On a life LIVED

The difference that three weeks can make. Life and Death have a way of clarifying everything, and I mean everything. The things that matter come into focus. Pain can either dull the mind or sharpen it, and in my case it has done both.

 What matters? What is it that we do that matters? What are we living our lives for? How are we investing the precious few moments that we have on this earth into eternity? If eternity is real, and heaven is a reality, it changes everything. Jesus lived his life this way. Paul learned to.  Followers of Christ throughout the ages lived with an eternal purpose and urgency to their lives, in the recognition that they were here with a purpose, and the value of the lives they lived would be measured against their destiny.

My son David somehow grasped this truth. It is clear that in the final stage of his life it had become a living reality for him. He was created for a reason. Life is actually worth living. He was a student in a brutally hard program. He worked a real job. He had career aspirations. Yet, his life could not be contained within the boundaries of temporal pursuits. He wanted to touch lives for Jesus. He wanted to share the life that Jesus had given to him with others. And he did it in loving way that was marked with generosity and fun. He loved adventure.

Consider his final Facebook posting, hours before his death "I want to run, jump and spread life in this world..."  Honestly, for a final testament, how cool is that!?

As tributes began to pour in, it became apparent to my wife and I that while we knew Dave as well as perhaps anyone on the planet, there was much yet to learn about him. While some parents have to deal with the dark specter of their son living a double life, ours was the opposite. This was a kid who was in love with Jesus and it poured out into a love of life and a love of people. Yet it was just “Dave, being Dave”. Nothing programmatic or contrived. He was without artifice or pretension. What you saw was what you got.. Wherever he went he made a difference.

Amongst other things, Dave was integrally involved in a number of paoc young adult ministries in the past year. During the summer he was part of Tehilah Monday at First Assembly in Calgary. In this area he was actively involved in the young adults groups at BGT in Hamilton and Lakemount Worship Centre in Grimsby. But he was also actively involved in LIFT Church at McMaster University as well as The Embassy at the University of Waterloo ( both of which are written up on this blogsite ), where he was a student in the Faculty of Civil Engineering. We also received a card from the  University of Calgary CRC Campus Ministry soccer team, for which Dave played defence this summer in league play.


The leaders of these communities made it clear that Dave was no mere spectator. His passion for worship and prayer was inspirational. He had a huge servant heart and was constantly involved in setting up and taking down chairs and equipment. And he just loved people. He was constantly looking out for those on the margins and including them in whatever was going on. We heard this from every possible quarter.

While, due to my position, I knew a considerable amount about these ministries and something about Dave’s involvement, I really had no idea of the nature of his impact. He didn’t do it because of his dad. He did it because, as I explained to the reporter who did his story for the local paper, he loved God, he loved life and he loved people. It pretty well boils down to that. He was determined to fully live the life he had been given.


We grieve that he was taken from us so quickly. Actually, 'grief' doesn't even begin to cover it. To know him was to love him. However, we do not grieve as those without hope. Dave is very much alive and in a different and more dynamic place. Not floating on clouds somewhere but involved in God’s ultimate redemptive purposes for His creation. Count on it...

Read the Newspaper Article

DAVID POWELL

October , 1987  -  December 11, 2009

"I want to run, jump and spread life in this world..."

The world has lost a magnificent soul

 Read about him

Obituary

On Facebook, see the group  "Celebrating David Powell"

University of Manitoba Dr. Ken Stupak

For over twenty years, Ken Stupak has been the PAOC chaplain to the University of Manitoba. He has been a pillar of institutional stability. Not only has he been the chaplain to generations of students, but he has seen faculty, administration and staff come and go. He is also a font of wisdom regarding the changing face of student ministry along with student needs.

The U of M is an historic institution. Beginning in 1877 and numbering over 25,000 full-time students, it is one of Canada’s older and larger post secondary institutions. It has a well deserved reputation for quality.


The Fort Garry Campus (main campus) is showing signs of age and lack of funding. Appearing to lack the corporate funding of the University of Calgary, the U of M student centre, which is home to UMSU (University of Manitoba Student Union ) and the Student Services, along with being locked into a 70’s mall kitsch is showing signs of wear and tear. While that may seem like a moot point, it has something to do with the overall mood of the student body.

The tuition has been kept low for Canadian students in the hope of maintaining enrollment. Most students live off campus,within easy range of bus or car. The campus is surrounded on several sides by relatively affordable accommodation. There are less than 1500 students living in university residences.


Ken says that one development he notices is that many students are having to take on an ever increasing job load in order to pay for their university. It affects the spare time that they have to contribute to extra-curricular activities. They have to make their stay on campus short and efficient, which does not promote a sense of campus community.


Another development of note relates to, well, “arguing”. He noted that previously his students would vigorously debate each other over all kinds of issues. He hears much less of it. In querying his students about it, they responded along the lines of “What’s the point?” , “ Why bother..?”, “It doesn’t really matter” or the catchall..” Whatever..!?. He laments the loss of a passionate exchange of ideas in a civil manner.


Ken is not alone in this observation. When it is believed that one cannot arrive at truth, or if one can it doesn’t really make a difference, it leads to the death of rational discourse. As G.K. Chesterton would argue, it often hides itself behind the respectable veil of ‘tolerance’, which is often little more than timidity and laziness. Allan Bloom in his book “The Closing of the American Mind”, would call it the “openness of indifference”, which, ironically, leads to the closing of the mind.


One more point of interest, for me, was his description of discussions he had with his core group. Some of his key students begged him not to “program” them. This is because they had been programmed from birth, having to run between school, extra-curricular lessons and activities. They just wanted to hang out. I think this is where Ken’s laid back chaplaincy style works well. He provides students, along with faculty and staff the opportunity to approach him on their own schedule. He accommodates himself to their needs.


He does some intentional programming. One of these is activities is “Chewy Tuesdays” where students can come, make and eat lunch in his office. Another activity is where he facilitates U of M students, of whatever ilk, to prepare peanut butter ( yes, peanuts!!) and jam sandwiches for homeless shelters. They literally make thousands of them. Not only does it serve a good cause, but it gives Ken a chance to interact with a broader cross section of the campus community.


Finally, Ken is the senior statesman of a chaplaincy group that includes Ukranian Catholic, Lutheran and Mennonite. The United Church, which has historically had a strong presence on Canadian campuses withdrew its chaplain a number of years ago. The chaplains seem to get along well and have much better space than many of their colleagues on other Canadian campuses. They are located in the Student Centre. While they are not front and centre, they are easily accessed.

My next post will look at a District intiative to complement the foundational work that Ken has done on this campus.

Mount Royal University / Calgary/ Glen Ryland

The next stop after U of C was Mount Royal University (formerly  College ).

Our intrepid university chaplain, Kelly Johnson, had begun a part time ministry to Mount Royal College. Having started it, he has passed it onto Glen Ryland, whom I will let speak for himself….  I am quoting him from a previous email....

I have been a chaplain at Mount Royal College for the past year. the work is part-time at this point, but I fill my time with other work at the college, so I am always around. It is a privilege to be building on what Kelly started here at MRC 9-10 years ago. There is a good group of students who meet weekly, the Multifaith Office is developing, and the campus offers many opportunities for ministry. We are looking forward to the fall to continue what we were doing last year and building further. In addition to building a community of Christian students on campus, I am particularly interested in finding ways for students to engage in positive dialogue about faith and religion in the classroom, in special events, and informally on campus.

 We moved to Calgary in 2007 after some time of study in Germany and the need to be closer to family. Our background is mixed, both in terms of church affiliation and education. I served for a number of years in a Pentecostal church in North Vancouver, then spent a few years in the academic setting (Simon Fraser U, U of Notre Dame, and now at MRC). I had not thought of chaplaincy work when Kelly approached me to consider taking on this role at MRC. But I have had a sense of calling form the Lord to be engaged on our campuses, and I had already been working part-time at MRC as an Academic Strategist.

Mount Royal College is transitioning into a university,which it anticipates becoming in 2010. It began in 1910 as a Methodist college, became part of the United Church, and then in the 1960s became a public institution. There are about 14,000 full-time students, 36,000 Continuing Ed. students. With new degrees being added each year, the student body is expected to grow considerably over the next few years, and the campus is gearing for growth. It is a good time to be here on campus and part of the changes that are taking place.

There.. I couldn't have said it better myself.  Mount Royal is actually an impressive institution. It is actually a small medium sized university, already. It is poised for further growth. 

Glen provides a great model of someone who is working in the college with two hats. He is an academic strategist/sessional lecturer as well as chaplain. It was a privilege to see him relate to the students during his noon hour session and challenge them to be in tune with what God is actually doing in their lives. He was a good role model in sharing freely from his own life regarding how Jesus is helping him with personal challenges.

As well as having the opportunity to speak to the gathered students, it was also a privilege for me to speak with a director of Student Affairs to whom Glen reports. She embraces chaplaincy as part of the Diversity that is so important to the university administration. She  also has real intentions to get the offices out of the basement corner they presently reside. There is actually much more I could say, but that will have to be enough for now...

Robb

At Mission Canada we have embraced what we refer to as the C5 Approach. That includes: Chaplaincy, student Club, Campus Church, Church based ministry and Commercial (e.g. a café ). As we have discussed elsewhere in this blog, we have shining examples of each that have been helpful in our developing a code of Best Practices. We do not espouse a one size fits all approach, but rather look to see which mode of ministry best fits the needs of the institution and which best fits the calling and gifting of the leaders and students.

At the University of Calgary, our man on the ground, Kelly Johnson,  has been instrumental in setting up the inter-faith chaplaincy which is a part of the Wellness Centre, which employs a systemic, comprehensive approach to the development of students as people.

As a chaplain, Kelly has several key planks in his ministry approach. The first would be what we would consider the passive or reactive side of ministry. It means he responds to people’s needs as they come to him. He does not need to go looking for them, they seek him out. He is available to talk with students and administration on a regular basis. Many of these people are barely in the preliminary stages of their faith journey. This would be analogous to a doctor who waits for people to come to him with their needs.

The second would be what we would describe as the proactive side of campus ministry. This means that he sets things in motion in anticipation of the future. He works towards the development of programs and structures that will build people well beyond their awareness of perceived needs. This would be analogous to a health professional who coaches people in how to develop a healthy lifestyle which will cut down on the need for trips to the doctors office.

Proactively, Kelly has developed a noon hour event called Worship at the U, which is a time of singing, prayer, discussion, reflection and challenge. It offers students an opportunity to refocus and recalibrate in the midst of the rush of their school work and obligations. I appreciated the opportunity to offer some reflectioins in that context.  He also runs what he entitles as a Prayer Lab, where people can come and learn about prayer. A big piece of what he does is bring students and administration along with him on a humanitarian mission to Mexico, where they build a house for a needy family. Kelly has led numerous groups like this and it has led to genuine long lasting fruit as people have come to know and follow Jesus and others have developed a much greater appreciation for Him and His people.

We do not have a club presence on campus at present. However, Kelly works in collaboration with several evangelical groups on campus.

Kelly was kind enough to introduce me to his chaplaincy colleague from the Christian Reformed Church, Paul Verhoef. Kelly made overtures to the CRC to get someone on campus, because they have long played a role in campus ministry and U of C was empoverished by their absence. The CRC’s reformed vision is one that I resonate with in the sense that faith and learning belong together and that there is no sphere of human endeavour that God does not deserve to exercise lordship over. Paul ,and his intern Sam, and I had a brief visit in which we realized that we knew many of the same people and shared a common conviction of the place of faith in the academy.

Finally, Kelly was instrumental in establishing a chaplaincy presence at Mount Royal University. That will be the subject of my next blog

Calgary Bound part 1

Note, I have some nifty pictures I took with my trusty digital camera. However, I did not bring along my firewire so I could incorporate them into this blog. I will put the words up for all to see before I include the visual aids. So, by all means, read on but revisit the site in a few days…

I trundled off to Calgary to connect with our chaplain at the University of Calgary, Kelly Johnson, as well as our new chaplain at Mount Royal University (nee College), Glen Ryland. Between them they offer a vibrant model of campus chaplaincy that provides a cornerstone of our multi-faceted approach to campus ministry. Again the reason I blog is because I want to provide a window into what Mission Canada Campus Ministries are up to across the national landscape. As a result, I want to comment on both the campuses themselves as well as how ministries have been developed in response to their needs along with God’s leading.

The University of Calgary. 

Having taken my first year of undergrad at the U of C, I was interested in revisiting it in my present role. To say it has been transformed in the century since I wandered its august halls is an understatement. It is amazing what a few decades, along with bundles of Olympic and corporate cash can bring about. Even the familiar fixtures like MacEwan Student Centre have metamorphosisized. While it admittedly is modeled after a food court in a mall, it still provides a natural convergence point for students. Mac Hall as it is called is one happening place. There are thousands of students who converge there at some point during the day for various reasons.

Kelly’s office is found one floor above overlooking all of the action.  The Multi-faith chaplaincy centre is connected to the Wellness Centre, which in turn provides an interdisciplinary approach to personal wholeness ( medical, psychological and spiritual ). The fact that the chaplaincy is an integral part of this program is due in large part to the personal efforts and credibility of Kelly over the past fourteen years.

Universities have changed over the years. Many of the older universities were founded and funded by churches. Eventually, that gave away to government funding. Since the one who pays the piper calls the tune, the church lost its influence in academia. In the past few decades government funding has proven to be increasingly inadequate so the universities have sought corporate funding. This comes at a certain price. Corporations , however altruistic they may be, are looking for a certain outcome or product that ultimately furthers their bottom line. The concern of many of us who thought about this phenomenon was that it would lead to a prevailing pragmatism that would seek to produce ‘functionaries’ that would become cogs in a corporate wheel rather than well rounded citizens with a view of the bigger picture.

The University of Calgary, from its inception as a branch of the University of Alberta and as a separate university (1966) took a certain pride in its secular origins. This, combined with its blatant partnership with big business would have led me to believe that it would have been an unlikely candidate for becoming an institution with a progressive vision for personal integration and wholeness that would embrace spirituality, let alone religion, as part of its framework. Again, I lay the much of the responsibility for this anomaly at the feet of our own Kelly Johnson.

As part of my visit, Kelly and I met with ‘his boss’, who directed the Wellness Centre. It was refreshing to hear a senior level administrator discussing chaplaincy ministry. Actually, I could hardly believe my ears. She was suggesting that the interdisciplinary approach towards wellness should actually be viewed through the lense of chaplaincy, rather than having chaplaincy being an afterthought. She marveled at health professionals who refused to allow for the contribution of chaplains in patient care. Further, her respect for Kelly was readily apparent.

Kelly has bought and paid for a vast amount of institutional goodwill. This is the result of hundreds of thoughtful acts over the years, both large and small . He has done this with a genuine desire to bless the institution rather than merely seeing it as a platform for ministry. His contributions have made it a better and more human place. However ,this is not to be taken for granted. There are periodic admin turnovers so new administrators come in that do not know or appreciate the value of the chaplaincy contribution.

I am banging this drum because it shows what can happen through prayer and persistence. While this is not the only example of this type of institutional ministry in Mission Canada Campus Ministries, it is a brilliant one. It would take much more room to describe the breadth and depth of Kelly's influence. However, I want to ensure that it is noticed and a part of our larger campus ministry conversation as Mission Canada forges out its future.

Stay tune for part 2 where I discuss ministry  at the U of C further.

On playing our part....

One thing I would like to make clear. When it comes to campus ministry, we are not IT. However, we are part of IT. Further, we are in a process in which we are discovering what part of IT we actually are, and might possibly become.

What is clear from the stats is that the job is not being done. Not by any of us. Nor, for that matter, by all of us. If I were to extrapolate from my number counts on a number of Canada's major universities, I would be more than safe in saying that well over 97% of the student population is unengaged in any form of meaningful Christian community on campus. That means that that out of the 1.5 million university and college students in Canada in any given year ( StatsCan), 1,455,000 are yet to be reached. I am not playing around with numbers, here. It reflects "the state of the nation".

Further, if we were to look at the numbers regarding the loss of the college age generation to the church, it would indicate that it is not a case of these students being involved in a faith community off campus. The reader may want to obtain the book, by Mission Canada's own David Sawler entitled "Goodbye Generation", in which he both laments the hemorrhaging of our young people out of our churches and provides hopeful ( and helpful )advice for those who care.

So, when I celebrate what Mission Canada's campus ministries are doing across the country, I don't believe it is in a triumphalistic spirit. However, I am doing it in the awareness that there are works of brilliance across the country  hat need to be cultivated and celebrated. We need to have a good look at what our strengths and weaknesses are so that we understand what it is we bring to the table of campus ministry. For example, our friends in the  Christian Reformed Church have a good handle on their strengths, without an  overwheening sense of exclusivity. This awareness has come through ongoing discussion and prayer, both within and without their ranks,  and it has led to their  being able to contribute to the larger campus ministry community in a manner out of proportion to their actual numbers.

Let me say this. It is past time  for the PAOC, as the largest evangelical  denomination in Canada, to awaken to the challenge and the promise of the university. Our campus ministries reflect both the strengths and weaknesses of our great Fellowship. They have, with few exceptions, arisen from the ground up. They have not been centrally administrated, but rather have been spawned as spiritual entrepreneurs have forged out new ground with courageous, creative  faith. I love that! However, there is a sense of disconnectedness  we need to overcome so  that a genuine synergy can emerge. It is that task  I find urgent and compelling.

This connects to our vision. I can see a group of ministries across the country able to provide support for each other and to share their collective strengths. I can see the development of high quality leadership and of innovative, flexible ministry models that are able to respond to the complexities of Canadian campuses. I  see this, and more....

blog, ministry, robb powell, blog ministry Robb Powell

The Rock and that darned flu...

Early  in my term ( I have been at this since August ) I booked  my passage to St. John's to visit David Neuman and see what he was up to at Memorial University Newfoundland. Chi Alpha at MUN is a unique campus ministry which may be the longest standing one in our extended fellowship. While the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland is a stand alone organization ( for reasons best known to them), they have a solid working relationship with those of us in the rest of the Dominion of Canada, at the PAOC.  Anyway, I digress. There is a lot going on out there.

David is the Pentecostal chaplain on campus. He is also the campus pastor of Mosaic, along with the director of the student ministry , Chi Alpha. Newfoundland once had a distinct pentecostal school board  which has  given the PAON longstanding credibility and a seat at the proverbial institutional table. David enjoys privileges as a chaplain which many of his coworkers at other universities do not.  Being that as it may, the important thing is what he does with them. It appears from this distance that God has placed the right guy for the job.

I was supposed to be on The Rock this past weekend, but as it turns out that infernal H1N1  flu has laid David's  family low, along with a whole bunch of his students. Given that, I cancelled the WestJet plane ticket and will  make plans to visit at a later date.

Check them out on their Facebook. It's all going on at MUN and I am looking forward to finally getting out there.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2249411921

The ONE @ The Soo - The Truth Project

O well. I was all geared up to visit "The One" campus ministry in Sault Ste Marie. We had a plan. I was going to drive up on Sunday in time to take in the student leaders meeting and  then the evening service. Unfortunately campus pastor Paul Quesnele informed me that he was diagnosed with the H1N1  virus and that it would make more sense if I were to delay my trip. So, it looks like I may be doing the seven hour drive in the beginning of December (DV).


For those who might be interested, here is some preliminary information. Check out their website at http://www.onecm.ca/ .  Further, you can connect with the site of The Summit Community Church , founded and led by Jeremy Murdoch ( http://www.thesummitcommunity.com/) , which is an intergenerational church that actually grew out of the campus ministry ( there's a recurrent theme here I will pick up at another time ). For the sake of clarity, they had to distinguish the ministries and  rename the campus expression, which had previously used The Summit title. They just relaunched the campus ministry under their new banner this September.

Those of you who follow campus ministry might be interested in their curriculum for the year. They are using The Truth Project , which is a multi-media presentation of the Focus On The Family's groundbreaking worldview conferences. The Focus On The Family label may be a bit misleading. They put on outstanding events for young adults, that would cost serious money in tuition, travel and lodging to take in. They have distilled the event in a user friendly, DVD format that is excellent for learning, discussion and growth.  If I have got it right, I think they are using it every other week. I will give better feedback in a few weeks.


check it out at http://www.thetruthproject.org/  or else http://www.thetruthproject.ca/ ( Canadian ).

Trevor Gingerich, our Mission Canada missionary to Humber College, mentioned that his  student leadershop was divided on The Truth Project  for small groups. Some of them felt it was too intense. Others were really pumped about it. So, there  is fair  warning. It is not for everybody, but it is worth knowing about. It addresses foundational issues that students desperately need to engage. It may provide a great option if you have a multiple choice small group ministry. 

Chris-Ann Lake, Chaplain and UCM director at VIU ( Vancouver Island University) has run  The Truth Project twice already, and is well into her third time through.  (http://www.viu.ucmonline.ca/) She writes:
The one thing that FOTF pushes is to run it in a home setting, yet in the videos Del teaches in a classroom setting... so really I don't think it matters how it's done. I have tried it in both (a classroom setting and home setting) and both have worked fine because for the most part students are used to open discussion in a classroom setting.

Also I have watched the videos numerous times on now and have found that creating a list of thoughtful discussion questions to lead with for the discussion time at the end has really helped.
The only time that a home setting would benefit if people are not really comfortable in having prayer times in the classroom, though I love praying in the classroom so that works for me :)

Elsewhere she wrote: I have been in a recent discussion with my board about introducing the Campus Alpha program in the fall term and then offering the Truth Project in the Spring term (for the Christians).


.

The Green Bean Cafe @ The U of Windsor

I drove down south to meet with Ben and Michelle Davidson at the University of Windsor.

After exploring the campus, I dropped in to visit with them at their new enterprise, The Green Bean Cafe. check them out at www.greenbeancoffee.info . It  made  for an inspiring day.

 Ben and Michelle had it in their hearts to reach out onto the U of W campus. Ben, who is the young adults/missions pastor at Parkwood Gospel Tabernacle, in Windsor,  had previously explored chaplaincy ministry. The UW chaplaincy, rooted in the oldline traditions inherent in the U of W's past ( it was previously a religious school, Assumption University, run by the Basilean Fathers ), did not seem like the right fit, at that particular time. He also investigated involvement with various campus groups. There are a large number of small, fragmented groups on campus and he did not feel prompted to either start another one or get involved in a presently existing one.  However, both he and Michelle did feel prompted to explore the idea of a café near the campus.

His search brought him to University Community Church, which was an aging Presbyterian congregation that refused to let either decreasing numbers or  increasing age dictate their vision. Ben and the new Presbyterian pastor, Mary Templer,hit it off immediately. They developed what could be described as a symbiotic, or mutually beneficial relationship. Parkwood released a number of families and young adults to attend the church to help create a critical mass so that it could get back on its feet. Several families have remained. UCC, for its part has been very supportive of all that God has placed on Ben and Michelle's  heart to do.


UCC secured a grant for renovation which was more than matched by volunteer labour. Many people worked long and hard renovating the lower floor of the church into a warm, inviting space where students, faculty and whomever can drop by and hang out. It is not just that the space is warm, the place has a soul. Namely, it has a caring couple who make it their business to make people feel at home and connect with them. They have been enthusiastically embraced by the surrounding community. They have been told repeatedly by various people that “ We are so glad that you are here”.


Ben tells a poignant recent story of a student who had gone home and had a horrific weekend. She said that at the time, she just wanted to be back at school, drinking coffee wit her room mate at the Green Bean.


They are next door to the School of Business, and they will soon be across the street from the new School of Engineering. The U will be growing up around them. In fact, a class of business students has made GB their class project. Not only will they prepare a marketing report for the GB, but they will execute it as well.

Before I visited them, I spent a few hours exploring the campus. Before I visited the GB cafe, I wanted to get a sense of the bigger picture. While U of W is not as sterile as some of the campuses I have visited, it became quickly apparent to me that there was nothing that filled the niche that the GB did. Let me show you a picture of "the competition".

 
 

Sandwiches ( including Panini ) and various designer coffees and teas. Tempting desserts. High counter with stone highlights, complete with a stonelike ceramic floor. They have hired staff, including someone they have trained as an assistant manager.








Let me borrow words from their website where they share their vision...

Michelle and Ben Davidson


Michelle is 24 years old and recently graduated with her BScN from University of Windsor. She has six years experience (five pretty lame, one really awesome) in the coffee shop business. When she’s not taking care of the sick (she’s a nurse), cooking or making things awesome her main responsibilities at Green Been will be: restaurant management, scheduling, training, and barista extraordinaire.

 Ben is 28 years old and graduated with his BTh from Masters College and Seminary a few years ago. For the past three years, he has worked as a Pastor in Windsor. As a student, he worked two years in the restaurant business. When he is not Pastoring, running, or cycling his main responsibilities at Green Bean are: marketing, online presence, business planning, financial operations and being a willing-to-learn barista.

 Why start a coffee shop?


Good question. We think the best answer for that question is that we want to make a living doing something that we think will make the community surrounding the University of Windsor a better place. We hope that’s not too lofty of a goal for a couple of kids who love fair trade, organic and local produce to pursue because that’s the kind of café we want to build.


We love the idea of students having a comfortable, affordable place to study, surf the web, hang with friends and occasionally listen to some great live music. We think local artists could use some more places to showcase their art. Simply put, we want Green Bean to be the kind of place that we wish we had when we were in school and the kind of place that anyone can come, grab something to drink and relax.


What I love about this is that they just went out and made it happen. It is not only a great story, but it is an exciting ministry. One that people should know about....

The Kingdom Approach: Humility, Service and Curiosity

Humility : What separates the newer breed of Kingdom people on the campus from the old  is humility.( I need to be careful, here. I am more interested in categorizing an approach to being Kingdom people than I am categorizing people. We all have elements of the old and the new within us.) Rather than the triumphalism which comes from the stance that we are right and others are wrong, we are grateful and amazed that God would seek us out and reveal Himself to us. We recognize that it is not according to our merit and we hold  truth with an open hand rather than with a clenched fist.



Service: In speaking about Himself and the nature of His ministry on earth, Jesus declared: The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. How about that for a ministry manifesto. We are weary of all of the military posturing that Christians have done when they have sought to advance the Kingdom. When students, faculty and administration begin to clue in that we are genuinely out to serve the U, and not simply use it as a means of fulfilling our agenda, hearts soften and doors open. Not every time, but enough times that it underscores the biblical principle.


Curiosity is an antidote to another of the old paradigm attitudes. The old paradigm simply wanted to know what people believed so that they could be proven wrong. In fact, it really didn’t matter what they believed or why they believed it. They were rarely asked. Christians were often given a package to deliver and were not taught to listen. I remember as a zealous new Christian being gently chastised by an unbelieving dorm mate whom I tried to bury under my ‘brilliant’ rhetoric. He said to me “ Robb, maybe this is the Holy Spirit’s way of telling you that you need to listen."


Try the Socratic method. Learn to ask questions of the people you meet. Lots of questions.  Actually, Jesus did it best.. usually answering a question with a question. Ask  because you care. I cannot number the times now that I have talked with someone who was contentious only to find out that they had gone through a real disappointment that they had projected onto God. What was presenting itself as a head issue was in fact an issue of the heart. It was as much a pastoral thing as it was evangelistic.

Rather than arrogance, triumphalism and truth downloading - what Christians are often criticized for... try the biblical alternative.

Ottawa At Carleton 3 Thots on Prayer

Thoughts that struck me when I was at Carleton… Thoughts on Prayer


Before the Allies hit the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, there was a lot of preparatory work to be done. There was the reinforcement of the underground resistance who undermined the Axis defensive capability. The other thing is that the Allies secured the skies above the invasion fleet. That meant that the flotillas could invade without having to fear being bombed or strafed from the air.

So it is with prayer. It secures the skies. It is important to enter, pray, listen and then act. Prayer and action belong together. However, I do not mean the perfunctory “God bless what I am planning to do” kind of prayers. I mean the kind of prayers that come from people who know they are dependent on His power and Wisdom. That is the genius of Pentecostal spirituality. People gathered, waited and received. Then they acted. There is no way that we are either smart enough or flashy enough to do the job on our own. The nature of the task - considering what it is God wants us to do - renders that impossible. The sooner we learn that, the sooner we can begin to advance the Kingdom on the University.

 • Spend time do a prayer walk. Gather with core group to worship and pray in the U Centre. Focus on building unity. Remember Acts 2 where the disciples lingered to receive both direction and power to fulfill the great commission. Do not run ahead or behind what God is doing.

Ottawa at Carleton 2

I spent some time just hanging out…. Here are some suggestions for anyone else who would go onto a campus for the first time. Find the student centre… I mean the real student centre – where do the students cluster when they are not in class or the library.



1. Sit and wait.. listen watch what does God show you.


• Who are these people? I mean open your eyes. Does He highlight anyone to pray for?


• What are the issues? I don’t just mean external, but what are the students dealing with.. loneliness, depression, stress, fear… what is really going on,,

 2. Pray for creativity. How would Jesus meet the needs. What would He do. What would He have us do…?

3. Inventory.   What else is going on for the Kingdom?


Some initial ideas… seeds


• Think.. doing a survey.


• Noon hour series…. Does God make sense? Stuff that meets the real inner needs of the students .


• Common ground issues – humanitarian issues of common concern.





• Approach with Humility Service Curiosity.

Capital City Carleton U 1

I did a recon trip to Ottawa with two humble goals. The first was to make contact with two key paoc churches in Ottawa that are in a position to impact our nation’s capital’s two major universities, namely: Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. The second was to spend some time on the campuses in order to familiarize myself with them and to hear what God might say to me about them.


At present, we do not have works on either of these campuses, although Doug Stringer – represented the paoc at the U of O for the previous several years. I was hoping to touch base with him, but he indicated by email that he had moved on and that he wished me well. I am still hoping to debrief his experience with him.

Beginning with the campuses, here are some observations: Again, notes in a pad. It ain’t prosaic, but it captures my perceptions. It’s a bit of a download, somewhat scattered but still helpful.



Carleton.

• Spacious modern, nicely spread out. It is a similar size/age/feel as the University of Calgary.

• The University Centre… a nerve centre. Small Tim Horton outlets. The large atrium features Starbucks.

• Efficient typical maze of hallways leading into and out of the University Centre.

• Somewhat forced sense of community - not natural hangout or a place to relax

• Designed to gather and move crowds. The individual could easily become lost

• Concrete / glass / steel a soft brutalist design.

The reader might notice that I usually comment on the architecture. The fact is, it has a significant role in the overall student experience and their perceived needs - along with ministry programming. More on that another time.

• Bulletin boards reveal the soft curricula or the para-curricula. What is telling is that nowhere was there anything that reflects any notion that God has anything to do with reality. Not only related to academia, but student life. If one were to remove two random posters on Kabbala and Yoga, nothing else could be considered even covertly spiritual.

U of A 3 Epic Gathering.

Epic meets in Dewey’s Café, which is a nice setup in the old powerplant building. It has sandblasted brick walls, twenty foot high, natural wood ceilings, six foot windows twelve feet off the ground, earth tone ceramic tiles, complete with black tables and chairs. The old place had been redone back when I went to the Uof A, and it provides a comfortable, accessible place to meet.

It was one of those days, where the guest speaker and a number of students were sick, but it all worked out just fine. Aaron Au, a UofA alumnus who is involved with Epic, did double duty by both being interviewed by Matt ( in place of the aforementioned guest speaker ) and then later sharing what God has been doing in his life in the recent past. Aaron was a former 1st violinist for the ESO as well as a visiting assistant professor at the U of A.  Along with his MDiv studies at Taylor Seminary, he keeps himself involved in music by producing quality events. see http://www.music.ualberta.ca/aau.cfm .

With the sickness/ absence of their worship leader, they plugged in the trusty ipod for ambience. They began and ended the service with the EPIC creed, and had a opportunity for the breaking of bread together at the tables, where people could talk and share prayer concerns with each other. Although it had structure and intentionality, the service seemed relaxed and casual. One student summed up what a number of them had told me.. “ This is a place where you feel that you can invite pretty well anybody… "   To quote a commercial of a local beer company, here in Ontario.. “ Those who like it.. Like it a lot!”

The sermonette, as it was called touched on the desperate times surrounding the well known scripture in Jeremiah 29 where God assures his people that he has good plans for them ( see v.11). However, it was going to get worse before it got better. Matt opened it up for questions and comments, and there was some good give and take around the issues he raised from the scriptures. There were a number of levels to the message, but I walked away with trusting the goodness of God when things are anything but good.

Take a look at the Epic website. http://www.epicstudentchurch.com/ There are some cool ideas imbedded on the site. For example, the Epic Conversationals. I don't  have the time and space to unpack them, here, so dial up the site and have a look.

U of A 2 Visiting Matty G

Anyway, I was onsite to visit with chaplain, church planter and campus group leader Matt Glombick .

I found him in his office on the sixth floor of the Student Union Building.



He has a nice setup with a killer view looking west as far as the eye can see.


He  has charisma to burn. One of our new breed of leaders, he is bright, thoughtful, engaging and creative. It is for good reason that he serves on the Mission Canada Campus Ministry guiding group. He is using his opportunities as a chaplain, pastor and ministry leader to full effect, as he charts out relatively uncharted pathways in engaging the university community.

 

As number of our campus ministers, Matt wears several different hats. As a chaplain, he has formal and administrational recognition. He is the pastor of Epic Church which meets on campus as a church and which is also a recognized student group on campus. To see more of what they are up to, check them out at
http://www.epicstudentchurch.com/

Matt has worked hard at building bridges within and amongst the U of A community. He is a key leader in mobilizing Christians to give leadership to initiatives of Making Poverty History. They have a close relationship with the MPH campus student group.

The Epic student group was actively and visibly involved in a high profile campus MPH event. Matt identified a point where the social concerns of Christians meshed in a strategic way with the concerns of many of the larger campus community. I believe he learned to trust his own heart and the direction God was leading him. Matt provides a good example of finding ‘common ground’ initiatives to further the Kingdom.


Check out  http://www.churchesmakingpovertyhistory.com/


We had a brief visit before his student team gathered to brainstorm and plan the upcoming services over pizza. As the team assembled, Matt began the session by asking them “what has inspired you this week”. Not only is it a good crowdbreaker, but it connects  his team as people - not merely co-functionaries. It also enabled them to share some of the things God has been doing and showing them. It’s good process. Vanessa, Calvin, Trent and Chad are a good team.


I appreciated the way Matt led the process. He had an outline, a skeleton of ingredients that he wanted in ‘the story’ as he planned the service. The students were familiar with the drill and felt free to make suggestions and flesh out the bones. Since the idea of Story is so strong at EPIC, it only makes sense that there are testimonies and interviews. In previous weeks, Matt interviewed the executive of the U of A Ski Club, the largest student group on campus. Last week he interviewed an old friend of his who had left the faith and become an atheist. They had plans to interview people from the M.S.A., the Muslim Student Association, on campus. This irenic stance reflects Matt’s confidence that all truth is God’s truth and all true truth points to the living God. It just needs to be set within the right Story.


Once the pizza was done, it was time for the team to set up for the Tuesday evening service…..

Vanguard and U of A Part 1

I still have to comment on a really productive trip to the nations capital where I was meeting with key leaders and getting introduced to Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. That will have to wait a bit. I am afraid that it will really mess things up chronologically, but I will have start with a report on my visit to Edmonton for a couple of days, at the beginning of this week,  in and around Vanguard College and on the U of A campus.

While our time at Vanguard College was not long, it was rewarding. Under the leadership of Stephen Hertzog and his faculty and staff, we were struck with how well this school is run. I had the opportunity to teach a couple of classes, where I used the opportunity to talk about the why and how of campus ministry.

It was off to my alma mater, the University of Alberta ( U of Eh?)
It was disorienting for me to return to my old stomping grounds. It was like being in a dream sequence where things were both familiar yet unfamiliar. I forgot just how well it was laid out….. combinations of old and new jumbled together in a po-mo montage, with many of the early buildings having been lovingly maintained and restored.

There has been a lot of thought and effort into the creation of “human” rather than merely institutional space. This was in stark contrast to the campus I was on this morning ( U of T Mississauga ) where its impressive, prize winning “centre-piece” lecture hall building gave off a profoundly functional, people unfriendly vibe ( more on that in another piece ).

While Edmonton is not particularly envied for its climate, it has, for as long as I have known it, had lots of interesting culture. The campus is no different. More to come...

Compartmentalizing...?

When I was a new Christian, having encountered the Holy Spirit during the summer between my third and fourth year at the University of Alberta, I made a number of discoveries. One is that the denomination of which I would become a part of appeared to have no ( I mean no ) interest in the university at that point. 

 Another is that it seemed that I would have to choose between intellectual christianity and Holy Spirit christianity. They did not seem to be connected.

Fortunately I  do not believe either of those things any more. Nor have I for  quite some time. First, the paoc is taking very seriously its mission to the universities and campuses of our nation. That generation of leaders (who were perhaps anti-academic) has given way to another generation of leaders who are very aware of the role of the  university in our culture and who have it on their missional radar scope.

Next, the very premise my involvement in campus ministry from the beginning is that we would engage the mind full-on and walk in the supernatural. Apologetics and prayer ministry can work together.

There is no need to compartmentalize. God showed me long ago, in a series of events that I may share later, that He is a lot bigger than our boxes. He is, literally, bigger than we think.

Some Resources..

Here is the Resource page from the website of  Chi Alpha ministries, the campus arm of the Assemblies of God,

http://chialpha.com/resources  

They have been at this longer than we have, and have some helpful things to share with us this side of the border.

While we may be forging our own path, we have a ton to learn from them.  If you are involved in campus ministry, you will find this page and the pages attached to it to be beneficial.