A “Night of Contemplation” is an upcoming event for students looking for an opportunity to engage in spiritual life on campus. The event is being hosted in the Seeley G. Mudd Chapel on Sept. 27 from 8-9p.m. by Spiritual Life Coordinator, Jude Ruetschle. Ruetschle hopes that the experience will provide the Whitworth community with a chance to be “simply present” and engage with God in a hospitable setting.  

The Night of Contemplation’s programming is intentionally open, with the goal of providing a refreshingly countercultural atmosphere. “We live in a world in which productivity is praised and in which being able to produce and achieve is seen as the height of life well-lived,” said Ruetschle when emphasizing the heart of the event. “One of the major values of the event is creating space to simply be […] we’re not making any demands that students bring anything to the space, except for themselves and the willingness to engage.” When outlining the evening, Ruetschle described open space to engage with God, descriptions of spiritual exercises for those who wish to engage with them and a welcoming cup of tea for each attendee. 

Ruetschle recognizes that the contemplative nature of the night might be a new faith experience for some students. When asked how accessible the event would be for students from different faith backgrounds, he said, “I think contemplation is a very accessible form of prayer. In contemplative prayer, we recognize the belovedness of our creativeness and that simply being and existing as we are can be a form of worship.” He also emphasized the unobtrusive nature of the event, stating that students can come and go at any point in time between the event’s start and end. 

While quiet contemplation might initially seem to be a lonesome activity, Ruetschle asserted the desire for a communal impact from the event. “In a kind of comical way, I’m inviting a bunch of people to enter in and sit in a room with a bunch of people without saying anything, which is such an odd thing to say, but the expectation is that we engage in silence in community and recognize that being in fellowship with other people doesn’t always mean speech.” 

Ruetschle said, “I think there are a lot of people for whom the spiritual life can actually lead to more exhaustion in their lives, rather than being refreshing and renewing as it’s supposed to be. I hope that this space will create and kickstart conversations about, ‘what does God really value?’ and ‘what does it mean to simply be in relationship?’” To sum up what he values about contemplative prayer, Ruetschle said, “It is still a form of praise just to live and exist and breathe as you are.”