Melanie Breunig ’14 is going into her fifth year of being a resident director (RD) for Olivet Nazarene University’s student housing. She has a passion for identity and value, and wanted to find a creative way to reflect her passions into the lives of other RDs, resident assistants and students.
Resident directors are given freedom in how they lead spiritually and encouraged to come up with their own way of sharing life with others.
Thinking and praying on a way to prepare RAs to be established in Scripture and invested in their relationships with the Lord, Melanie found the idea of creating a 15-week devotional, Breath of Life: A 15 Week Walk Through the New Testament.
“In creating this devotional, I just really wanted to say that Jesus loves whoever’s reading, and that their identity and worth are found in Him alone,” she says.
The layout of the devotional is set up in a question-and-answer format, along with a section for reflection and notes. This is for the reader to have a more genuine and transformational encounter with God.
Phil Steward ’92, dean of residential life, says, “Melanie has such a desire for the word, a desire for students and a huge love for Christ.”
“I just love that spiritual life is so important at Olivet,” she says. “Everyone desires to see each student come to know Christ. It’s the heart and core of why we’re here and doing what we’re doing.”
During the 2017–2018 academic, Melanie received the Resident Director of the Year award. While serving as a resident director, she is continuing her studies, pursuing a Master of Organizational Leadership degree at Olivet.
Melanie is working to fulfill the mission statement for resident directors at Olivet: to serve as a “communal arm of Olivet Nazarene University, driven by a Godly passion to serve students through intentional, loving relationships. Striving to imitate Christ, we model, mentor, and motivate students to be Christ-like in their world.”
She has introduced the new devotional to her team of resident assistants for them to use during the summer and also plans to use them through the 2018-2019 school year.
Recently, Melanie launched her own website, homegrownapartment.com, with recipes, devotionals, DIYs and more.
To learn more about life at Olivet, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@olivet.edu or 800-648-1463.
Photos submitted by Melanie Breunig. Used with permission.
Published: 6/26/2018
