by Taylor Morris
A new student organization is beginning to take hold of the Sewanee community, called Sewanee Interfaith (SI). This club, sponsored by the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago, aims to create and maintain an open and safe platform for individuals to discuss matters of religion and faith. After conducting the necessary planning, and holding an inaugural meeting last semester, preparation SI’s first official events are underway.
Founder and current President Lily Davenport’s (C’16), desire to have an environment for free and unbiased faith-based conversation is what sparked SI’s development. On her previous experiences with religion on campus, Davenport said, “When I first came to Sewanee, I thought I’d find more religious diversity than there actually was. What’s more—matters of faith or even lack of faith just didn’t seem to ever be talked about.”
This concern sparked collaboration with individuals at the College and School of Theology in an initiative to create a medium to facilitate and encourage such dialogues. Interest in the club is high, Davenport states, “Many professors and students, especially at the School of Theology, are excited about this new opportunity. There is a sizable group of people that want to do this.” SI hopes to partner with other religious organizations around campus, such as Catechumenate and the Muslim Student Association, to hold special events. Other independent events will include panel discussions and even guest speakers. Aside from discussion/educational events, SI also plans to include outreach as a portion of their activities.
Projects in tandem with organizations such as the Greenhouse and Missions Committee at the School of Theology are being considered, and Davenport also mentions that, “we are also in discussions with some other outreach projects just getting started, and we look forward to telling everyone more about that very soon!”
Those with questions about Sewanee Interfaith are encouraged to contact Lily Davenport at davenlm0@sewanee.edu.