Greetings from Southern California!
As the program enters its final days, participants have completed Stage 2, Who Is God?, and begun Stage 3: Who Is My Neighbor?
Throughout the week, CrossRoaders have continued exploring big questions through their theology courses and a variety of staff-led sessions, including Faith & Science, Sanctification of Time & Money, and Suffering and Vocation. They’ve engaged in thoughtful discussions, asked challenging questions, and continued exploring how faith shapes everyday life.
As part of Stage 3, participants are being challenged to look beyond themselves and pay attention to the people around them. This weekend, they’ll take part in Liturgy on the Street, an experience that invites them to encounter Christ in their neighbors and consider how to carry the life of the Church into the world.
The past few days have also been filled with opportunities to experience the richness of Christian life throughout Southern California. Participants have visited Antiochian, Greek Orthodox, and OCA cathedrals in Los Angeles for services and tours, and also spent time learning about the history and traditions of the local Coptic Christian community. These experiences have helped participants connect what they’re learning in the classroom with the lived experience of faith in different communities.
Beyond the classroom, participants enjoyed lunch at a local Greek Festival and were blessed to meet Metropolitan Gerasimos, who spoke with the group about prayer and the life of prayer in the Orthodox tradition. These experiences have helped connect classroom learning with the life of the Church in a very tangible way.
Whether they’re in lectures, small groups, parish visits, bus rides, or sharing meals together, participants continue to grow closer as a community. The conversations are getting deeper, the questions are getting bigger, and the days seem to be moving faster as the session approaches its conclusion.
As always, thank you for sharing your students with us. We’re looking forward to a meaningful final few days together and can’t wait to share one last update before the session comes to a close.
Don’t forget to check out the latest photos on Flickr to follow along with the CrossRoad experience!