Adventure: Campus Ministries
Away from home and familiar things, college students dive into the new and unexpected- living life out loud with fear and enthusiasm. Each day is experienced on tip-toe, in anticipation of an unfolding future. Campus ministries accompany students to the edge as they prepare to leap into an undiscovered future. Not all the learning at college occurs in the classroom.
| Ministries make life-long impact | Communities of discipleship created |
| How you can make a difference | Prayer for the church on campus |
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Ministries make life-long impact By Mark Schaefer
Campus ministries are a ‘home away from home’ for many students. They provide places to come and hang out between classes, connect with friends or grab a snack (campus ministries are always good places to find food). But more than that, campus ministries are intentional communities that build disciples.
Students will often speak of how their time in a campus ministry helped them to “stay grounded.” One student said that it was “a fundamental element in my development as a college student and as a person.” Another said, “Who I am today is very much a result of my experience with my campus ministry.”
For students raised in the church, campus ministries help them to stay connected to their faith community. In college they have the freedom for the first time to really claim their tradition or let it go. Campus ministry helps students to find their grounding in the faith they were raised in. One alum said that “campus ministry kept me connected to the faith community… it played a huge role in me growing into the person I am today and the pastor I hope to be in the future.”
Many students do not have a developed religious identity. They find themselves attracted to our communities because they are open and welcoming and the sense of community is so strong. Once inside, they discover they have the freedom to explore the questions of faith, with openness and without worry about being judged. As one student said, “Campus ministry was an excellent place for me to grow in faith, intellect and leadership.”
And for so many, the campus ministry provides the support needed for difficult times in college. Many students speak of the “support network” they derive from their campus ministry community. One student said her community “was one of the only things that really kept me going when times got rough. The community of faith was always there for me and I couldn’t imagine college without it.”
In fact, according to a recent survey of the alumni of Baltimore-Washington campus ministries, 94 percent reported that their campus ministry had a “significant impact” or a “very significant impact” on their sense of support in college.
And our campus ministries play a vital role in helping students to discern vocation. Many of our alums have gone off to seminary and are serving the church in both ordained and lay ministries. All of our alums go off to their careers understanding
their work to be a part of a Christian calling. Whether they’re serving in government, the foreign service, the non-profit sector or the business world, they have come to see their lives as a whole picture, defined by faith.
More than two-thirds of our graduates have said that their campus ministry had an impact on their vocational discernment, with 40 percent saying it had a significant or very significant impact. The campus ministries regularly offer Bible studies and counseling sessions on vocational discernment. Students from the campuses will attend Exploration, a vocational discernment conference for young people.
Communities of discipleship created
To many people, a college campus may seem like a strange and alien culture, as unusual as some of the remotest corners of the world. Throughout its history, the Christian church has sent individuals to interpret the Gospel in those unfamiliar and often radically different contexts.
The campus ministers in the Baltimore-Washington Conference continue in that long-standing tradition. They are missionaries, called by God and sent by the church to interpret the Gospel on the college campus, and in the midst of an important time in students’ lives.
To do this, campus ministers help to create intentional and authentic Christian community, engaged in all the areas of discipleship. As they participate, college students are learning to be leaders in the church.
Celebrating Faithfully
Campus ministries provide opportunities for spirit-filled worship, often at a very college student-friendly time.
On each of the four campuses, students are involved in all aspects of worship life: preparing the liturgies, writing the prayers, leading services, playing music and singing, giving student reflections or sermons at healing services, reading Scripture lessons.
Developing Faith
All the conference’s campus ministries offer Bible studies and other devotional opportunities.
At American, the campus minister offers a “Theology with Fries and Soda” every week in the Tavern, where students come to discuss the ideas and writings of great theologians.
“Practical Christianity” is a student-led weekly discussion and reflection at AU on the application of Christian faith to one’s daily living.
The campus ministry at the University of Maryland gathers at Memorial Chapel on Wednesday evenings for dinner and Bible Study in an atmosphere where questions and differences of opinion are considered an important part of the learning process. Students have the opportunity to claim their faith for themselves.
“Soul Time,” the Terp version of Covenant Discipleship groups provide safe space to share the important issues of faith on a small group level and to ask each other: “How is it with your soul?”
The campus ministry at Howard meets in Rankin Chapel for weekly Bible study. Reflecting on the story of Jacob at the Jabbok, this semester’s study will focus on how students deal with struggle.
Serving in Faith
College students are very clear that their Christian faith requires Christian action and so they show remarkable enthusiasm for service projects and for ministries of justice.
The conference’s campus ministries have service projects throughout the year, at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, working with children in after school programs and volunteering throughout the community.
American leads an Alternative Spring Break trip to the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. Howard does a mission trip to New Orleans, and Maryland and Howard together led a trip to South Africa. In the spring of 2010, Maryland will join together with First UMC of Hyattsville to go to New Orleans over spring break. Howard University students will return to Haiti for another mission trip during next year’s spring break.
Students also work as advocate for justice on
issues like the gentrification of communities, health care, the environment, race, gender, genocide in Darfur and many others. They lead theological reflection groups, organize rallies, and hold vigils all in the cause of justice.
Faithful Relationships
Campus ministries are the quintessential “ministries of presence”— engaging in vital ministry by being present and available to our students.
This is often done by creating space for students to meet. They develop relationships with each other -- meaningful relationships that form the bedrock of any campus ministry community.
One of the things you’ll hear campus ministers brag about the most is how much the students in their fellowships truly care for one another. They are committed to each other’s welfare, sharing one another’s burdens and celebrating one another’s joys. People make friendships in the campus ministry community that last for a life time.
Faith Sharing
Students learn how to share their faith with others.
In outward acts of witness, such as during the “God sightings” in an AU worship service, or in acts of Christian social action where they present to the campus a Christian face on an important social issue.
This is especially true in the way they create cultures of hospitality and welcome. Students will often find themselves on the campus quad reaching out to their fellow college students. They distribute free hot chocolate during the winter months, or free hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers at “Feed the Quad.” They provide “Stress Free Eating Zones” during exams where students can come, eat and relax.
They deliver hospitality and welcome bags to new students who had come to worship services. They witness to their faith through intramural sports, by being caring, encouraging and welcoming of all who want to play sports, with more of a focus on community than on competition.
Harmony’s Cross, the singing group from the campus at the University of Maryland, sings sometimes at campus events but also travels to local churches to sing at worship services. One student remembers sitting in her local church as a teenager and hearing Harmony’s Cross sing about their faith: “I thought, this is awesome! I want to be a part of that!” Now she is one of the directors for the group.
Prayer for the church on campus
God of all ages and places,
Who hallows college grounds and calls across campuses,
Who dwells in and among the students in these places,
Bursting forth in joyful crowds and whispering in silent late nights,
Prepare young hearts to listen.
God of presence and patience,
Who meets students where they are and walks alongside them,
Speaking in the many languages of their lives and their hearts
In every moment and space of being,
Transform them in the discernment of your will.
God of vast creativity,
Who breathes new life into the body each day
And enriches it with many differing gifts,
Delighted as these are offered in genuine praise,
Nurture in your children all that glorifies you.
God of the great commission,
Calling students to follow and lead,
Provide through them an embodied sanctuary
As the presence of the church on campus,
And unite them in the common call to ministry
in the world that is our parish.
—Written by Emily Berkowitz for the 40 days of Prayer for Campus Ministry
Like all missionaries, campus ministers rely on the support of their brothers and sisters in faith to do important ministry. You don’t need to stay up to 1 a.m. with the students, or eat tons of pizza, or any of the other quirks of a college schedule — though you’re always welcome to do so. But as with our church’s missionaries abroad, there are many ways you can help to support the campus ministers in their vital ministry.
Mentoring
College students are going through one of the most significant times of formation in their lives. They are discerning who they are as individuals and as members of a community. They are trying to figure out what direction their lives are going in. It is often very helpful to talk to people who are already out in the world, working in the very careers and fields they’re interested in. Campus ministers often provide that needed voice of experience from the world beyond college, but we always are in need of more voices. Many of our students are studying toward the very career that you are in. Perhaps you can share time with a college student as a mentor.
Mission Opportunities
One thing college students are very good at is understanding the vital connection between faith and action. Campus ministries seek to provide opportunities for Christian service and Christian social justice action. When a local church is engaged in a mission project, that is a perfect opportunity for intersection with a campus ministry. Let the campus ministers know about mission and social justice opportunities in your local churches. You can also subscribe to the e-mails or newsletters of the campus ministries near you to learn about the service and justice
opportunities already taking place on campus.
Prayer
Students are in a challenging time in their lives, and campus ministers take on a lot of work to meet their needs. Praying for your campus ministries, individually and in church, is a great way to stay connected spiritually to those strange and alien cultures where we bring the Gospel.
The Advance
At the last session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, an Advance Special in support of campus ministry was approved to help local churches use “second-mile giving” to support the church’s vital presence on campuses.
Financial Support
Campus ministries do not receive any program funding from the annual conference. We depend entirely on contributions from local churches and individuals for the support of our programming.
Our programs are costly, whether because they involve mission trips around the country and around the world, or because they seek to provide quality educational materials for our Bible studies, or because they are driven by an ethic of hospitality, and hospitality, for students, often means food.
Financial contributions to campus ministries are always welcome. Contributions can be made directly to any of the campus ministries or to the annual conference for the benefit of them all.
There is a lot going on in campus ministry — far too much to include in just one article. We invite you to discover more about campus ministry and how we are preparing the next generation of Christian leaders in discipleship and Christian witness. To learn more about the work of campus ministry in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, feel free to contact our campus ministries
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