Mary arrived at Virginia Commonwealth University as a self-proclaimed extrovert. “I've been a social butterfly my whole life,” Mary admits. “But when I got to college, I really struggled to find any sense of friendship or community. I had this book from the 90s on how to meet people in college,” Mary recalls. “But it was outdated. The advice was stuff like, ‘talk to people in the elevator’. Well, everyone had headphones in! How was I supposed to do that? I just felt so completely alone.”
Finally, Mary saw an advertisement to volunteer at Pace’s Stories & Lunch ministry. She mustered the will to give it a shot and while there, was invited to come back for another event. “When I returned the following day, Rev. Russ greeted me by name,” Mary remembers. “That was the first time I had heard anyone say my name in weeks. I just felt so at home. While cooking with students, I was able to have a real conversation with someone - it wasn't an in-between-class conversation about classwork - it was a real conversation.”
Mary continued coming to Pace and began to feel something she hadn’t experienced in a while - hope. “It's cliche to say that Pace was a light in the dark, but that's literally what it felt like. I just kind of became more and more comfortable and social with everyone at Pace.” Life at VCU became easier, and now Mary has an expanding community of friends.
Later in her school career, Mary knew where to turn when she began to experience a crisis of faith. “I wasn’t feeling super comfortable with my faith,” she explained. “I talked to Pace staff about it and rather than trying to convince me to join a specific church, Russ gave me a book - Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber. It was written by a female priest who's covered in tattoos and it really spoke to me. He also encouraged me to try Church Crawl, which is the Sunday Pace event where you go to all the different churches. It was really helpful to experience different traditions. It allowed me to explore my faith and to be comfortable stepping away from parts of it that weren’t right for me.”
Through your generous support, Pace helps students like Mary find community and feel supported on their life-long faith journey. During this giving season, I invite you to be a part of the transformation from hopelessness to hope that students experience at Pace every day. Please consider making a donation in any amount to support this vital ministry at VCU.
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