Intertwining Faith in Higher Education with Lisa Garvin

Garvin shares how she joined the ministry and her love for partnering with students to encourage growth through faith.

What was the driving force that led you to a career in ministry? 

God! My childhood dream and plan until my early 20s was to be president of the United States. My senior year of college I wrestled with whether to go to law school or seminary. I did a year of law school and spent more time at the Wesley Foundation (and SEC athletic events) than I did studying! A couple of years later I was asked to serve as a Christian educator in a local church – and I loved it, but I had absolutely no education or preparation for it other than growing up in a really good church. The Order of Deacon was created while I was working in that church, and I began to acknowledge and reluctantly embrace a call to ordained ministry. I’ve always loved the church, but if I had my choice, I’d be the best lay person around!

I left that job to go to seminary – trying to be faithful to God’s call and assuming I would go back to Mississippi to be a Christian educator in a local church when I finished. While in seminary, I did an internship in the Dean of the Chapel & Religious Life’s office in 2001 – my first week was the week of 9/11 – and fell in love with multi-religious ministry and ministry in an academic setting. I grew up in a university church and I think my faith has always been intertwined with intellectual life – curiosity, courage, and hope.

What have been your strategies in developing and supporting multi-religious community?

My first strategy has been ensuring that “faith families” have resources for practicing their tradition and building community – space for prayer/services/small groups, mentoring by religious leaders, and money for food and other necessities. Everyone needs a place of connection, understanding and a sense of belonging from which to explore and expand their circles of community.

In addition, we’ve created a couple of different offerings for people to get to know people of other religious traditions and to learn about different religious traditions. Student leaders have been critical in helping to define and shape those offerings. Interfaith Social is a meal, open to anyone/everyone, in a relaxed environment that offers an opportunity to meet students from across campus and religious identities. Midweek Retreat was designed as a contemplative space to take a deep breath and relax in the middle of the week and has evolved into a multi-religious and multi-cultural conversation space with Krispy Kreme or cookies!

Finally, Spiritual Life Mentors are in every Residential Commons bringing students together for community and reflection on meaning and purpose.

What has been a life lesson that helps you in your ministry approach with students?

I have been extremely fortunate to have amazing mentors in my life. The greatest gift they have given me – that I try to offer to students – is a listening ear that helps me to hear myself! I try to offer students space to share their story, what they are trying to figure out, where they are feeling drawn. My hope is that in sharing their story with me it helps them to hear their deepest longings and follow their hearts.

What are the biggest challenges you have seen at SMU since you joined in 2020?

Well, I arrived in the middle of the pandemic. Everyone was wearing masks and all my meetings the first year were on Zoom. When I walked across campus, I rarely saw anyone else. Figuring out how to meet people, especially students, under those circumstances was the biggest challenge. Since then, the biggest challenge is navigating students’ busy-ness to offer meaningful programming that doesn’t add to stress and expectations.

What are new goals you have for the chaplain’s office and spiritual life on the SMU campus?

In addition to the Spiritual Life Mentors, we are building a team of Interfaith Fellows, student workers in the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, we develop and implement multi-religious programs. We hope to have 4-6 Interfaith Fellows next year who will continue to strengthen our multi-religious offerings.

My philosophy is that world changers draw on a deep spiritual well to lead. My hope is that all Mustangs will participate in some aspect of spiritual life on campus – whether participating in a campus ministry, traveling with us on the Civil Rights Pilgrimage, or regularly walking the labyrinth at Prothro Hall – we want to provide space for every member of the SMU community to nurture their spirit and strengthen them for their service in the world.