College Avenue Crossings
Striking a chord with worshippers, Tyler Riddle, sophomore religion and media major, leads a Sabbath morning praise service at the Awakening.
Started in 2001 by Troy Ahrens, a 2003 theology graduate; Jonny Hayasaka, a 2002 theology graduate; Brian Meert, a 2002 theology graduate; and Michael Ward, a senior engineering major, the Awakening began as a Thursday evening worship service in Heubach Chapel. It has since grown to fill the Melvin K. West Fine Arts Center Auditorium, with an average attendance of 400.
Plans for the coming year include several “random acts of kindness” projects, social events, and a service composed solely of original music. In the coming months, audio portions of the Awakening, as well as the Awakening’s original music, will be available via the Internet.
Note: David Ward, a 2004 religion major, should have been credited as a co-founder of the Awakening, not Michael Ward. Michael became involved with the Awakening in its second year and has played many important roles since then.