Desert Conference... part 2

As we arrived at the Chai Alpha (XA) conference,  we were part of  a big crowd of nearly 700. However, soon that crowd became a group of people. We had the privilege of meeting many of them and getting to know pieces of their stories. Further, God used some of them to touch our lives. This is the Holy Spirit element that I appreciate. They don’t make a big show of being ‘spirit-filled’. They just live it. It is the intangible element that puts the whole thing on fire.
As I told Karen before we left, I love hanging with these people. Just like our gang in Mission Canada, they actually are the New Breed. They are smart, courageous, creative and spiritually grounded. It shouldn't be surprising. They certainly don’t do campus ministry for fame or fortune. They do it because it is one of the most challenging and rewarding ventures on planet earth

XA is an intergenerational family, ranging from people older than my venerable self to those just graduating from university. This is not to mention the students, themselves.  XA has distilled wisdom from over forty years of university ministry, some of which is simply some of the most dynamic and powerful ministry that anyone would see anywhere. It was great to just soak it all in….

 Here are a few thoughts I scribbled into a notebook--- that I have no intention of cleaning up grammatically:

• They are Intentional about networking and resourcing. 

• They are generous in Sharing their expertise and strengths. 

• It was encouraging to see how the task groups they would strike up actually got stuff done. 

• After task groups met………..Ministries were created. Material was published. Events happened. Numbers were recorded. All levels would pitch in to make Chai Alpha continually bigger and better. I am hopeful that we can share in the fruits of their hard work. 

• They have a similar denominational structure to ours.

• While we might have more flexibility in the models we employ, they do what they do with excellence.

• I look forward to a strategic partnership between  XA and Campus Mission Canada. This could happen at a personal and relational level . It can also happen at a more formal level where we share resources and events.

• The XA Great Lakes Region is close by. We can do things together….