An August leadership retreat has this year’s Student Leadership Council poised to achieve several key goals for the year.

The leadership retreat took place at the Wilds of North Carolina during the first weekend of September. In between fun and games, the SLC heard from a number of talented speakers, including BJU president Dr. Steve Pettit, on this year’s key topic: discipleship.

Refreshed and inspired from the trip, the SLC has three main goals for the year: connecting, inspiring and empowering.

First, the SLC is planning to connect the student body through a movie night and ice cream socials, as they have done in the past. But, the SLC also has some new and exciting events planned for the year, all of which will remain a secret until the appropriate time.

Matthew Arnold, student body men’s president, said he likes carrying out this first goal because the SLC gets to connect with both the student body and the administration. He said this unique position, as a link between the students and the administration makes his job a joy and privilege.

But being the middleman takes work. Arnold said SLC members have to do their best to connect with students on an individual level in order to accurately represent the study body to the administration.

Carol Anne Matthews, student body women’s president, agrees, saying the SLC is trying to be approachable this year by creating events that the students feel comfortable attending, like the InstaMeet on Sept. 20.

Arnold said the other two main goals – inspiring and empowering – go hand-in-hand. He said the SLC is traditionally viewed as the student organization that schedules the campus entertainment. But, in reality, they are the Student Leadership Council, and part of their responsibility is to ensure that they and their fellow students are growing spiritually, academically and socially.

On a spiritual level, the SLC is really hoping to tap into this year’s theme by cultivating a spirit of discipleship among the student body. “The BJU experience isn’t just about getting a diploma,” Matthews said. “It’s not about going to your classes and getting all the requirements met. It is about so much more.”

The SLC members are aware of the importance of the position they hold as they work on leading the way in this year’s discipleship endeavors.

“As leaders of our peers, it is important that we be wise leaders, so that we are leaders worth following,” Arnold said.