Calvin Seminary Pitches ‘Revival Tent’
One way Calvin Theological Seminary has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic is the Revival Tent, as it has come to be known. A large yellow and white tent, installed in the south parking lot of the seminary grounds, the tent was set up to add extra square footage to the building capacity and to provide a space where the seminary community could gather outdoors for large meetings.With room for up to 36 people socially distanced, the tent has hosted several significant seminary gatherings, including a seminary staff retreat in August, a post-convocation reception with refreshments, a scholarship breakfast of students and donors in September, and many large classes.
From time to time, informal meetings of community members gathering for lunch or just to chat under the tent have provided a welcome time of relaxation and revival as well. With the arrival of cooler temperatures in the fall and the approaching winter season, the seminary will soon have to say goodbye to the tent as a gathering place.
On the teaching/learning end, the seminary faculty have created courses and prepared to offer them through a flex model so that if students were unable to come to class for any reason because of illness or requirements for quarantine or isolation, they could login remotely to a classroom session at a moment's notice through Zoom.
