Back to Ottawa ( again... )

Well, it was back to the Capital City to join Jonathan Hutchison as he made a presentation to the senior pastors and senior associate pastors of the PAOC churches in the Ottawa section. Chaired by Brian Egert from Orleans, it was a productive and stimulating meeting.

First, we were treated to a moving and inspiring devotional by Major Pierre Bergeron of the CF, who had been the head chaplain of several missions to Afghanistan. I could not do his words justice here, but suffice it to say that I was impressed that we have people of this quality in our Fellowship who not only represent the PAOC but the reality of the Christian faith to those who serve and defend us overseas.

Jonathan spoke with clarity and passion as he presented the need and the challenge of Carleton University in particular and the campuses of the Capital City area in general. Carleton has over 23,000 students that represent 147 different countries. Given all Christian ministries outside of the Catholic fold, there are less than 100 students involved in Christian community or outreach on campus. That is in the area of .4%. 
Actually, as Jonathan was speaking, I wished I had a tape recorder. I would have taped his presentation and put it to music and pictures. It was that good.

He has already been conducting weekly prayer walks on campus. He has been doing his research and building relationships. He has connected with all of the other campus ministry groups, who are only too happy to see him on campus.  He has been developing a local advisory network which is able to help provide accountability, direction and support. His students have also applied for student club status, recognizing that a club that employs a Spirit filled approach and that is people sensitive and compassionate is well overdue on campus.

It was made clear by Jonathan's pastor, John Raymer of Peace Tower Church, that Jonathan was being released a day and a half per week to be a gift to the campus and the broader church. This was not a desire to grow PTC as much as it is a desire to shine a light in a dark place.

The point of the meeting was to inform the pastors about the intentions and progress of the ministry initiative. It was not to spring a pre-done plan on them. It was to engage them in the process and to ask for their permission, if not involvement. I think that it was successful on that front. Brian Egert, the sectional presbyter, was very helpful in reminding the group that the purpose was not to lay out an elaborate plan at this point, but to let everyone know that Jonathan is dreaming and planning and is concerned that everyone knows what is going on. It was agreed that he would produce something in writing that answered the questions around planning, procedure and funding.

More to come...

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