliation allows for Chaplain Beatrix to support and guide the spiritual life of those from all ways of faith, and for the College to support and respect the religion of all students. Rhodes College educates whole people for the whole world.
The Food, Faith, and Free Elections lunches open the floor for students to not only learn more about the Presbyterian Church and what this affiliation means for the school, but also allows students to hear from other religious perspectives. These lunches are scheduled to educate students about faith and democracy surrounding the 2024 presidential election. We do not have to agree on the specifics of our theology, but we can all support democracy. The speakers prepare their discussions in relevance to democracy and a weekly theme.
The week of 9/24/2024, Reverend Patrick Harley of Evergreen Presbyterian Church spoke about freedom of conscience and democracy from his Presbyterian perspective. “(we should be) Reformed and always being reformed by God’s spirit,” he says during his discussion. A key takeaway in relation to democracy is the way our routines, policies, and laws need to be reformed as we go through the generations. Reverend Harley offered the perspective that to be affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) means for Rhodes that the policies and everyday functions at the college may continuously be reformed.
The lunches will conclude on December 10. Students, employees, and community members are welcome to come with their own ways of faith and discuss the weekly theme at the Food, Faith, and Free Elections events. Lunch is typically ordered from a local halal restaurant with vegetarian options, and students are always encouraged to take a to-go box for dinner. The food is good, but the conversation is even richer.
You can learn more about Presbyterian affiliated colleges and universities here: https://www.presbyteriancolleges.org/
You can learn more about Rhodes College here: https://www.rhodes.edu/