Students at Andrews University combined fall festivities with faith during a “Pumpkin Parable Painting” event on Friday, Oct. 24. Hosted by the Andrews Ministerial Association (AMA), the gathering included a campus hike, a visit to the university farm, and concluded with a creative session where students painted pumpkins inspired by parables.
At 4:30 p.m., students gathered in Meier Hall parking lot and followed Derek Wonenburg (senior, theology), AMA’s social coordinator, down a wooded trail beside University Towers (UT). The small group hiked for about an hour through crisp autumn air and changing leaves, stopping by the Andrews University Agriculture Education Center to greet cows at the campus farm.
“I had an absolutely wonderful time on the hike,” Wonenburg said. “Part of the trail I had never done before, so that was really fun to experience.”
The group ended their walk near Buller Hall, where the second half of the event awaited. Inside the Religion Department, small pumpkins, paint palettes, and brushes were waiting, with the invitation to paint a parable on the pumpkin.
Some students depicted biblical themes, such as the parable of the lost sheep or the unforgiving servant, while others took a more artistic approach, painting solid colors or cartoon characters like Angry Birds.
Georgia Schulze (sophomore, theology and social work) serves as AMA’s secretary and treasurer and helped to plan the event. “It was a really fun event to plan because I got to go and buy paint, which was exciting,” she said. “Everybody seemed to really enjoy the hike. It was nice to be outside, and there was good weather for it. Definitely a good Friday afternoon, a good way to start the Sabbath.”
Schulze’s pumpkin featured the parable of the lost sheep, inspired by the group’s earlier stop at the farm. “I think the intention [of the event] was just to connect with people inside and outside of the department,” she said. “At this point in the semester, people are kind of in that no-man’s-land where midterms are done, but finals are not far away. It was nice to take a break.”
Senior psychology major Natalie Reid described the evening positively. “This was a great event,” Reid said. “We had community, hiking, and time at the farm. Friendship was here, community was here. As I painted my pumpkin, I just thought, ‘This is like a taste of what heaven would be like.’”
To close the event, AMA introduced “Fredley the Gospel Gourd of the Lord,” a large communal pumpkin for the participants to sign.
Looking ahead, Wonenburg said AMA hopes to host at least one event per month. “Every opportunity to connect with people is better for all of us,” he said. “It gives more opportunities to grow relationships, which is what we’re all about here at AMA.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.