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.