Update from the Okanagan

In a previous blog, I recounted a visit I had with Matt Duffy, my friend and colleague at the University of  British Columbia at the Okanagan ( UBCO ). In corresponding with me, he forwarded me a newsletter that summarizes a good deal of what he has been up to over the past year, and what he intends for the year to come. I am not sure how to upload the thing, but what I thought I would share is  supplemental info Matt sent to his sectional presbyter who was looking for some sort of report from the various churches under his care. What Matt did was send in a brief, almost point form summary of what University Christian Ministries, at UBCO is up to...   If you are on this blog, it just might be that you find campus ministry interesting. If you do, you might appreciate this...

So, first, some stuff copied from the newsletter. And then what Matt sent his presbyter to fill out the picture...


To our much loved friends…


Again, the end of the winter semester is upon us. The older I get, the faster it all flies by. Fall 2010 will begin our tenth year at this campus.

The flow of students who enter, educate, and graduate, is staggering - I’ve had the privilege of meaningfully relating to hundreds over my time here. And many have been in our home to share a meal, worship and fellowship. I know that the Lord has done His work in so many… and continues to do so, wherever those who have moved on have gone.

A HEART TO PRAY: What is the best way for prayer to be birthed? By guilt-inducement and pressure? I think we know the answer. There is no real power in that approach. But, when Holy Spirit initiates that passion in the hearts of his people the result is very powerful, indeed. That is what is happening among the students who gather here in community with UCM. In the early new year, a panel of five students effectively shared one facet of prayer that he/she found important. It was diverse, and rich. And the dialogue that followed in that Sunday night meeting in the campus Atrium added greater richness. Tuesday nights a group meets for supper and prayer. And others are finding ways to spend some time during the week to pray together - “...two or three gathered in HIS name.” God is doing something among the students here.

MEXICO ADVENTURE: Remember the H1N1 scare last spring? We had to cancel that trip because of insurance concerns. But, I was able to take a small team to Mexico in mid-May and build the first of two houses. We completed Spring 2010 Matt & Sandra Duffy the second build during the reading break just this February. Sixteen in all, representing four Universities in BC, finished up last year’s commitment. The family moved out of wooden pallets/cardboard/tarps and dirt floor into a solid, four room home with a proper, locking front door, windows in each room, and concrete floor. It was, as it has always been, a wonderful time of serving, community-building, and lifeforming service. As we presented the family with a new home, the father and mother spoke openly of how they had prayed that the Lord would give them a home that would keep them warm, dry and safe. We are honoured that we could be Jesus’ instruments to express His love and compassion for these hard-working, yet poor migrant agricultural labourers.




(to) Bruce...( the sectional presbyter )



Apologies. Assumed your radar was not fixed on me or the University work. BC Campus Ministries is a department in the PAOC...with our own Provincial overseer...John Engels. But...here is the attached Newsletter that I sent out about one month ago. It summarizes a few things...though is not the whole picture.




Additional: weekly Bible groups lead/facilitated by student leaders (C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity / Book of Acts / Women's study: Women of God).


Also, I have been teaching an Introduction to Biblical Greek to eight brave students, and a course on the nature and gifts of Holy Spirit (to introduce and clarify the Pentecostal experience and encourage the students to be open to this experience). I also meet regularly with leadership, individually and as a group, to mentor and develop them in their understanding of what it means to lead in the Kingdom, rather than follow philosophies and models that our business culture primarily focuses on.


We gather every Sunday night in the ATRIUM on campus. This is our church. It is a cool venue. A courtyard that was totally enclosed and developed into a multi level tropical garden area for quiet and study. We rotate a basic pattern of four weeks: Chili and buns dinner to enhance community and allow interested and exploring students a chance to just meet people, a student leader speaks about his/her current passion(s) around something he/she is learning in the faith. Sometimes I will speak...or invite a guest speaker.


Then I use a professor who is a Christian.

ALL are infused with dialogue.


Much of that fills out / clarifies / enriches the total picture for all of us present. As the newsletter said, we sometimes set up a panel, with myself at the helm, to develop a theme for the evening's discussion. At the end of the semester, I formed a panel of four leaders, with myself anchoring, to field questions that students wrote on paper. This was open and risky, but the dialogue stimulated serious thought about the five questions we got to.


I instructed the tech to put the scriptures on the AV screen as we hit all the discussions. My Biblical capacities helps us to know some areas in the Bible we can refer to...plus to post any brought up in the conversation.This engenders genuine growth and thought. And, never ends up being simple, black and white, cut and dry...but we are all forced to consider/listen/articulate/and hold onto a full sense of humility and love.


That is a picture of what the last year has looked like. We are leaving Saturday May 1 for another house build in Mexico. This one is a whole team only from our campus in Kelowna. I am so proud of the amazing students the Lord has given to love and serve and mentor.




Maybe we can sit and I can give you clarity over the nature of the ministry at UBCO.














In HIM...Matt

Thursday at The 'Peg

George Werner and I arose at 4 in the morning to shuffle through Pearson International Airport to fly to the fair metropolis of Winnipeg, home of our Manitoba District Office and of the University of Manitoba. We met with the District Team, namely Superintendent Jim Poirier along with Andrew Porterfield, Mark Toombs and Bruce Ford. We had gathered in order to interview our Mission Canada missionary candidate Tammy Junghans.

Tammy, the wife of the former Church Ministries director, Greg Junghans ( yes, that is them in the picture), has a deep burden to reach out to the campus community at the U of M. Further, she has a proven track record at reaching out to and impacting the emerging generation.

What we are looking to do is to begin a new campus ministry to the U of M that will complement what Ken Stupak is doing in and through the chaplaincy office. As with a number of our other campuses, there is room for more than one model of ministry to operate at the same time. Further, while chaplaincy is primarily connected to the student services part of the university administration, a campus group like the one Tammy is planning to start is connected to the Student Union. They will operate in different spheres and usually touch different people.

What we look for is a strong sense of “buy in” from the District and from the nearby churches. While we can vend in our expertise and support, we cannot replace what they can bring to the table. It is very important to have their involvement and good will.

Anyway, we really appreciated the opportunity to hear Tammy’s heart and for her to hear ours. We see incredible potential and believe that she has a lot to offer the Kingdom if she were released to do ministry on campus. That is what we are concerned to do. She has some very real challenges ahead of her, but she is motivated to address and overcome them. We are excited, in the best sense of that word, to see what God is about to do at the University of Manitoba.

Back to Ottawa

I had the privilege of going to Peace Tower Church in Ottawa, to follow up preliminary discussions with their associate pastor Jonathan Hutchison, about campus ministry in Ottawa. I wrote about my October visit to the Capital City in a previous blog.

Jonathan has been released by his church to commit several days per week on the campus of Carleton University, which has tremendous possibilities. Educated at the University of Manchester, in the U.K., he has a rare combination of smarts, passion and depth for someone who has yet to see his thirtieth birthday. He has a deep burden to “Reach the U”



I spent Sunday evening with his Young Adults group, where I shared a message about what I had learned through the life and death of David ( see earlier blogs), who at 22 was their peer.

On Monday morning we had a mini-summit that involved some key players around the proverbial table where we discussed campus ministry in Ottawa. This meeting connects to my role as a ‘catalyst; bringing together the right ingredients in order to bring about the right result. That includes the right people, churches and resources.


So, in addition to Jonathan and myself, who was there ? For starters, my “boss” George Werner, the director of Mission Canada. George has a deep and personal interest in campus ministry. It dates back to when he was a student at Carleton and found that there was next to no spiritual support for him when he needed it most Jeff Hillier, the church ministries director for the Eastern Ontario District was there. He is the guy who is responsible to oversee campus ministry for the District. Brian Egert, the regional presbyter for Ottawa and a champion of campus ministry steered the meeting. Marvin Sinclair is the Young Adults pastor for Woodvale Pentecostal Church. Others sent their regrets.


I am not built for meetings. However, this one was really rewarding. We each brought something to the table that should help us launch something of significance in Ottawa.


Here without an attempt at prose are some point form things we discussed.


 It was clear that there was a need for an initiative in Ottawa.


Two major universities ( Carleton and University of Ottawa ) and a large College ( Algonquin).


The question is how to bring the District and the area churches on board, while allowing PTC to spearhead the initiative.

• the history of campus ministry in Ottawa.

• Interchurch cooperation in Ottawa

• The nature of each of the institutions.

• History of PAOCcampus ministry in Canada.

I shared my own analogous story in BC. I was in a situation similar to Jonathon.


We reviewed the C5 Model and its applicability to the current situation.

• Agreed that it was important to find the right person and to resource him/her

• Also agreed that at this point, Jonathan is ‘the guy’ . Both he and PTC are strategically situated to spearhead the initiative.

Jonathon and the youth/young adult pastors have built up strong network of trust and relationships.


We could get something up and running by September if we made sure to bring people into the loop. Nothing is a "done deal" but we are off to a great start.


We need to follow up next month by ensuring that we get things up and running in time to start in September. The first month is critical.


What is important to all of us is effectiveness and sustainability. Ottawa is in a good position to do something significant in campus ministry over the next decade.

Campus Ministry Summit in Montreal

So much has happened since the last posting… The good pictures are still coming.

Feb 1-4 was the Mission Canada Campus Ministry Summit in Montreal. Along with the guiding group for campus ministry, we converged with the Mission Canada guiding group for French Canada, led by Gary Connors at Evangel Church Evangel in downtown Montreal. While each group had its own agenda, there was a lot of overlap as we considered the challenge and opportunity of reaching the student population of Montreal for Christ. Missiologists have confirmed not only its secularity but that Montreal has the highest per capita post secondary student population in North America. A walk down the streets would confirm this.


Montreal is unique. The downtown section where we met, near Evangel Church, is integrated with universities like Concordia and colleges like Dawson and LaSalle. It was a short walk to McGill University.  It seemed that every fourth building was an academic building. Visually, the student- aged population dominated the sidewalks and the cafes. It creates an exciting and challenging dynamic which demands creative and visionary approaches to missional ministry.


Our CampusTeam included people who are no stranger to this blogsite.  John Engels, the director of BC Campus Ministries, Seth Greenham, Chaplain to S.F.U. and the director of University Christian Ministries at S.F.U. Chris-Ann Lake, is his counterpart at Vancouver Island University. Kelly Johnson joined us from the University of Calgary, while his Edmonton counterpart, Matt Glombick, had to send his regrets. From Ontario, we were joined by Paul Quesnele of Algoma University and Sault College, Trevor Gingerich of Humber College and Dave Slater from Lift Church at McMaster University. Brandon Malo from The Embassy at the University of Waterloo had to send his regretsland. David Newman, campus chaplain and pastor at Memorial University joined us from St. John's  Newfoundland.  Adding to our ranks was George Werner, the director of Mission Canada, and myself.


I have to tell you that there is nothing quite like meeting with a high octane, visionary group of individuals who are actually doing the stuff on the ground. They were able to share their successes and concerns , along with their vast expertise built up from both academic and real life education. It was enhanced by converging with the French Canadian guiding group which helped immensely to understand the context of where we found ourselves in Quebec.


Not only did we have times of prayer and planning, but we went for a prayer walk which ended at McGill University, which is right in the area. One of Canada’s premier universities, it is woefully underserviced for vital Christian witness. There is so much more that can and should be done. We also met with missiologist and academic Glen Smith, who was extremely helpful in enabling us to better understand the spiritual condition of Quebec in general, and Montreal in particular. This brilliant humble servant (at the end of the table in the picture below )has a solid reputation throughout Quebec.

Evangel Church is well situated to reach out to the downtown student population. They have street front property ( a former restaurant) along St. Catherines St.,. which is strategically situated. They would be able to do a great deal of innovative ministry from that facility. We are looking forward to working with their visionary young pastor, Jonathon Smith, who very much recognizes the role his church can play in reaching Quebec.


The Summit was a win on a number of levels. There was genuine synergy when it came to sharing experience and expertise. There was an increased sense of commitment to each other and to the mission of reaching the students of our nation. There was also an awakening to the challenge and opportunity of reaching Quebec. It is out of our times together that we emerge renewed and refocused to meet the challenge head on.

West Coasting at EMERGE

It was a privilege to join up with the BCCM gang out on the west coast for the Emerge Retreat. Emerge is a gathering of nearly 150 students and ministry leaders to receive an impartation to prepare them to more fully engage their lives and their campuses. Run under the strong leadership of John Engels and the BCCM directors, it was a powerful event. combining fun, fellowship and a powerful sense of the Spirit’s presence throughout the weekend.

As expected, Brady Bobbink, the director of University Christian Fellowship in WWU, Bellingham, Wa ‘brought it’. One of the Body of Christ’s premier teachers he offered something for the mind, the heart and the hands. He informed, equipped and inspired students to be prophetic people in the midst of our culture. He built a theological framework for prophecy that transcended what we would usually think when reflecting on the term. It involves bringing eternity into today. It involves expressing the mind and the heart of Jesus to a broken and lost world.

I had the opportunity on Saturday afternoon to teach on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their relevance and application. It was a solid time that involved student questions and comments, and it provided me an opportunity to bring both biblical teaching and my personal story to the subject.

On Sunday morning, it may not surprise anyone that I told the story of my son David and how his life in many ways embodied the teaching we had been hearing all weekend. I centred it around Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 4:1 to “live lives worthy of our calling “. This included pictures of Dave’s trip to Vancouver this past summer and his unforgettable quotes. I followed it up with an audio clip of Karen’s address at the memorial service, which still awes me. The truth is, as her words, eloquent and profound, filled the room, you could have heard a pin drop.

It was followed by communion which, Seth Greenham reminded us, was the memorial of the death of the Son of God on our behalf. It was a powerful way to end the weekend.

I have to tell you I am impressed with the depth and maturity of the ministry in BC, which functions at all kinds of levels. We may not be called to replicate it elsewhere, but we can certainly learn from it and grab pages from its playbook. I am looking forward to the developing conversation as our ministries all across the country are learning from each other.

Magazine Article.

Here is an article I wrote for the official PAOC magazine, this month. 

REACHING EMERGING LEADERS

Moving Forward

I have never been more deeply impressed with the Body of Christ, than I have following the events of the past month. We are incredibly grateful for the love of God expressed through the actions and prayers of God's people. 

At the end of the week (DV), I will be off to partake in EMERGE, which is the student retreat for BC Campus Ministries. I will have an opportunity to speak on the Holy Spirit and provide a meditation on what I have learned over  the past month. As you can imagine, David's life and words are powerful and there is a message in it for all of us.  

If you check out the EMERGE link, you will quickly see that it is a powerful event.  I would encourage you to check out the ministries of BCCM in order to appreciate how comprehensive and multi-dimensional they are.

This year's primary speaker, Brady Bobbink, is one of the best teachers you will find anywhere. While he is someone who is somewhat allergic to titles, I can tell you that the nature of his life and impact over the past decades has been apostolic. His ministry at Western Washington has been responsible for the equipping and sending of hundreds of campus ministers. He has indirectly had a significant impact on my life and I am looking forward to  spending time with him and the BC gang, for whom you will see from previous blogs I have  great respect...

I  look forward to updating you soon