Warren’s book focus of new study groups

Before long, EMU students may be seen carrying around maroon hardcover books with a tree on the front. This book, The Purpose Driven Life, has sold over 6 million copies and has now reached EMU.

Campus Ministries and Residence Life are initiating a study of Rick Warren’s bestseller.

The book is essentially a 40 day devotional, but the word "devotional" does not quite describe it. It is intended to change the spiritual life of its reader, or at the least to be a cause of reflection. The author uses everyday language to convey spiritual truth, and the book has extensive quotations from scripture. One of the main themes of the book is that no human being is an accident, and the author encourages readers to focus their lives on five God-centered life purposes.

With funds from the Lilly Grant, Campus Ministries hopes to provide free copies to those who take part in the study. Their goal is to form ten groups of ten people each. Most of these groups would be organized by dorm, with an MA and a CA from the dorm leading. The Parkwoods apartment group will be open to commuter students. In addition, there will be three groups to accommodate interested faculty, staff, and graduate students. Once the groups are formed, each one will determine its own weekly meeting time.

Ken L. Nafziger, Vice-president of Student Life, is one person who has promoted the idea of offering studies of The Purpose Driven Life at EMU. Nafziger, who has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology, believes that The Purpose Driven Life is especially pertinent to college students, who typically are at a point in their lives where they struggle to find their identity and establish intimacy in their relationships with God and others.

Nafziger explained that he and his wife studied the book while he was still working at Penn State. "I might not be here at EMU if I had not done this study," he said. Nafziger did not dislike being at Penn State; in fact, he was quite comfortable.

However, reading The Purpose Driven Life reminded him that "God didn’t create us just for comfort but we have a greater purpose." Sensing that God was calling them to move on to something else, the Nafzigers explored returning to Somalia, where they had worked with Eastern Mennonite Missions. Instead, Ken decided to come to EMU, because he felt that the offered position better fit his experience, educational background, and stage of life.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the study. It will run for eight weeks, starting the week of Feb. 9, and ending the week of April 9.