 "Photo: Julia Rendleman ~ Daily Egyptian.")
For almost a quarter of a century, one man has sought to serve thousands.
Reverend Bob Gray, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church and chaplain to the SIU and Carbondale Police Department, said he has served in the area for 24 years. Beginning this fall, his job of ministering to the needs of people at the university and in the community might get a little easier.
Gray said for the first time in his memory, a volunteer board has been set up to help attend an area of students’ needs that is sometimes overlooked: the spiritual.
Peter Gitau, dean of Student Affairs, said the establishment of an SIUC Chaplaincy Board of Volunteers is another step in the direction of supporting the new Saluki Cares program, which provides confidential guidance to students, faculty and community members. He said it is an attempt to be more responsive to what students need.
“One thing you cannot deny: the students who come to an institution like this do not leave their religious beliefs at home,” he said.
Gitau said he had the idea for the board when he saw Gray trying to meet the needs of his own congregation as well as roughly 22,000 students. Not only is that a lot to have on one person, Gitau said, but also the university has a very diverse student population, and not all of them would likely gravitate to one man.
To address this, the board, which is purely voluntary, will be made up of around eight individuals, each representing a different community of believers, allowing students to meet with a religious leader of their own faith, Gitau said.
He said the group includes people from the Protestant, Islamic and Jewish communities, as well as others. The individuals volunteering were asked because they are leaders in their particular religions, he said.
Gitau said the Chaplaincy board will be available to the Counseling Center and could be involved in planning commemorative events such as memorials to help students grieve and work through their feelings in a time of tragedy. Due to the diverse nature of the board, it can also be an intellectual forum for students who wish to learn about other religions.
Gray said another way the board can help students is to answer any questions they may have regarding information they hear in classes that disagrees with what they have learned from their religion, such as evolution versus creationism. Concerns or questions about morals or values can also be addressed, he said.
Because the board, established this fall, has only met once, Gitau said any questions could be addressed to him. Eventually, however, he said it could be reached through the Saluki Cares program.
For students who are not interested in the service, Gray said, they do not have to be involved. Like other counseling services, they can choose to use it or not, he said.
“The purpose is not to cram religion down people’s throats,” he said.
Not all the board’s uses deal with faith, Gitau said. They can also connect students with congregations or groups that can help them in times of need, such as providing food, clothing or shelter when it is necessary, he said.
“I don’t want people to think of this board as just providing ‘spiritual stuff,’” Gitau said. “The religious communities can provide a lot of tangible benefits to students who are in need.”
Fatimah Ali-Ferré, a first-year doctoral student from Nigeria in health education, said the service sounded logical and plausible. She said having the board might be a way for students to feel more connected to a group they might not be as close to since living on campus.
Ali-Ferré said she is very in touch with her Muslim community, but might someday use the board as a resource if a situation arose where she might need it.
Gray said he thinks interest in the service depends in part on whether faculty, staff and others who deal with students direct them to the board.
“I think SIU is trying to become more caring about students, and there’s a lot of aspects of that that are starting to take place,” he said.
Genna Ord can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 255.
