UKirk SMU

✨Meet our Assistant Director! ✨

Melissa Whitler (they/them) is serving as the Assistant Director of UKirk this year after interning with the organization last year! They graduated from SMU in 2023 and also write for the LGBTQ+ publication Dallas Voice.

We loved meeting the Class of 2028 and can’t wait to welcome y’all home to UKirk! 💙

Come hang out with us at our kick-off party this Sunday! We’ll have a taco truck, lawn games and ice cream!

📍Wesley House
🕰️ 6-8pm
🌮 Tacos!

See you there! 🌮🎉

✨Meet our Co-Presidents! ✨

⭐️Sydni Walker (she/her) is a senior from Fort Worth, Texas studying Journalism and Human Rights with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. You can often find her late-night editing in the journalism school or hanging out at the la la land on lovers.

⭐️Campbell Snavely (she/her) is a senior from Austin, TX majoring in Marketing with a minor in History. She loves to go to the movies and is always in the mood for a sweet treat!

⭐️Kaylee (she/her) is a senior from Marshall, TX majoring in General Business with a minor in Sociology. You can often find her at the Chick Fil A on campus!

⭐️Kevin Huston (she/they) is a Senior from Nashville, TN and is double majoring in Art History and Music. Their favorite pastimes include visiting coffee shops & antique shops and hanging out with their cat, Mac!

🎶 Meet our new worship leader! 🎶

Rosalee (she/her) graduated from SMU in 2012 with a degree in Film & Media Arts and has been working in photo/video production ever since. She has been happily married to her wife for 7 years. Rosalee is looking forward to serving as music leader this year, and experiencing God’s love alongside UKirk students!

We are so excited to welcome everyone this week! 🎉Come hang out with us!

🍧Snow Cone Social: Tues, 4-5:30 at HTSC main atrium

🎥🍕Movie Night: Fri, 6-8pm at Wesley House

Want to learn more about UKirk? Schedule a time to meet with Margo (link in bio)

✨A New Season Begins✨

We’re excited to announce that Margo Moore will be serving as Interim Campus Minister and Executive Director!

About Margo:
🪴She was our first intern
📈She served on our board for 2 years
📚She has her MDiv from Perkins
🐶She has an adorable dog named Bear

Schedule a time to have coffee with Margo! Link in bio!

Help us give thanks for our 2023-2024 interns by making a financial gift! We rejoice that we have raised over $40,000 so far towards our spring campaign goal of $75,000. Give now: ukirksmu.org/donate

Melissa Whitler, Hospitality + Program Intern shares:

"This year has been different from anything I could have imagined. If I think back to where I was this time last year, a senior greatly anticipating and dreading graduation, it’s hard to hold all the joy and growth that has come since then. Last March, my life blew up in a way I never expected, and I had no idea where my future would be heading. This meant many possibilities, but also scary uncertainty and a lot of questions. Yet through all that, the Lord put certain pieces into place. I found out I had a summer internship with Dallas Voice, I continued to be supported by my friends, and through UKirk I found someone to be my roommate for the next year. These were small nudges from God that even though it felt like the worst thing possible had happened, God was still looking out for me. It took a lot of pressure off and allowed me to enjoy the last few weeks of college.

Over the summer I found out I would be working at SMU, both as an intern with UKirk and in a research position. Staying connected with SMU has not only been a comfort, but has reaffirmed how important affirming spaces and ministry are. I’ve been able to connect with students in new ways and have started to really ask questions about what Christianity means to me. And to know that I was able to support the UKirk community while Jessie and Zach were on parental leave is such a blessing. It’s hard to put into words what it means to know you’ve helped students connect with and really investigate their faith, and find a home here at SMU.

I’m in such a different place than I was this time last year and looking forward to the future of both my life and UKirk. In some ways I feel sadder knowing I’m one more year removed from college and that the Light-Wells' are stepping away from this community. And in others I’m really excited to see what God continues to do on campus and know that UKirk will continue to be a place where all belong."

Help us give thanks for our 2023-2024 interns by making a financial gift! We rejoice that we have raised over $40,000 so far towards our spring campaign goal of $75,000. Give now: ukirksmu.org/donate

Charlotte Betts, Worship + Communications Intern shares:

"When I began as a UKirk SMU intern, I was inwardly panicked. I spent significant time puzzling through what my role in this ministry would be, especially knowing Jessie and Zach would soon be on parental leave, and I would need to help cover for them. I’ve never recognized myself as an authority figure, and felt massively underqualified to guide students in a meaningful way through theological questions regarding scripture, worship, and faith; the same questions that I, myself, had been asking as a student the semester prior. Still, I knew I wanted to do this. UKirk fundamentally changed my experience as an SMU student; it give me a place to belong utterly, and I was hoping to impart that same sense of unconditional belonging in other students.

While working as an intern, I was reminded that UKirk SMU is where we explore these religious inquiries, rather than answer them, no matter our role. In fact, as I shouldered the intern title, I had more questions about religion than ever, especially as I decided that God led me to this path. However, I realized my biggest tool in a position of leadership wasn’t a perfect mastery of theology, but a consistent demonstration of behavior that reflected UKirk’s understanding of faith and God. UKirk is rife with joy, and peals of laughter; overflowing with care and comfort; and brimming with honesty; making it an ideal environment for contemplation, reflection, and ultimately, religious discernment. I continued asking questions about who God was in my life, and encouraged students to do the same. I am pleased to have helped foster a place for myself and others to better grapple with religion’s big ideas, and assist in the continuation of the place where all belong."

Help us give thanks for our 2023-2024 interns by making a financial gift! We rejoice that we have raised over $38,000 so far towards our spring campaign goal of $75,000. Give now: ukirksmu.org/donate

Emma White, Care + Connection Intern shares:

"This year has been one of growing pains, uncertainty, and discernment. Leaving my little college bubble of friends and familiarity felt scary and overwhelming. Yet, I’m grateful for what this year has taught me. I’ve practiced sitting in the discomfort of vocational questioning, seeking solace from my community, and accepting the liminal space of being 23. Although this year has been difficult in many ways, it has become very important to my own personal growth and discovery.

And UKirk—a space that is strangely mirroring my own life right now in its transition and uncertainty, but also in its beauty and hope—has been there every step of the way. As an intern, UKirk has continued to provide me with an encouraging space to connect with students, ask big questions, and share my own gifts. It has been incredibly rewarding to give back to UKirk and help facilitate its continued growth and mission of love. Additionally, it has provided me the perspective and courage needed to make my next vocational move. UKirk’s grounding nature has consistently reminded me that no matter how uncertain life may feel, there is always a community to fall back on and a home to return to. I am reminded to keep learning, questioning, changing, quitting, starting, living, and loving, even when I’m not sure what’s coming next."

Feeling a little more *grounded* after our terrarium-planting study break last night! So grateful to for helping us take a break & create.

As the semester winds down, let us know if we can buy you coffee or support you through the final stretch!

End of year partying! 🎉

Help us Cross the Threshold - Spring Fundraising Campaign - https://mailchi.mp/8206aeab7035/whats-ukirk-been-up-to-17643752

Easter joy! 💐
Christ is risen!

We began our Holy Week journey together with a pilgrimage through the labyrinth, paying attention to our bodies & listening for the stones crying out.

Join as we continue this week:

3/28, 7 PM
Maundy Thursday Dinner + Worship at

3/29, Noon
Good Friday Worship at

3/31, 10 AM
Easter Worship + Brunch at

Such a privilege to see all the talent at SMU and all of our stars in UKirk perform at the Spring Dance Show! ⭐️🌟 Congratulations to everyone involved on a beautiful performance.

So much talent in UKirk to be thankful for, and we continue to give thanks for the arts! ❤️ Congratulations to everyone who is performing in the opera, especially our very own , for an amazing show!

Enjoying good food and great people! 🌮 A time for celebrating the completion of another week, for preparing for the week ahead, and for enjoying each other’s company, Sunday night fellowship with UKirk feeds the body and mind. Come join us, Sunday evenings at 6!

Happy first week of classes, Mustangs! 📚 This Sunday at 6 p.m., come join UKirk for our first Sunday dinner of the Spring semester, hosted off-campus! There will be a warm, home-cooked meal, lots of chatting and fun, and opportunities to learn more about how to get involved with UKirk in the coming months. Hope to see you there!

“Virtue is not synonymous with neutrality… Guide us into a solidarity that demands something of us.” A conference for puzzling, both literally and spiritually! This past week, several Ukirk members attended Montreat College Conference, which featured the leadership of keynote pastor (as quoted above) Cole Arthur Riley. Thank you, Montreat, for time spent in solidarity, thoughtfulness, fellowship, and joy!

Montreat College Conference, here we come! In partnership with First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, UKirk SMU is sending 9 participants to Montreat College Conference this Tuesday.

Help us get there by making an end of year gift today, the last chance to give in 2023! https://ukirksmu.org/donate

We are so excited that our group will be making the trip to this thin place and we hope you will pray for us as we travel to Montreat, worship in Anderson Auditorium, reflect on the banks of Lake Susan, cook together at our house up the mountain, and spend the first days of the new year with the hope of Christ alive in our gathering.

Merry Christmas, UKirk family! We are so grateful for the gift of this community and all the joy it brings.

Give a gift today to continue caring for students and nurturing this home: UKirkSMU.org/donate

Melissa Jean Whitler ('23), our Hospitality and Program Intern wrote yesterday's entry in the UKirk National Advent Devotional and it speaks profoundly to where we find ourselves:

"The winter season has become a time of too much. Showing the holiday spirit feels less about cheer and connection and more about having the biggest and best, be it presents, Christmas trees, or holiday meals. There’s little time to take a moment and process what’s going on outside us...

How many times do we turn away because there’s so much chatter, because it takes extra effort to understand? What opportunities from God to grow and connect are we missing? What would our holiday season look like if we took a step back and refocused on what’s really important?"

UKirk SMU is an important home for students, a place of rest and respite, a space to process and grow in faith. This Christmas Eve, help us continue to care for and nurture this community by giving generously: ukirksmu.org/donate

https://ukirkadvent.org/2023/12/23/december-23-7/

December 23 Read John 7:40-52. In some ways, the winter season has become a time of too much. There’s the stress of finals, pressure to buy the perfect gift, manage finances, hang up all the decorations. Showi…

As we end the fall semester we want to say a big THANK YOU to to our dinner providers who showed up each week with delicious food to nourish our community. Our local churches and community partners remind us what it means to be part of the intergenerational body of Christ!

Support us into the year ahead. Give an end of year financial gift to UKirk to show your care: ukirksmu.org/donate

Thank you to the following friends of UKirk:

Brenda Arias & Kelsey Sellers (FPC Dallas)
SMU Women and LGBT Center
Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church
Greenland Hills United Methodist Church
Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church Serve Committee + Youth Group
First Presbyterian Church, Dallas Youth Group
Holly Hodge (2022 Alum)
Susi Grissom, Beth Thompson, Beth Foster, Sandy Stroo & Betsy Winters (FPC Dallas)
First Presbyterian, Richardson Young Adults
Sally Dutter & Anne Edwards (PHPC)

Celebrating our December Graduates, Claire Janssen & Morgan Leath! 🎓

Claire and Morgan have been faithful and steady leaders in UKirk SMU and we give thanks for their gifts of time, energy, joy, and wonder. Dear ones: know that wherever you wander, this will always be home.

As 2023 comes to an end, this is your time to show you care about our students and this ministry. When you give, you tell us: I care. Donate here → https://www.ukirksmu.org/donate

Constant change is a way of life for college students. We believe that change is best-handled when you know that someone cares; when you have a place where you feel at home, a place where you know you belong.

As we continue to build our community of care, we invite you to consider how a financial gift communicates care to others at the end of this year. When you give, you tell us: I care. Thank you for empowering us to say: we care. Make a gift here → https://www.ukirksmu.org/donate

What a joy to say Thank You to our incredible supporters yesterday at our gratitude lunch! We had such a wonderful afternoon of sharing stories and gathering around tables. The UKirk community is a gift to all of us.

��As we move toward the end of the year, we continue to build our community of care. When you give a financial gift, you tell us: I care. Make an end of year gift today: ukirksmu.org/donate

Advent Party joy! We welcomed this season of anticipation with togetherness, singing & laughter. As we move toward Christmas, we rejoice is our community 🎄

Celebrating the lights!🎄

Continue the festivities with us this Sunday at our Advent Party!

We are so grateful to all of our supporters! Join us for a thank you lunch on Tuesday, 12/5 at Wilshire Baptist Church as we celebrate this semester and look ahead. RSVP here: https://www.supportukirksmu.org/lunch

For full plates, full hearts, and a community full of love and care for all people, we are grateful.

Happy thanksgiving, UKirky Turkeys!