On the first Monday of every month the peer minister event United We Praise convenes to praise God through music and prayer.
This event is open to all variations of the Christian religion, which is a reason why junior peer minister Ryian Johnson thinks the group is so popular.
“We call all praise the same God or the same Lord, so it’s not only Catholic or Protestant, and actually I think this is the most numbers we’ve had for any Christian on campus,” Johnson said.
Johnson and the other peer ministers who guide the event meet a week or two in advance to decide a theme for the event – which impacts the type of music performed – an MC for the event and what to do during reflection time.
The MC to guide March’s event was senior Amy Johnson. One duty of the MC is to make the night run smoothly, but Johnson said individuals who attend United We Praise are what truly make the night special.
“It’s individuals coming together as a body and it’s about what the individuals bring,” Johnson said. “I think I play a part in it, but everyone’s coming to that table for a body that comes together.”
Someone who also plays a big part in the experience is God, who Johnson said initiates the event.
“He’s actually the one that initiates, he’s actually the one that seeks us first,” Johnson said. “He loved us before he even knew us. He loved us before we were even formed in our wombs. He loves us just as we so.
Amy and Ryian share the bond of being peer ministers, but they’re also roommates. Ryian said Amy takes the duties of a peer minister seriously.
“Amy works so hard to pull of this together,” Johnson said. “She takes all of this very seriously and takes it very deeply into prayer and wants us to be what God wants us to have here for United We Praise.”
Surrounded by people laughing and reminiscing about the night’s activities, Amy said her work was successful.
“It was a bomb night,” Johnson said. “It was just filled with the holy spirit. It was really good to worship with his body.”
Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.