Real conversations about relationships rooted in Christ was the aim of Rooted and Real, Greg Dyson, campus pastor and vice president for spiritual life and intercultural leadership, said.
This event, held in Habecker South Sept. 26-28, covered singleness, dating, marriage, friendship and divorce, Dyson said. Speakers included Tim and Kristi Meldrum, parents of a Taylor student; Andy Gammons, executive director of admissions and Lisa Anderson, director of Boundless at Focus on the Family, among others.
Breakout sessions were held between speakers. Worship opened and closed the event, Dyson said.
Taia Edmond, a freshman studying biological health sciences, wanted to go to hear speakers address not just dating, but other relationships, she said. The session on setting boundaries –– both in friendships and in dating –– stuck out to her.
“It was definitely something that stuck out to me, because it was one of those sessions where I chose to go,” she said. “Because I knew it could apply to many areas, especially now, like coming into college and setting the path for the future.”
Taylor collects direct and indirect information from students and receives frequent requests for Taylor to host events focusing on relationships, Dyson said. Marriage is a God-given institution, and it comes with challenges. Dyson said he doesn’t want those challenges to cause students to fear and miss out on marriage.
Rooted and Real covered singleness as well, because everyone starts out single and some stay that way, Dyson said. They want students to know how to live where God has placed them.
“How do you actually live in the moment that God has given you to live in? And so we want to help people to be able to do that well,” he said.
The event was hosted by the Spiritual Life and Intercultural Leadership office as part of campus ministry, Dyson said. The name came from their desire to hold real conversations and for students to be rooted in Christ whether single, dating, married or dealing with the impact of divorce.
“No matter what the relationship, you need to be rooted in Christ and all of those things,” he said. “And then we also said, but we need to be real. And so I think sometimes as Christians, we don't actually get to the conversation. So we leave it for other people to engage with a conversation that we could engage with.”
Earlier this semester, Taylor hosted Seated and Sent, which focused on what it looks like to live out your faith.
Taylor is waiting for student feedback to decide whether or not Rooted and Real will become part of a series of similar events, Dyson said.
