Echo brings students together through fellowship and prayer
Men looking to get involved in ministry should consider joining Echo.
Hosted by the Office of Campus Ministries, Echo is a weekly gathering designed to foster genuine connections through group discussion and prayer among students and leaders.
Echo held their first gathering on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The event began with students and leaders conversing amongst each other before Campus Pastor Wes Lutes, the main speaker, assigned each person to a table based on the letter of their name tags.
Lutes opened the discussion by explaining the purpose of Echo, which is to build a community through mentorship, and how important it is to have older men guiding younger generations within their faith.
“It is good to be a man,” Lutes said. “Those of us who are learning to walk in masculinity, in the way God has made us to be, we sense that statement is true.”
Lutes then discussed challenges young men face when trying to understand their role as a man, pointing toward an incident at Pennsylvania State University involving a cocaine ring caused by a fraternity. He used this as an example of how young men can be influenced into destructive behavior while trying to build their identity.
Lutes argued the need for positive role models in men’s lives, and how supportive relationships can help them navigate their purpose.
“[God] did not design us to figure it out on our own,” Lutes said.
Lutes was joined by student Isaac Iosia, and Iosia followed up by sharing his personal testimony of searching for his identity through athletics and relationships. Although he found success, those results left him feeling empty.
“I didn’t see my value as being a son of God,” Iosia said.
Iosia was able to find his calling by surrounding himself with godly men. This helped him recognize that his worth was not based on his achievements, but by being made in the image of God.
“I have value because the Lord made me and He loves me,” Iosia said.
He encouraged fellow students to seek guidance rather than relying on worldly influences to find fulfillment.
“Don't search for the things in this world,” Iosia said. “Not in your sport, not in your love, not in your accomplishments, in a relationship, in a career, or a receipt, because that will end up being worthless.”
Following the testimony, Lutes and Iosia outlined the plans for what each discipleship group will do during this event. Each group will start off with questions about their well-being and how God is working in their lives.
The event concluded with students and leaders praying over one another.
As the weeks progress, students and leaders will have opportunities to discuss what they have struggled with and how they can grow spiritually.
The goal is to create an environment where men can be upfront without feeling ashamed.
“Jesus has never shamed his beloved out of sin … He uses confession to confess our sins one to another, so that we may be healed whole,” Lutes said.
Students interested in joining can either stop by the Campus Ministries Office, sign up online at https://www.leeuniversity.edu/campus-ministries/, or email directly at campusministries@leeuniversity.edu.
