On being a tour guide....

Mel is a friend who runs a tours of Niagara Falls (www.chariots-of-fire.com) . I had the privilege of riding shotgun one fine day with one of his limo drivers who really knew his stuff. While he helped me both understand and actually “see” what I was seeing, it was obvious that he was not the show. The Falls were the show. I finally got to ride on the Maid of the Mist and experience the Falls in a way I will remember always. He simply facilitated the experience.

I sort of see myself in a similar light – helping people to see and understand campus ministry and make contact with those are really doing the stuff, not to mention the living God who makes it all possible.
What I have been commissioned to do for Mission Canada, which is the national outreach arm of the PAOC, is to coordinate campus ministry on a national level. As I start to look around the country, it is exciting to see how the vision for campus ministry has emerged from the ground up. This has not been something that was formulated in an office somewhere. What I am setting about to do is capture lightning in a bottle.

While there is an involved job description that goes with what I do, I will summarize it in four basic points.

• Vision: I help distill the vision and make it known.
• Network: I try to connect the dots.. networking campus ministries and connecting them to the broader Body of Christ.
• Equip: While I do not pretend to be the expert, I know the people who are. We want to put the right tools in the right hands.
• Support: Campus ministry can be an isolating experience. I want to ensure that campus ministries receive the material, emotional and spiritual support they need.

So, how do I do that? Well, it’s good that you asked.

In my own case, it occurred to me that a whole lot of what I want to do can be accomplished online. That is the good news.
I know you can guess what the bad news is: I have no discernible tech skills.

So, we will see what happens.

I am really proud of the range and quality of ministries the PAOC has on the campuses of our nation. I am passionate about making them known and to be a catalyst in seeing their impact grow in both breadth and depth. I think if you take the opportunity to investigate, you will understand why I feel this way.