One of the biggest gifts and privileges during my years at Cornerstone University has been leading Met By Love, a student-run weekly worship night. Met By Love meets every Monday night in one of our school’s biggest classrooms. Every week the room is transformed into a space filled with over 100 young people from all over West Michigan, lifting their voices, prayers and hands in adoration of the King. Our sole purpose is to love and worship God rightly, knowing that we will be met and transformed by His radical love.
SEEING A NEED AND FILLING IT
During my freshman year, I attended a twelve-hour worship night in Spring Arbor, Michigan (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.!). It was a transformative experience. I was in an environment where college students not only wanted to praise Jesus for a whole night but also worshipped with such freedom and joy. I knew that I wanted to bring something like that to Cornerstone.
When I brought the idea of bringing a twelve-hour worship night to our school, my friend Brennan told me that God had laid it on his heart to start weekly worship nights. Another one of our friends, Owen, had a dream about having weekly worship nights that lined up with our vision, and we brought our friend Josh in on it. We began to plan and pray for the idea of Met by Love throughout the end of my freshman year and over the summer.
So many people had expressed that they felt our campus needed something like this. It wasn’t that chapel wasn’t sufficient and it was not as though there were no other events going on, it was just that we desired a different experience from chapel and the other things that were offered. We wanted something that wasn’t for credit. We wanted to gather a group of college students whose sole focus every Monday night was to worship the Lord and to pursue Him with their everything.
CULTURE OF LOVE
We have seen all of the things that we prayed about and even more! We have had the privilege of seeing several salvations, healings and baptisms. One of my favorite things though is the authentic and passionate community that was created because of Met By Love. The people that have come around Met By Love are some of the most passionate and loving Christ followers you will ever meet. I am challenged by them all the time because they love Jesus and each other so well.
Because of the love we have for the Lord, loving each other and everyone we put in our path is effortless. We seek to create a culture of love and passionate pursuit of Christ at Cornerstone on Monday nights and every other day of the week.
This year, we even started men’s and women’s groups that meet every Thursday night in our apartments. Our goal in that was encouraging community and accountability.
HOW MET BY LOVE HAS IMPACTED ME
I don’t think any of us could have anticipated the impact that Met By Love would have on our campus and on us. We would get together to worship every week even if it was just the four of us leaders, but every week college students fill up the room. While it’s never been about numbers, it’s so special to be a part of something that is impacting so many students.
My relationship with Christ has been challenged and deepened. One of my biggest goals in coming to Cornerstone was to grow in my faith, and Met By Love has helped to catalyze that growth.
I am forever grateful for the relationships that have been created by Met By Love. I know that God has not only blessed me with amazing partners in ministry but lifelong friends.
I am so thankful for a university that empowers their students to create worship nights and supports individual spiritual growth. The options and opportunities are endless! To learn more about the spiritual life at Cornerstone, see the Spiritual Life webpage!
