Faculty Commons SLO

Another Conference?
Ethan Kung, Mechanical Engineering

Academic conferences. Man… I hate those things.

I’ve been told that conferences are places for networking to advance my career. I never could bring myself to network with this intent – it felt disingenuous and exhausting. Time after time, I felt that I failed with every attempt.

However, an academic conference I attended this summer was the best conference experience I have ever had. 

I was fed up with my previous experiences and decided this time I would have two goals and nothing else: 1) serve in whatever way beneficial for everyone and 2) have fun.  

Someone posted a thread on the conference app asking if anyone wanted to play volleyball at the hotel sand court. Nobody responded. I thought, “Volleyball could be fun,” and the lack of response may be that nobody wanted to be the first to respond to a “non-professional” activity.   

Keeping in line with my two goals, I responded. Immediately others started responding. I went ahead and picked a time and scheduled a ”meetup,” which ended up having over 30 RSVPs and was requested the next day again.

After seeing how successful that turned out, I got bolder. An idea came to me about setting up a Christian gathering. I know that it is easy to compartmentalize parts of life that are “God-related” versus “Not God-related.” I thought a Christian gathering at the conference could be valuable in helping to break this compartmentalization.  

Not knowing if anyone would respond, I simply picked a time and location and posted a meetup on the conference app. It felt slightly nerve-wracking because I was afraid of being the guy who tries to start a Christian gathering at a professional conference that everyone ignores. 

To my relief and slight surprise, 13 people RSVP’d. The gathering was very encouraging. It was special to connect with brothers and sisters in a world where God is rarely discussed. Everyone was highly appreciative of the gathering and requested that we repeat it every year in the future.

God used the visibility of my participation as a faculty member in these things to draw students to me who were seeking mentoring. 

Two Christian students approached me and wanted to schedule a time to talk. One of the students met me through the volleyball, and the other saw that I organized the Christian gathering. I was able to meet with each of them during the conference to offer encouragement and share my experiences of my attempts to balance my Christian walk in the academic environment.  

I did not do any intentional networking at this conference — some people sought me and talked to me. I had a meaningful experience and lots of fun. 

Was my investment in this conference beneficial for my career? I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter.   

While I’ve enjoyed some academic success before, this conference was a vivid reminder that if I were to pick between experiencing a successful life versus a meaningful one, I’d pick the latter any day of the week. 

_______________

Dr. Ethan Kung (Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University) recently shared the above article as a Faculty Commons “Missional Moment.” Several of our G3 small groups meeting this week took time to discuss this article. The G3 groups will be re-starting again next quarter, if you’d like to be in one, please let us know.

As part of a national network of Christian faculty, Faculty Commons is designed to help encourage and support faculty around the country. If you’d like to receive the Missional Moment – a short, weekly email published every Tuesday – you can sign up to do so here.

–

Many thanks to everyone who was to join us for our quarterly lunch gathering. Chris Dicus share about his personal and professional journey, and where he could see hand of God along the way: both in some encouraging, as well as some very challenging and difficult, experiences. There was also a chance for some small group interaction.

The lunch event continues to be a place where faculty – from whatever background – and connect and share about their own faith journeys. We love this comment from a faculty member joining us for the first time: “I wanted to thank you both for today’s event through Faculty Commons. It was really interesting, and it did resonate with me a lot. It is the first event that I attended a Faculty Commons gathering and the first time I had the opportunity to pray at Cal Poly during my almost 6 years here, let alone along with colleagues. To me, that was priceless, and constituted a refreshing and hopeful moment … Thank you for including me, and please let me know of any future event. All the best”

Please consider joining for lunch next quarter, tentatively scheduled for Thursday of 7th week (Thursday February 22nd 11:10am-12pm), location tba.

=

Faculty Commons is hosting a special lunch event and you are invited!

• When: Thursday, Nov 9th from 11:10 – 12:00 pm
• Where: Bldg 10, Room 241
• What: Pizza lunch, round-table discussion, and a speaker
• Topic: What is success? 

Success is the accomplishment of a goal or purpose. So, what are our goals? And how should our Christain faith impact those goals and how we achieve them? In a job governed by merit, how can we be salt and light to the campus community? 

Come hear the thoughts from a fellow Christian professor and discuss your ideas too.

Please RSVP on the calendar invite so we can plan accordingly for the pizza. But still come even if you forget to RSVP. 

=

=

Please join us Friday night November 3rd 7:30pm a students and faculty from Cal Poly, plus Cuesta and Hancock, gather together for a time of worship, prayer, and reflection. Renovate Church 2075 Johnson Avenue, San Luis Obispo.

=

Professor Paul Marchbanks (English) will be screening John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary (2014) at the SLO Public Library Friday September 29th at 6 pm, in the Community Room (down the outdoor stairs, to the right—before you reach the main entrance.) This is an outstanding, powerful film. 

This event – of course – is open to the larger San Luis Obispo community. We hope you’ll consider joining us. There will be a brief 5 minute introduction before the film, and discussion for 20 minutes or so after the 95-minute film.

=

It was great having faculty, spouse, and kids together Sunday Sept 17th at the Faculty Commons Welcome Back Picnic.

Kids, especially, LOVED the Cuesta Park play structures and the adjacent stream right next to our site. Cuesta Park really is a “hidden gem” here in San Luis Obispo.

The picnic was a great chance to re-connect and meet new faculty, hear a bit what’s planned for this upcoming year, and to pray for one another.

G3 small groups will be starting next week (week of Oct 2nd) and our next big event is the Lunch Panel Thursday November 9th. We hope you can join us.

=

Please join us Sunday afternoon Sept 17th for our Faculty Commons welcome back BBQ and potluck. This is a chance for faculty and faculty families to get together, connect with other Christian faculty, build friendships, and work to support one another this upcoming year. 

This year we’ll be at Cuesta Canyon Park. There’s a beautiful creek running through the canyon with plenty of water this year, and we have reserved the “Arroyo” group site – immediately adjacent to the park’s play structure (great for kids and parents). We’ll provide a simple BBQ, and drinks. If you’re planning on attending, please bring a side, salad, or dessert. 

Faculty Commons Welcome Back Picnic 

Sunday afternoon Sept 17th

3:30pm-6:00pm

Cuesta Canyon Park, 2400 Loomis St, San Luis Obispo

Kindly reply either way by Thursday Sept 14th via this link.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

=

G3 groups are groups of 4-5 faculty members meeting for 50 minutes every other week for for community, growth, and prayer. The groups are committed to:

• building community: a chance to share with a few others about life – challenges and opportunities, both on and off campus.

• growing faith: taking time to discuss a passage of Scripture or short article together, and pray for each other.

• living out our faith: why has God called each of us to a public university? What does it mean to live out our faith on campus with our colleagues and students, to to love and serve those around us?

G3’s are open to faculty wherever they are at in their spiritual journey: whether interested in exploring Christianity or growing in their faith.

The groups are are scheduled around faculty member’s availability, and the small group format makes it easier to find a time when a group can meet. If you’d like to be in a group, you can let us know your availability here.

For the 2023-2024 academic year, groups will be meeting throughout the week (including a Saturday morning option).  

Please contact us if you’d like to be in a group, or have any questions. 

=

=

A highlight this past academic year was the Faculty Commons quarterly lunch panel discussions. Open to interested faculty from any background, these were opportunities for to meet together and discuss how Christianity impacts both teaching and research.

Topics this past year included the challenges of ChatGPT and teaching, the tension of extending justice and grace in cheating or plagiarism, and how faith impacts classroom content.

We’re looking forward to continuing this series again in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Our next lunch is tentatively scheduled for Thursday November 9th 11:10am-12:00pm. Providing a space to discuss how Christianity can be lived out in the classroom, all faculty are welcome. We hope you can join us.

=

As we move into the Fall, a highlight this past summer was helping faculty engage their faith in both gospel service and gospel proclamation.

Working with Filter of Hope Guatemala, our team of 15 faculty, PhD students, spouses and kids, and Cru staff served alongside two local churches working to meet the physical and spiritual needs of their communities. 

Access to clean drinking water is a huge issue throughout much of the developing world, and we had the opportunity to both install portable water filters and to share the gospel at over 40 homes. 

Marisela and her family were just one of the many homes we visited. She is a believer and had been praying for years for her two older daughters, who were not yet Christians. With limited access to clean drinking water, Marisela was excited to receive a filter. More importantly, she wanted her daughters to hear the gospel. After an hour or so installing and demonstrating how the filter works, we took time to share what we called the “second gift” — God’s free gift of salvation. 

The filter is an incredible illustration of the gospel: our lives representing the dirty water, and that only through Christ – God’s “filter” or mediator – can our lives become clean. What a privilege – and an answer to a mother’s prayer – to see both of these young women indicate a decision to place their faith Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. 

We love this feedback from Professor Yan Whisler:

“This trip provided a great entry to families with a physical need for clean water and a natural way to transition into conversation about faith in Jesus Christ … This trip has been life-transforming and has unleashed them for God’s Kingdom work.

“On a personal note, as a believer from China, a country that has been on the receiving end of the gospel message, I made a commitment to God four years ago that I would share the gospel with people groups other than my own. God used this trip to show me a glimpse of what that might look like. This trip is my first international mission trip and I consider it a milestone of my participation in God’s global Mission. I look forward to the day as described in Psalm 86:9. “All the nations you have made will come and worship before You, Lord; they will bring glory to Your Name.”

A unique part of this trip was that fully half of our team were fluent in Spanish. It was incredible having faculty and PhD students originally from Colombia, Peru, and Chile serving families and being able to communicate in their heart language. It was such a reminder of the global impact of the gospel.

Claudia, originally from Chile, shared “I learned how to share the gospel in a simple way…trusting in how God will act in each person. The trip was a necessary step to practice my faith and know more about who God is.”

Ericka, originally from Peru, shared “this mission trip was an eye opening for me. I can see how the Lord has been preparing me through all my previous experiences to be an instrument of His word. He has made me a living testimony of what He can do in people’s lives. Seeing this people struggling badly with things I enjoy at home, touched my heart and made me realized He wants me to do His work in unknown places for me with unknown people, because He is everywhere.”

Here’s a link to a short video from Filter of Hope and an overview of their ministry. 

A similar trip – with faculty serving alongside a team of Cal Poly students – is tentatively planned during Spring Break 2024. Please let us know if you’d like more information about this opportunity. 

=