The Plea for National Synergy

Hi.  I am going to offer you an abridged report I wrote for our Fellowship in which I review our history and make the case for national synergy.  Quite simply, we need each other and we are better together.  One would think this is a no-brainer.  Well, for most people it is. They see it. They get it. For a minority... well, not so much. Tribalism and provincialism ( figuratively) die hard.  

So, this blog covers a fair bit of ground. Some history is in order, here. And then ( good) reasons why Campus Mission Canada exists to distill and advance what God is doing on the campuses of our nation. I encourage you to hang in there. It will be worth the read..

• We didn't start from the top down. Nor do we operate that way.  Consider the following highlights ( which only begin to tell the story).

We have been planting and innovating campus ministries across the country for over thirty years ( this is a one sentence summary of two pages of text :) ).  .

Over the past decade, efforts were made to network these ministries and develop an emerging consensus of who and what we are and how we do what God is calling us collectively to do. This began in the formation of Campus Guiding Groups where some of the key players in campus ministry met to share their insight and experience in developing something on a national scale. It is this cooperation and partnership that gives Campus Mission Canada (CMC) its multi-dimensional approach to campus ministry.

This led to an “AHA!!” moment. The various ministries each promoted their own views and methods. But then they saw that they could celebrate and  embrace what the other regional ministries were doing, and even use them to augment and enhance their own ministries.  As a result, there was a recognition at the time that there were three viable models that not only could “work” but which could profoundly impact the campus. 

Namely: Clubs.  Campus Churches and Chaplaincies. 

In 2009, Robb Powell took on the national role of Coordinator of campus ministries for Mission Canada. One of the first things he did was to attempt to inventory what was going on in our campuses and to distill models and best practices.  He added two more models to the mix: Church- based outreach on a campus), such as Red Frogs,  and Creative ventures ( such as the Greenbean Café in Windsor or The House in Kelowna ).

So, putting it together..

	·         Clubs                                              ·         Campus Churches                                                  ·         Chaplaincies                          ·         Church-based ministries                                      ·         Creative ventures

C5  expresses both the diversity and unity of our approach to campus ministry. We recognize there is simply no one size fits all model. Our ministries employ different models and many of them employ more than one. C5 enables us to distill and communicate what we do on the campuses of our nation in a way that utilizes our history and strength as a Fellowship. 

What is the Role of Campus Mission Canada?

For the sake of simplicity, let’s narrow it down to four points.

1.    Support.  Getting the right resources to the right people. Being there for them. Understanding them.

2.    Envision.  Keep our vision to reach the campus clear. Distill and communicate our values and our best practices. Ensure that the Fellowship knows what we are about and that our aims are understood.

3.    Extend.  . Either we come alongside of ministries, churches and districts to help them fulfill their vision for the particular campus or we act as catalysts to bring together the right people and resources to bring about the right result.  Either way, God is served.

4.    Network.  We work to create forums for campus ministers to connect. Further, we desire to connect campus ministers with local churches, and regional and district ministries. The hope is to bring people together and to ensure that communication lines are open.

Let's make a distinction, here.  

Mission Canada is a missions agency. It recognizes gaps in Canadian culture that needs missionaries and it deploys them.   However, Campus Mission Canada, while part of Mission Canada, is a Network. It is " a coalition of the willing".  We connect dots and create synergies. 

A Plea for National Synergy

CMC does not replace what happens at the District level. It looks to be a catalyst to support and augment the District efforts and look for genuine synergies. While they ought to be self-apparent,  consider the following points ( each of which are really subtitles

o   The loss of the emerging ( goodbye) generation is a national (international) issue.  It transcends regions, districts, provinces and nations.

o   Collectively, it will take more than our best efforts to address it.

o   We are better together.  When campus practitioners gather they inspire and challenge each other to create and adapt.

o   In spite of their diversity, campus ministers “get” each other and derive enormous benefit from networking – both online and in person.

o   We can celebrate the strengths of the various models from the various regions without being limited to them.

o   We can leverage the strengths of the various ministries. It is an opportunity to both give and receive.

o   We do not have to keep reinventing the wheel. We can provide information and resources that will enable the new ministries to springboard off of our shoulders.

o   In many ways, if one were to look at the quality and diversity of PAOC campus ministries across the country, it becomes apparent that we are the “Research and Development” arm for the Fellowship.

o   Uniquely, as a Fellowship, we have a multifaceted approach to the campus and the formation of campus ministries.

o   The university is a powerful and multi-layered institution. We can reach it at many levels.

o   We have made ( or adapted :) ) in Canada solutions to Canadian realities. 

o   Across the country, we have some of the finest young leaders in the nation. They “get” the campus and the opportunities and challenges of operating in what can be similar to a foreign field right on our own doorstep.

o   Given the size of our country and the mobility of the emerging generation, we need to be connected in order to serve our constituency well.  

o   We know where the political boundaries are ( Yonge Street, Lloydminster…) . The weather ignores them. So does the flow of students and information.

o   We are able to leverage the experience of our American counterparts – who have also been well served by integrating at a national level. 

o   We are finding that reaching the campus is a key international  missional strategy for reaching a city, a region and a country.  We can offer and receive value by sharing our knowledge and resources internationally.

o   By having a consistent voice speaking for our campus ministries, it increases recognition and partnership with the local churches and the districts.

o   It also offers support, resources and quality control for the ministers.

o   Our campuses need Spirit-filled communities that embody the gospel with Power, Love and Wisdom

Actually, the list goes on.  We have every reason to work together in collaboration.                                   We have every reason to share resources and experience.

We collectively need each other. No district, church or individual is an island.  

We do not operate in silos.

And let us make this clear. This is true at a larger level, as well. As we learn how to integrate as a movement, we can both contribute to and learn from a larger conversation as we co-labor with other groups who serve the same Master - and who also seek to see Him known and glorified. 

Can we learn from each other?  Can we grow together?
We have to...

We can if we choose to.

The world awaits.

It's been a while...

There is a certain irony that the more I have to write about, the less time I have to write it. This year took off like a loaded gun and it simply hasn't let up.  There is so much to capture and distill and I find myself running to keep up.  Which, quite frankly, is a wonderful problem. It is incredible to see the gains we have made in the past few years. 

Student Centre  Western University ( Ont )

Orientation Week at Ryerson University, Toronto

David Burke  our guy at Ryerson and Aaron Mix-Ross, pastor to students at Stone Church near the U of Toronto

Lift Church at McMaster University 

here are a few mindshavings to share....
Mission Canada, the national missional arm of the PAOC, of which Campus Mission Canada is a part consists of five major emphases.  Those would be Quebec and Francophone Canada, Aboriginal Canada, New Canadians, Urban Centres and then the emerging generation.  It is this last one that includes our campus initiatives, along with youth  and children. 

However, when it comes to the campus, it would seem that it combines all of the above. 

Campus Ministry interfaces our other missional priorities. You will find new Canadians, Aboriginals, Francophone, Urban and Emerging generations on nearly any campus in our land. Further more, you will reach these priority groups at a time when they are evaluating and being equipped for the rest of their lives. 

At CMC, we have worked hard at creating a culture where campus ministry is simply inevitable. A culture where campus mission is what we do and what we produce. One in which it is intentional and celebrated. That means a variety of things. It means that in some ways we play a direct role in identifying and deploying the right people and ministries to the right campus and in others it means that we help create the environment and connecting links for this to happen by other means. That may be individuals or churches or districts rising to the challenge. 

Consider the words of the apostle Paul as he helps the Corinthian church sort out the relationship between different ministers and ministries. 

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Depending on the field, we have different roles.  There are times we till the soil. Other times  we plant. Sometimes we water. Other times we are able to harvest fruit that we did not plant or cultivate. But in all cases, it is important that we find our place within what God is up to and what it is that he is growing and producing.We look for where we can best support what God wants to do. 

We have no ambition to be  'the latest and greatest'. We just want to be obedient. We want to bear fruit that lasts. We are not necessarily the best at everything. But, together and combined we are good at a lot of things.  Sometimes, very good. We have come to recognize that we are a significant part of what God is doing on the campuses of our nation and a key part of what He intends to do. He expects more of us.  And what He intends to do is work through willing and available vessels.  He works through those who are open to His working through them. 

Your Scribe

At Campus Mission Canada, we are several things. First, we are a network. That means that we are a coalition of the willing. A group of ministries that share a common national and international burden and a common view of how God works in our own day and age. We want to represent our Master well. 

Secondly, we are catalysts. That means we work at not just being a network but in actively networking ( as a verb)  and sharing resources and expertise. My definition of myself as a catalyst is that I work to bring together the right people and resources to bring about the right result.  Part of this means we represent campus ministries to our larger Fellowship and beyond. We are not isolated but rather united on the things that matter.

Thirdly, as part of Mission Canada, we deploy missionaries.  Campus Mission Canada is a catalytic network. Mission Canada, the larger organization of which we are a part, is a missions agency. This means that we seek to address the gaps that exist within our nation that require an equipped individuals to reach out to it.  So, some of our campus ministers are mission Canada  missionaries.

Red Frogs Support Network at UBC.  Making a splash.

What is the dream?  Well, stay tuned.  Whatever the final description, it involves the following:  We work together. We share resources and expertise across the country. We support and encourage each other.  We work together better than apart.  The dream is not one organizational head. The dream is capturing and distilling the collective genius of what we do all across the country. We start more and better ministries that produce more and better followers of Jesus.

Back to Ryerson

I had the privilege of walking with David Burke through the hurdles of becoming a new Mission Canada missionary to Ryerson University.

 

By way of introduction, David is young, recently married and a recent graduate of Masters College and Seminary, where he served one year as its student president.

Top shelf, thoughtful and passionate, he is also the son of Paul and Vicki Burke, founding pastors of Church In The City (CITC), in downtown Toronto.  He has planting in his blood.

Before we look at Ryerson, and the formation of LIFELINE I want to comment a minute on the process of David coming aboard. In so many ways,it has been done right.

It is a wonderful example of cooperation at all levels. 

Not too long ago, I was at a lunch where most of the major stakeholders in the Ryerson project were represented.

Paul Burke, representing CITC, and putting on his pastor’s ( rather than dad’s) hat, explained that David will be working with them part time at the church but he will be released half-time to initiate Lifeline at Ryerson.

Craig Burton, the Eastern Ontario District Superintendent,  affirmed that they see this as their project and that David is their guy on campus. And they are weighing in with tangible support.

And of course, considering that David is now a Mission Canada missionary ( nationally appointed )and part of our team, we see him as our guy, too.

And that is as it should be.  Local, District and National. There was a wonderful spirit of generosity and blessing in the air.

Back to Ryerson....

So, you can see a bit of my travels at Ryerson in a previous blog, along with my reflections. You might find it interesting. It is one block from what David describes as the Times Square of Toronto ( Yonge and Dundas ).  It is right in the core of urban Toronto.

Yonge and Dundas. Ryerson is half a block away.

David and I did a walk through the other day on the first week of school. It was instructive and helpful.

para-curriculum a la student union



Deja vu all over again.. ( updated :) )

 

Although the majority of students are there to get an education and to get a job after graduation, there is a very strong current of what could be described as a progressive (radical) social agenda being pushed by various student groups. The imagery and feel of their presentations felt like a time warp back to the late sixties and early seventies. They have updated the language and tweaked a few issues.

well,  you get the idea...

 

 

What David will be doing , amongst many other things, is offering alternatives to the strident para-curriculum. ..better.... And of course it goes much deeper than that.

Urban University

 

We are looking at various options for a weekly gathering and he has a specific model in mind for multiplying disciples. It is the kind of “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” ( BHAG) that is way beyond what he could do in the natural. It is a God sized dream that would change the culture of the downtown, not to mention the university.

As we talked, we agreed that we want to think Kingdom. We do not want to displace anyone or any group doing God's work on campus. It is just that it is a Huge challenge and we want to play our part.Part of this is recognizing that the job is not getting done and needs more laborers.  Part of it is realizing that we really do have something fresh to bring to the table. Something that will complement and ultimately strengthen what God is already doing on campus.

But at this point, it is a seed being planted into the ground. As it has been well said in the proverb “ It easy to count the seeds in an apple. It is impossible to count the number of apples in a seed”. Such it is, here.

you can contact him at dburke@paoc.org 

Red Frogging

 

Today ( Friday Sept 7) ,  I had the opportunity to see Red Frogs in action. Jeff Price, campus pastor ( and prospective Mission Canada worker ) for Central Community Church in St. Catharines, at Brock University,  is now taking over the reigns from Mr Red Frogs Canada, himself, Roy Olende. Roy is departing in order to pursue further ministry training.

aforementioned Roy

 

For the record, Jeff is also re-booting the student church “Collide” on campus.  It just re-launched last night. Jeff texted me that it got off to a great start with over 300 in attendance! He also texted me that it was the result of his amazing staff/volunteer team who rose up BIG and helped to make it all happen. Also, for the record, Collide is a combined PAOC/ MB ( Mennonite Brethren) intiative on campus. It has huge potential.

 

 For previous posts on Red Frogs and Collide, click HERE   and HERE

Anyways, back to Red Frogs.

Begun as an outreach to Australian students, and named after a yummy red gel candy with slightly addictive properties J , there is no real Canadian equivalent. The closest thing we can think of is Tim Bits.  I will have to give you more on the history of it at another point. 

 Suffice it to say, under Roy Olende’s leadership, it has taken off at Brock and its success has led to a huge demand for its services on campuses across the country. The challenge is finding churches to rise up to the challenge.

Last year, Jeff worked with the Brock Student Union in envisioning events for the initial week. Red Frogs envisioned the field becoming the site of a huge paint fight with hundreds of students and then spinning off into a dance off and a tarp water slide. The SU was all over it. They loved the idea.

So, RF provided the manpower and the execution and the SU provided the funds.

It also needs to be said that RF tied into all of the major events on campus and they were visible and involved throughout. They provide a safe alternative to the alcohol fueled culture connected to these events. They provide safe walk-homes for young women. They provide freezies and candy and fun stuff for any and all partiers. More important, they connected at a real/relational level. They built relationships.

 

And this is the tip of the iceberg. While obviously there is little chance to build anything in depth during what is essentially a party week, they do build bridges which facilitate more depth as the term goes on. Red Frogs will throw alcohol free parties for dorms and also clean up and cook pancakes. What an amazing way to meet people. And without fail, their fun and service ethic leads to questions.. “ Who are you” “Why are you doing this?”

I am simply stating the obvious when I report that RF has build enormous good will on campus.

 

 

Roy (l) and Jeff greet volunteers

So, on to the Friday night event at Brock….

 

Epic event .   The reenactment of the War of 1812 with colored water balloons.

Students lined up for a couple of hours and hundreds of them ( nearly a thousand) received Tshirts and divided into two teams that faced off against each other.

The RF gang worked the crowd with spray guns and buckets of liquid.

Jeff talked up the students and did an amazing job of schmoozing.



the line went wayyy down the block...



Teams were formed....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

War of 1812  Paint Version

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was fun, clean, bridge building.....

 

As a result of the track record at Brock they are being invited every where across the country.

 

Red Frogs @ McMaster     Saturday evening, Sept 8

Concert in the Faculty Hollow   4000+ students

 

t turns out that Red Frogs had been invited back to McMaster by the student union as a result of their involvement last year.  As student leaders walked by as Jeff and Co were setting up, they not only recognized RF but spontaneously sange its praises.   I wish my video were out to record it....

This was amazing. The largest event of the week, and they wanted RF there. And so they were. And I was there to see it ( for the first few hours, anyways)

crew at work.. prime real estate..

 Josh Reinders ( Lift Student VP)  represented Lift Church ( a student church at Mac, and one of our own ministries , where I serve as a board member)  and we had a chance to see RF set up a cotton candy and hydration booth at a huge concert. And we also got a chance to see the impact this group had as a result of their efforts last year. 

Breather.. calm before the storm...

 

 

 

 

 And as a result of doing what they do, they have been invited to be involved in a whole lot of school activities, including the Homecoming Week at Mac. The student leaders booked it right there on the spot.



Jeff explaining RF to Mac student leaders

Listening to Jeff explain the rationale and modus operandi of  RF is illuminating. RF opens doors. It provides a platform. It gives a context for conversations. I heard him present it to one student leader after another. Many of them were incredulous that RF would actually care about the students and want to simply give them things without strings attached.

The lines begin asap.. and RF meets hundreds of students..

I call it hospitality on steroids.  But it is so simple. They do a few things really well. They leverage fun ideas and add value to whatever is going on.

Happy, Happy people...

 

 

They build bridges. They add personality. There might be a catch, but I haven’t seen it. I can’t see what is not to like.

Student service organization. Help students have the most fun year of their lives and the safest.

 

Let’s talk about what it is and what it is not.  Pardon the bullet points and lact of grammar/diction.

• from a Discipleship standpoint.... .  Servant ethic. Getting out of yourself. Conversion to other…  Moving from the natural to the supernatural or the seen to the unseen. Like Jesus in the gospel of John.

• Meeting people where they are on their own turf and pointing them beyond it.

• Depth.. well it depends. It is both a great entrance into the Christian faith and it is a great outlet or place of service. ....Well outside of the walls of the church, encased in silos of cultural indifference and irrelevance.   It is meeting people as people. Students meeting and serving students. Looking beyond the markings, clothing and chemical props.

• It is another arrow in the quiver. Another tool in the kit or the Swiss Army knife.

• Not only is there more than one way to skin the cat, but there is more than one way to do Red Frogs. I saw its flexibility first hand. It depends on the event and the venue. It depends on the number of volunteers and the budget.  But it can do a lot with a little, with the right people with the right vision.

At Brock, it is both a natural connection point for Collide, but it is a beautiful way for the students of Collide to serve the broader community. It connects them to other students where they actually live and relate.

At Mac, it was a great way to meet the students and break out of self imposed silos of obscurity. If you know what I mean...

There is much more to say, but let me say this....

This is a superb way for a medium to large sized church to impact the campus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For His Glory : PAOC General Conference 2012

It was refreshing to be at our biennial national conference held this year in The Capital City, Ottawa, ON.

 In its inner core, Ottawa is a truly beautiful city. For much that surrounds the downtown, well, not so much. But that is another story.

View from Conference Centre..

Ottawa Conference Centre

As a Canadian, it was gratifying to me to be able to walk around and explore a square kilometer filled with history and significance. From the locks of the Rideau Canal to the Parliament Square to the Remembrance Memorial and everything in  between I embraced the fact that this was My Ottawa, and not merely a place that I visit. And at the root of it all was a vision that He would have dominion from Sea to Sea.

About the conference itself, well it was great. The speakers were great. The worship was well led and it all just seemed to build.

Some highlights.....well first was a segment regarding Reconciliation. This addressed the legitimate grievances and wounds of our aboriginal brothers and sisters and there was an exchange from both sides that was deep, authentic and simply powerful. I very much appreciate the leadership of my colleague Jaz Ghag in bringing it about. Read More Here..

Reconcilation.  David Wells addresses our Aboriginal leaders

 

There was the honoring of David and Norma Jean Mainse for 50 years of groundbreaking ministry. It was gratifying to see these wonderful people honored by their brothers and sisters.

Another highlight?  Well it was the final service where missionary speaker Dick Brogden talked about three kinds of martyrdoms and about living dead. Deep, simple, to the point and unspeakably powerful. As the Mission Canada team debriefed afterwards about the conference, many of us mentioned this service specifically as the highlight of the conference.



My new colleague Jessica Sabatino addresses the conference.

This was not just about people coming together to sing songs and hear stuff. This was coming together to renew our vision as a national movement, reconnect with each other as family  and to chart our course together into the future. I was  impressed with our national leaders, Murray Cornelius ( international missions ), David Hazzard ( Fellowship Services ) and Dave Wells, our General Superindent, who put his stamp all over the conference.

It's Spring Time in Campus Ministry .... 2012



 

 

This video gives a wee overview of some of the inspiring  developments in PAOC campus ministry. We have the expertise, the passion and resources. When we can bring it all together... truly amazing things can happen.

A couple of points to be made here.

First, while we do not want to "oversell" ourselves, it is important to celebrate what God is doing in our midst. There should always be a combination of gratitude and a sense of holy discontentment - recognizing that there is so much more to be done. I hope that the video brings that across.

Second, our role as a national group varies depending on the context. With most of the new starts Campus Mission Canada has been directly involved. With others, not as much.  They have been the initiative of individuals, churches and/or districts. And that is simply fantastic. What we do not do is try to bottleneck everything administrationally ( is that actually a word?) but to support and network these campus ministries where at all possible. What that does is help create a genuine synergy as fresh vision comes on stream and connects with experience and wisdom. 

I love it when our campus tribe gets together. It is like inhaling pure oxygen. It keeps me young.   And again, I love the fact that we have some of the finest young leaders anywhere. The future of the Church is in good hands.

Finally, I do not want to engage in prophetic rhetoric. But I have a real excitement that we are in fact on the threshold of a MOVEMENT , an unfolding missional story that God is telling even at this moment. And it is humbling to be a part of it.

.

Ode to a Friend ..... John Krueger

John Krueger

On Friday afternoon, March 23rd,  at his desk at Redeemer University College, my friend and colleague John passed away at the age of 58. It has been a huge loss for all of us who knew him. What follows are comments I  shared yesterday at his memorial service...

Within weeks of meeting him in September, 1999,  I  declared  John Krueger Redeemer’s best kept secret. Once I began to recognize the depth of the man and his quiet passion for helping students find their way into and  through University, I absolutely loved to bang the drum on his behalf. Especially, since I knew that he would never do it for himself. I felt compelled to do it…. I became a one man referral agency to his office.   I found his combination of depth and humility magnetic.

Because of this, one year, I lured John into doing a late night phone in TV talk show with me. It was wayyyy out of his comfort zone.  It was a huge learning curve for him.  I told him that I would get the ball rolling and throw him softballs. Well he need not have worried. He hit everything thrown his way out of the park. He came alive in front of the camera.   I can still remember some of the stuff he offered people flailing for direction. Some vintage John stuff. 

For example:    No you can’t be whatever you want!  No you can’t do whatever you want.  Translation. You better find out how God has wired you and then work with it. John knew that he would never be an NBA star nor would he be the next Canadian Idol. Any time soon….

But he was one of the premier student advisors in the country. Passionate, organized, systematic, wise, perceptive, compassionate , Christlike, and genuinely helpful.  I trusted him implicitly in almost every and any situation I could conceive. In fact, when you put the whole package together.. I would place him at or near the top.

On a personal note….He generously read through drafts of my thesis, giving constructive feedback about both content and grammar. In fact, if it were not for his support and encouragement I am not sure I would have finished it on time.  In fact, I know I would not have....  And, he was  there when I lost my boy...

We loved to talk about young adult transitions. Just a month or so ago, he gave me ( a typical spontaneous act of generosity)  a copy of a book he rescued from the used book bin written by an expert in the field….   His own book, DiscoveringYour Vocation is a small, priceless Gem filled with theological depth and spiritual wisdom. Just like its author. 

We usually had to avoid each other. Any stop for a chat would break into an extended discussion and we knew that we were not paid to hang out with each other during office hours, as nice as that would be.  Name the issue…..we agreed in broad strokes about all kinds of things yet always found things to disagree about. Yet I loved the way he handled it. Yes, I see your point.... and it is a good one....but I see it just a bit differently.

John brought both a depth and a breadth to the table, along with a wry, knowing sense of humor,  that could be quite disarming. Not only had he thought out his own position, but he had often thought out yours as well.  And he was almost without ego. He had little to prove to anyone.  And yes, Rachel, it’s true. I think he just might have had super powers….

To know John was to love John. Those who loved him loved him a lot.

See you later, my brother...