Campus Synergy

The Launch of COLLIDE !

2012-01-16T16:00:00.001-05:00

So much great stuff going on right now at CMC. There is much to celebrate. Let me give you an example.

This weekend, on Sunday night, we saw the launch of a new campus church at Brock University called Collide ( www.wearecollide.ca), which is a planting of Central Community Church in St. Catharines, ON in cooperation with Southridge Community Church (MB). In fact, the cooperation and partnership of these two churches is a Kingdom story in and of itself.

Anyways, it meets in the Isaac’s Pub on campus at 7 pm on Sundays. Led by Roy Olende ( of Red Frogs fame and no stranger to this blog ) it is off to a flying start.

Meet Roy!

So, let me tell you about it.

Due to his servants heart and sheer likeability, and the amazing impact of Red Frogs on the Brock campus, Roy has found enormous favour from the student union and the administration, alike. They have grasped the fact that Red Frogs has added value to the U, and that it makes a positive difference. As a result, doors have swung open for Collide.

Isaac’s is a great venue for a campus church. High ceilings, an intimate space that offers room for growth, good acoustics and sound system and good accessibility all add up to a win. And its not bad looking, to boot.

The worship leading was low key. Talent helps when you want to go low key, and the two guys that led worship on the guitar and bass had it. They did a solid job.

Roy spoke. Gentle, passionate, genuine… people are drawn in by the warmth of his personality as well as the great stuff he has to say. And what he had to say was worth listening to. It was about being real, being genuine and about the magnetism of Jesus, Himself. It was about being more like Him.

The group was set up with tables. I know from varied experience that tables and table discussion can be incredibly powerful. However, if it is not done right, it can be detrimental. A big part of Roy’s efforts leading up to this launch is preparing his student core to lead discussions after his message. Tables work well when an effort is made to proactively overcome people’s natural reticence of sitting at a table where people do not know each other. In the wrong context ( I can think of current examples) it can lead to ‘cliquishness” which can put a damper on what the Holy Spirit wants to do.

However, the group all broke up to partake of the refreshments and then gathered again at tables to talk about what Roy talked about. The idea behind this is to encourage students to think about how they would apply what they just heard – as well as give them the opportunity to discuss it.

This emerging generation is increasingly allergic of just being talked to , but they want to engage it for themselves as well. As a result, a number of our ministries have taken the cue and worked with it, to great effect. Epic Church at U of A, and The Embassy at Humber College are two examples of where this works very well.

More to come....

RECENTLY...

2011-12-05T16:27:00.001-05:00

Here are a few items that may be of interest....

Worship @ 1280

The previous Sunday night, I was at LIFT Church at McMaster University (The whole campus is basking in the glow of winning the “Best, Most exciting,Unbelievable Vanier Cup Final… in the history of ever) ..... in the 1280 Pub, right in the heart of the Student Centre ( where Pop sensation LIGHTS had just done a concert the night before). How is that for a run on sentence..?

Anway, its newly married former student president Robin Waller held forth on sharing our faith in an age of diversity. His core point was: “ It is not about having to always know the answer or prove that you are right. It is about learning to have an honest, genuine conversation. “

Lift is close to my heart, where my son Dave would spend his Sunday evenings when he was in town.

The band was almost a reunion with the very people who led the worship at Dave's celebration service nearly two years ago when he left us for eternity.

Lead Team Meeting

Segue @ U of M

Tammy Junghans ran a dynamic campaign, this fall, featuring Joy Clark MP who has passionately taken up the issue of human slavery . Also featured a former classmate of mine, Mark Wallenburg, who is now a regional director for I.J.M ( International Justice Mission). Our student group Segue has simply taken the issue by the horns and is putting its weight behind it. There has been tremendous publicity , favour and momentum around an issue that puts Segue on the front edge of one of the most urgent social issues of our day.

You can read more about it all at their website www.segueuofm.com

Lakehead U, in Thunder Bay- where Gary Wilson and Jed Armstrong are launching a student ministry on campus, supported by Evangel Church on the edge of campus. As a church they sponsored a Thanksgiving initiative where people in their congregation hosted dozens of international students for a Canadian Thanksgiving!

They just obtained student club status and they are up and running. This is exciting news and their student executive are busy planning for the coming term.

Lakehead U Student Centre

Roy Olende is starting an expression of Central Community Church right on the campus of Brock University. While it will be a plant of CCC,it will also have its own flavor and some of its own DNA. Roy has been gathering a core of students to begin worship in January, and he is already wondering what to do with everyone who is showing up. The national director of Red Frogs Canada: Everybody loves Roy. It could be its own sit com. Anyway, we sure do.

Pub/Cafe where they will be "doing church"

Behold Roy!

Other happy things to report. Jamie Nelson from Calvary Church in Cambridge, ON is starting a campus expression of Calvary in the residence of the Conestoga College Cambridge campus. It is a fresh new initiative and it is building a bridge from the existing church to the campus community. It is also experimental as they work at condensing the messages of lead Pastor David Couric into a video format and wrap it with worship and discussion.

The Nelsons!

I had the privilege of trekking out to Masters College and Seminary in Peterborough for their ministry class. With Professor Graham Gibson I took a class of about 70 first year students on a tour of nearby Trent University. Dr Bill Morrow, the President of Masters College set the stage beautifully in chapel before we left. He preached on “Being the good neighbor” as he unpacked the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Masters students responding in chapel to the call to Be That Neighbor..

We extended the metaphor to the University Campus as we looked at it through missional eyes.

Bridge to the East side of campus

Note the fusion of Christian and native spirituality

In search for a transcendent Cause...

Native feminist spirituality

I had the students answer some basic questions. What's going on here? What do you see? What do you feel? What is God saying to you about it all?. As we debriefed the experience in class afterwards, we discovered several basic themes.

People looking for community. People looking for wholeness. People looking for fulfillment. People looking for a transcendent cause.

In my theology, those are creational desires that are easilty misdirected towards false ends. It is in Christ that our foundational needs are fulfilled. Our calling, indeed our challenge is to find the way to do it.

Professor Graham, who is doing this PhD thesis on pentecostal native spirituality was particularly aware of the evidence of native spirituality throughout the campus. It has struck me that the academy is well aware of the importance of spirituality in native culture, while deriding or negating the importance of spirituality in our own. No small irony...

While I have heard that there is some Christian activity on campus, it seems to be somewhat underground. It is my conviction that there is a whole lot more that God would do on this campus through individuals that yielded to His call.

We also asked students to consider what God might be saying to them about the Campus. One never knows.....

Spread Life 2011

2011-11-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

It would have been David’s 24^th birthday. Last year, those of us who mourn his loss wanted to do something on his birthday that captured something of his essence. That is when my wife came up with the idea of doing creative acts of kindness in his memory on his day. Some of his friends added elements to the day that made it particularly meaningful , such as the colour orange ( his color) and wearing flip flops. It embodied things that we knew represented him. We landed on calling the day of creative acts of kindness “Spread Life” which we drew from his final words on Facebook “ I want to run, jump and spread life in this world…”.

Last year, for Spread Life, my family and and some friends contributed to a clothing giveaway at Lighthouse Church in Wasaga Beach. Other members of our extended family planted orange tulips in all sorts of meaningful places and many other people did a variety of kind acts in memory of Dave and in honour of Jesus.

Setting up...

This year, we converged on HiWay Pentecostal Church, in Barrie, to make coffee that we gave away on the waterfront. It was a spectacular day.

Really, no strings attached...?

Of course people wondered why we were giving away coffee and some shied away from our table. However, Jordan did such a great job of inviting people in, and all of the kids took part in explaining the reason for what we were doing with the cards created for the event. There were a number of special, unforgettable moments.

Talking about Spread Life...

In fact, one young woman was standoffish and asking us where the coffee came from and what brand it was. “I’m sorry to be a snob, but I am picky about my coffee”. Jordan just handed her the card and said, That’s ok, we are just celebrating the birthday of our brother, who died. He had a big heart, he loved God and he loved people and this is just the kind of thing he loved to do”. When she looked at the card and heard Jordan’s gentle earnestness, she just melted...... Her eyes filled up with tears and she apologized. As she walked away, holding the Spread Life card and clearly touched, she told Jordan, “You have already made my entire day”.

It was true for others as well. I could tell that once they grasped what this was all about , they were deeply moved. They knew that it was about more than the coffee. It was a sweet, gentle time and before we knew it we were out of condiments, the sky was clouding over, and it was time to go. What we did was small and insignificant, but it was in fact Something. And it was done with prayer and with love. And it was more than worth doing….

For the background see www.davidpowell.me .

It's our time...

2011-11-03T12:02:00.005-04:00

For all of its issues, York ( see earlier blog ) is one of the most influential and far reaching institutions to be found anywhere. Add to its nearly 55,000 students over sixty thousand students at the University of Toronto, twenty thousand plus at Ryerson University and many tens of thousands in other university and college campuses dotted throughout the GTA the opportunity and challenge afforded is almost overwhelming…

As I think and pray about the campus, the words reverbrate through my soul. I am NOT OK with this! I am not ok with the way things are. I AM NOT OK! I can't be.

The reason I dove into coordinating this work is not only due to my experience but because I honestly believe that it is time for our Fellowship to weigh in.. big time.

So, let's make it clear. I am talking about the PAOC. Many are those who are shocked to find that we do campus ministry. They are even more shocked that we often do it really well. More shocked still to find that we are doing it all over the country.

Allow me to be bold enough to say the words that have been alive in my heart for several years.

It’s our time. The time is now.

This could sound like arrogance. I pray not. It is an emerging sense of responsibility and role. It is the recognition of an opportunity - a word often used to translate a meaningful greek NT word 'kairos'. The ancients recognized 'kairoi' as key hinge moments that determined 'fate'. It corresponds to the English sense of 'timing' or 'season', which is an opportune time which demands a response.

Yet, here is an honest assessment. We don’t do it well enough.

We can do more and/or better. We must. When I walk through the huge institutions that swallow our young like Molech of old, I am physically affected. I am not being overly dramatic, here. I feel the weight of the challenge.

Institutions like York rise like Goliath and loudly taunt God’s people to do something. Anything.....

The assumption is that the parachurch organizations which continue to serve us so well have it all taken care of. Yet, on almost all campuses across the nation there are less than three percent of the student population involved in a Christian group of any kind whatsoever. In many places it is much less. Much, much less.....

Add in all of the other worthy groups and organizations involved in campus ministry in our nation to our own efforts and the truth be told... all of our combined efforts fall stunningly short of what is needed.

We have a challenge and an opportunity before us. Engage the campus. Do it with the experience and resources we have as a movement. Whether it is planting churches, providing chaplains, starting student clubs, developing church ministries that actually reach out onto campus and/or developing commercial projects that reach the campus , we can leverage the experience of those who have done it well and who are still growing.

I believe we can have it all. Intellectual integrity. Biblical and theological soundness. And the power of the Holy Spirit. We can do it in a way that is contextually aware, creative and that reveals the servant heart of Jesus. To my mind this is 'normative' Christianity.

What we cannot do is be OK with the way things are...

Back to York

2011-10-21T16:20:00.000-04:00

I took a golden opportunity to visit Canada’s second largest university. While I have never been complimentary of York’s physical layout, I found that the campus had begun to grow on me. Sort of... The point being, it wasn’t quite as bad as I had remembered or reported it to be.... I think.

Campus Walk

Random Computer Room

Anyway, York is a huge, sprawling collection of modernist/brutalist buildings on what no doubt were once cornfields. While it may not be much to look at, there is a lot going on here. With 55,000 students flowing through the halls every week, preparing to take their place as emerging leaders, the mind staggers at the potential impact of the institution. As Aaron Mix-Ross mentioned to me as we talked about it later, York highly ideological. It is not only committed to a secular ethos, but a materialist dialectic (marxist) one as well. It has made no effort to hide the fact.

Student Centre

As I entered the Student Centre, I was immediately struck afresh of the sheer dynamism of the place. Saris, Turbans, Hijabs and Yamulkes filled the compact space along with Hollister and Calvin Klein. It was an intense microcosm of the Canadian multi-cultural experiment. It struck me as I let it all swirl around me that anywhere else in the world this might go sideways in a hurry. And the fact is: York has had its own issues.

On the third floors, the religious groups had their “offices”, which ranged from the generously allotted Jewish Hillel group’s space to the closet that housed Campus for Christ. It almost seemed as if people were huddled in these spaces for sanctuary. This was certainly the case for the Korean Christian Fellowship. There was an intense physicality to the experience that would cause the student to seek some form of refuge. The danger is allowing the space to remove you from where you really ought to be. It struck me... there is so much more that needs to happen, here...!!

September VERTIGO

2011-09-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

The first weeks of September for anyone involved in campus ministry brings to mind the condition or state of Vertigo. It is a manic dash for equilibrium when everything is in flux. Our best efforts and resources are poured into these weeks as students establish the patterns for their term and possibly their school career. It is important for us to be there while they are making up their minds.

Clubs Days CCM @ BCIT

These are exciting times at CMC as we work with individuals, churches and districts to establish and strengthen campus ministries of various kinds. As I have shared with people across the country, the campus is, to my eyes, the most strategic mission field in our nation...

New ministries on the docket include: Psegga Jones in Montreal on the urban campuses of Concordia, McGill and Dawson. Gary Wilson and Jedidiah Armstrong at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Tamera Thibodeau at John Abbot College in Montreal. Ones that are in gestation as we speak include: The University of Saskatchewan, Humber College ( Lakeshore) and Laurentian University. At BCIT in Vancouver, I am excited about the addition of Cal Weber, who brings a ton of gifting and experience to the task of directing Campus Christian Ministry in that booming institution.

(l-r) John Engels Cal Weber Rachelle Fulford

There are things I am forgetting, but it is a start. In an email chain, a number of campus directors weighed in on the creative ventures they have done in the past week in kickstarting their ministries for a new term. Below you can see scenes from University Christian Ministries at UBC and their annual welcome BBQ. Their director, Arthur Howard, wrote that they fed over 300 students, over 140 of which remained for an outdoor worship service.

UCM @ UBC Welcome Dinner

UCM Welcome Dinner

We are slowly and surely spreading our wings and establishing missional communities on our campuses.

One ministry that I am familiar with up close and personally is Lift Church at McMaster. I have the privilege of serving in an adjunct capacity as an advisor to their young, passionate leadership team. Tonight I went to their opening service at the 1288 Pub in the Student Centre. It was hopping. Complete with a free BBQ before the service, it was filled with first year students who had responded to the invitations to come and check it out. Andrew Masters, their new pastor spoke about serving Christ in the context of the University and John Balt and team led worship. The whole thing was solid.

Lift in 1288

Andrew with mic. John and Micha lead worship

At a personal level, I am working in a part time chaplaincy capacity at Redeemer University College in nearby Ancaster, ON. It gives me an opportunity to work directly with an outstanding group of young leaders and minister to a broad cross-section of Christian students. This includes teaching a course on practical discipleship, leadership training and speaking wherever and however needed. It is all good and it is also all Vertigo right now. I am looking forward to things settling into a rhythm in the near future.

Goin' Downtown! Ryerson University:

2011-08-19T14:46:00.000-04:00

Having missed my connection , whom I was to meet at a Starbucks at Ryerson ( it turns out there are a dozen and his phone was off), I figured I would walk through the campus myself. It was a revelation. While the U of T St George (main) campus is certainly urban, it is its own island in the midst of the city. Ryerson, on the otherhand is woven right into the of retail and business in the heart of the downtown action. While it was orgtinally a church based college, it has assimilated several blocks of the downtown core. It is part of the core.

basic student union building fare...

As Providence would have it I fell in with a campus tour. Andrew, our guide, walked us through the various buildings and sections of the campus. As it turns out, with space at a premium, the various faculties all share lecture space. Students will most likely have one three hour lecture per course per week and then do their various projects and homework in the rest of the time.

Tour Guide Andrew and my BFFH ( Best Friends For an Hour)

When we walked into the Architecture Building, I originally thought it was a display of ironic humour. It was bare and ugly. Not unlike the Brutalist architecture on some other buildings on various campuses. However, it turns out that this is intentional. The idea is to have everything stripped and open so the students can “see” what has gone into the construction of the building. It does make sense.

Architectural Bldg

The tour nears the end...

Ryerson is located on the edge of the middle of what I have dubbed the Commercial Power Corridor. Dundas/Bay/Yonge.

Dundas and Yonge ( corner of Ryerson)

Note the Ted Rogers School of Mgmt – connected with the Eaton's Centre and bordering Bay Street. In Canadian commerce this place rocks. And Ryerson is right in of the action.

from 100m to the west .. The Eatons Centre/ Ryerson-Rogers School of Mgmt.

Rogers/Ryerson - on the corner of Bay and Dundas

Incidentally, Ryerson is named after Egerton Ryerson, one of Canada's outstanding evangelical Christians ( in fact, a truly outstanding Canadian!) - considered the father of Canadian public education - an all around Rennaissance Man.

Egerton Ryerson

Here is some basic information about Ryerson from Wikipedia - a decent summary.

Ryerson University is a public university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden District. Ryerson's business school, Ted Rogers School of Management is on the southwest end of the Yonge-Dundas Square, located on Bay Street, slightly north of Toronto's Financial District and is attached to the Toronto Eaton Centre. The university is composed of 31,000 undergraduate students, 2,170 graduate students, and 65,400 certificate and continuing education students.^[4]

In June 2001, the school assumed its present name as Ryerson University. Today, Ryerson University offers programs in chemical, civil, mechanical, industrial, electrical and computer engineering. The university is also one of only two Ontario universities to offer a program in aerospace engineering. Ryerson offers the only stand-alone biomedical engineering program in all of Canada.

For what it is worth; Numbers like these would place Ryerson as one of Canada's largest universities. With its multicultural dynamic and strategic placement, it also has the potential to be one of its most influential. We are looking forward to seeing what God is going to do here...

Humber Lakeshore: A New Embassy!

2011-07-28T10:56:00.000-04:00

I journeyed to nearby Humber College at its Lakeshore Campus. Being familiar with Humber in its main GTA campus, I had never been to its other, newer expression. I was impressed to see a place bustling with expansion and growth. Indeed, its attendance is already well over 6,000 and it is positioning for future growth. I met with Josh Hageman, the pastor to young adults at Queensway Church. Josh already runs a successful young adults ministry which he plans to use to help begin a fresh initiative at Humber Lakeshore. He has been in talks with Brandon Malo, Joe Wahba and Trevor Gingerich about starting an Embassy at Lakeshore. In taking on the name, it means that he understands and brings a particular approach to campus ministry. There is concern that the name is represented well ( branding integrity). From every indication, Josh will do just that.

Did I mention 'growth'..?

We walked through the campus and looked at potential meeting places where he can begin meetings with public profile and presence. There are options...! Having helped out with the Lifeline campus group onsite, it was clear to Josh that there was the need for a larger, more attractive alternative to the bible study model already present on campus. Again, the issue is not to compete with what is going on but to augment and complement it. There are all kinds of opportunities for expansion and growth. He has certainly paid his 'dues' by being involved on campus in the past.

Views of the potential meeting place in the SU Bldg.

In meeting with a Christian faculty member who is a part of Queensway, she reiterated the need for something that would grip students and which she would feel comfortable in referring people towards. When she refers people, she doesn’t do it in her professional capacity but in a ‘non-work’ , personal capacity. She underscored the felt need for a more dynamic presence on campus. As she was describing the sort of person the campus needed, she was actually describing the guy in front of her..

Aforementioned J. Hageman

Anyway, it looks as if the Embassy Lakeshore will launch in the third week of September. There is a lot of work to do beforehand, but it looks as though they have the right place and the right positioning on campus to make it a reality. Exciting times….

Laurentian University: Sudbury

2011-07-28T10:29:00.000-04:00

If you are reading this from the top, this is the last entry of a productive roadtrip from Calgary. So, as you scroll down the various blogs until you get to the Calgary entry.. you will be reading about the roadtrip in reverse. This blog is about Sudbury which was my last stop before driving home.....

A Laurentian U history lesson

I had the privilege of meeting with Markus and Alina Rukkila. As it turns out, Markus is a graduate of Regent College ( my alma mater) and a former intern with UTown Church, the daughter of Point Grey Community Church which I planted back in BC. We know a wad of the same people and he is familiar with the campus ministry in BC and the model of church that I embraced back when. Markus is also a Finnish Canadian who is starting an English speaking congregation in conjunction with Siion Church, the Finnish PAOC church in Sudbury. He also has a passion to start a campus ministry at Laurentian University, only a few kilometers away.

Markus with Thornloe in the background..

Markus is now the Dean of Students at Thorneloe University. Thorneloe is an Anglican institution and a founding member of the Laurentian University Federation in Sudbury. Markus is a former student of its new provost, Dr. Robert Derrenbacker. He will be living on campus and responsible for the 60 students who are part of its residency. I cannot even begin to describe the upside of this development. It is becoming increasingly clear to both Markus and Alina that they are intended to be here, and that God in His mysterious and creative way has preceded them all of the way.

Laurentian U from the Rukkilas' apartment in Thorneloe

Markus and I did an extended walk through the campus.

It is yet another campus that is undergoing extensive construction and renovation. It is clear that government and industry is pouring huge bucks into the infrastructure of developing leadership for the future. How about the Church???

Anyway, we discussed the various possibilities for campus ministry. I recommended to Markus that he spend time in the prayer and research stage. They go together. If he can enlist people to come onsite and pray, all the better. There is no substitute for prayer. Prayer is not simply about cause and effect/tangible outcomes but it can change the temperature or spiritual environment of a place. I think of it as a windshift in a football game where the wind is now going with you rather than against you…

Research involves.. what is already going on, here? What needs are there? What opportunities? What is the spirituality of the campus ( there is an interior spirituality to every place)?, relational and church networking, facilities, means of advertising/communication etc, etc, etc....

What I love in walking through LU is the sense of the possibilities that can happen when God has a yielded vessel to work with. Markus is clearly not a 'formulaic' guy. Anybody who can juggle Finnish and Canadian culture as adroitly as he does has the skillset and aptitude to do well in a variety of contexts. He is aware of His need for God and he and Alina are willing to step out in obedience to His call. When that happens, things get exciting.

Onto the Soo...

2011-07-28T10:12:00.000-04:00

TBay to SSM is an extraordinarily beautiful drive...

On to Sault Ste Marie. On route I connected with Paul Quesnele, who was previously the director of ONE campus ministry at Algoma University. It was formerly Summit Ministry, but the campus group led by Jeremy Murdoch and which met on campus in the cafeteria/pub ( see pic) had grown into an intergenerational church.

The aforementioned cafeteria/pub

This church chose to re-boot the campus ministry under a new name and with a fresh mandate. For the first year plus of its existence it was led by Paul, even during a nearly fatal mishap on the ski slopes in 2009. Paul was kind enough to share his friends , his parents and his knowledge with me. Thanks to all of you for your amazing hospitality...

Jeremy and Paul

For the past year, due to his work commitments to the University, Paul has stepped back and some key students have come forward to fill in the gap. A former student, Danielle , will be helping out onsite at Sault College.

Danielle

Both Algoma and Sault are surprisingly vibrant institutions. Algoma was once a residential school, and it has owned up to, and actually embraced, this part of its history. As most readers would know, this was a dark paragraph in our national narrative. Originally begun with good intentions: The desire to bring education and knowledge ( and perhaps religion) to the native population, it degenerated into a form of cultural abuse/genocide. Children were ripped out of their homes at the age of six and forced to renounce their language and culture. Some were never to see their family again.

Now Algoma makes a significant point to celebrate its aboriginal culture and to provide support and direction to first nations students who come to study at Algoma.

Sault College is undergoing a relatively massive construction phase. As a result, it will have much more non academic space for clusters and meetings and whatever programming ONE may need.

Jeremy will be onsite in a more official capacity at both institutions. We are praying that he will have the energy and focus to pull it all off. There is so much good stuff going on and there is only so much of him to go around… Further, we are praying that the students will rise up to meet the opportunity and the challenge. They have a ton of experience and expertise to share with us all....

Thunder Bay: Lakehead University.

2011-07-27T16:12:00.000-04:00

In arriving in TBay, I found my way to the home of the pastor of Evangel Church , a PAOC church which is literally next door to Lakehead University. Gary and Sandy Wilson and I go back to BC days, and it was great to get caught up again. The idea of campus ministry was not unfamiliar to Gary and he was motivated to take me along with his assistant , Jed Armstrong, for a tour of the LU facilities. It was certainly motivational, especially since Gary has had the awareness since he came to TBay over a decade ago that Evangel was strategically placed to reach the campus. Indeed, he has considered a name change that would reflect this reality.

Jed and Gary

The para-curriculum of the campus...

So, let’s talk about this. There are a number of students who go to Evangel, two of whom are the daughters of the pastor. However, the University itself is almost a world unto itself, and even though the church is a five minute walk from campus, it almost seems as if it were in another world. This is not uncommon. So, the idea is: how about going to where the students actually are – which is on the campus – rather than luring them off the campus.

To embellish the metaphor, this makes good fishing sense. A number of years ago, a prominent TV sportsfishing personality invited my two older boys to accompany him to the Bay of Quinte to do a youth fishing episode. This fellow gave them a top notch time and by talking with him I learned a bit about fishing, myself. The fact is: he knew how to find the fish. He didn’t troll in the middle of the lake and hope that the fish would come to him. He went to where they liked to hang out- to where they actually were. He knew when they would be receptive. And then he knew how to offer them something that they actually wanted to grab. And finally, he knew how to bring them in and land them. That’s why he could run a successful show. He was rarely shut out.

So, back to the narrative. What if Gary and Jed were to work on campus a few days a week, rather than cloistering in the church office. What if their students were to form a student club and they could provide complementary programming to the single student ministry on campus? What if Gary were to apply for chaplaincy status, in that he has the credentials. He represents a national denomination. He gives spiritual care to a local congregation and he has a Master’s Degree from Regent College. Anyway, all of that and more… there are some intriguing possibilities at Lakehead which we will need to explore soon.

Winnipeg to Thunder Bay...

2011-07-27T16:05:00.000-04:00

The next day, I left first things to begin my trek towards Thunder Bay.

A few notes. First, I figured I would get on the highway and find a roadside gas station on the way. No such doing. I guess the various towns figure it competes with their commerce but they don’t do a particulary good job of luring people off the road. And when I approached the sign pointing towards Steinbech, Manitoba I could see a row of trees in the distance to the east. I didn’t fully realize the prairies would come to an abrupt end. There was no ‘transition’ or ‘parkland’ like there is if you drive north in Saskatchewan. One moment you are in prairie and the next minute you are in endless forest.

Dividing Line..

Within an hour or so, the forest became full on Canadian Shield – Precambrian rock and gnarly, scrubby trees. I bypassed Kenora in the belief that there simply must be a roadside gas station… anyway, I barely made it to beautiful downtown Dryden, Ontario deep in the heart of the shield. That gave me enough gas to get the rest of the way to Thunder Bay.

Thots by the Assiniboine: Brandon University

2011-07-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

On my way to Winnipeg, I passed by and through the city of Brandon, Manitoba on the banks of the now receding Assiniboine River. The site of flooding during the spring, the town is now beginning to approach normality, although there is still abundant evidence of their earlier troubles. The young lady at the Safeway deli told me they had to evacuate their stores for nearly two weeks as the town collectively held its breath while the waters peaked.

That river was up to mischief...

Brandon University is, to all appearances, a growing school. Compared to the aging infrastructure of the University of Manitoba, there are encouraging signs of new construction and renovation activity across the campus.

When I popped into the Administration building, I do what I often do. I asked for promotional material. In otherwords, I was looking for an introductory booklet that would tell me something about the campus. Give me your best pitch. There was no such material. Instead, I was told to talk to the staff.

new construction / renovations

When I asked about what sort of Christian clubs or resources there might be on campus for a new student , I was referred to the Student Union in the next building.

Outside the Admin and SUB.

Entering the attractive S U building, I asked if there were any Christian student clubs on campus. When asked why I wanted to know, I responded that I am asking as a parent. This is ,in fact, true. I have one boy in University. Another will be within a year. I have two girls coming. Allowance for the spiritual needs of students factors into our family’s decision making when it comes to choosing a post-secondary institution. I look at an institution through family as well as professional eyes.

Immediately, someone responded by suggesting IVCF ( our very own James Perraux ( UCM@ UBCO) had an instrumental role in this group back in the day). However, another young lady offered that she thought they were no longer active. When I asked whether there was a chaplaincy on campus, there was none they knew about. If there is one, it is well below the radar.

It occurred to me, walking away from BU that it doesn’t make sense from a free market (marketing)perspective for a university to not consider the spiritual needs or aptitudes of its students. It is something which their potential clientele would take into consideration in making institutional choices. Especially when it doesn’t cost the institution anything to provide these services. Indeed, if they wanted to counter the inroads ( competition) of faith connected post-secondary institutions, one would think they would actually want to advertise the fact that spirituality is accommodated, if not taken seriously.

A university may claim that it is not 'in the business of religion'. Perhaps.... But the emerging university also stresses that it should be about doing more than offloading information. It is to be about more than creating spokes or cogs in a technological wheel. It is about the formation of people: The development of citizens for whom the creation of a better world actually matters.

The University of Victoria, several decades ago actually grasped this fact in its facilitation of a robust chaplaincy ( although it appears that this may soon change under the new breed of bureaucrats filling its administration). The University of Calgary would be an excellent example of this synergistic relationship.

Actually, this last point is the grist for a future blog…. Additionally, for what it is worth… While a university is also not in the business of coffee or entertainment –it makes room for both in the name of a well rounded post-secondary experience. Last year, when I went on a guided tour of York University, the tour guide announced with pride that the best thing about York was that it had SIX Tim Hortons on campus. Yup… The Best...

Finally....

Moving on from Brandon, , it was fun to spend an evening with our intrepid missionary to the University of Manitoba, Tammy Junghans and her family.

Tammy is a killer gardener..

Greg cooks a mean medium rare steak and their kids, Rachel, Curtis, Brianne and Steffy, were great company. They were preparing to leave on a Western Canada vacation trip themselves, but not too busy to be gracious and fun hosts. It was a refreshing stay.

Regina bound... back to my roots.

2011-07-27T15:43:00.000-04:00

Regina is the town of my birth. In fact, I spent the first five years of my life there and I still have deep memories etched into my heart and mind from that time. But it has been more decades than I wish to admit since I have been back. And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. On a nice summer evening the town presented well.

I tell you .. the sky put on a show..

Two lanes Good highway It's all good

The distance beckons..

Davidson, Sask. Not your usual car

My first home.. all grown up.

I went to the home of Doug and Maureen Lancaster. Doug is the assistant Superintendent of the Saskatchewan District and the lead pastor of Avonhurst Pentecostal Church. And as it turns out, he remembered me ( and Point Grey Community Church and UCM ) from our days in BC, some years ago. This is not a moot point. To me it is an ongoing wonder how the Kingdom network actually works, and how stuff done twenty or thirty years ago has a way of coming into the present.

We had a delightful time with Wes and Jan Dynna. Wes is a PAOC credential holder, presently working with Youth For Christ, with a deep concern for the university and an interest in exploring the idea of campus ministry at U of Regina. He is also well read and a deep thinker. If we are to go forward, it would take people like Wes to help till the ground and provide leadership. This involves research, dreaming and planning. It is a necessary step . It is sort of like tilling the ground before the planting can happen. Putting the seeds in the ground is the fruit of a lot of hard work that precedes it.

Lancasters and Dynnas

I must confess, however, I knew little about the U of R. In doing my research I found that, since its origins as an offsite campus of the U of S, it has been growing and has become a significant university in its own right. A walk through tour by my host ( and U of R staff) Maureen Lancaster more than confirmed it. It is a serious, full on university which has been the recipient of tens of millions of dollars of infrastructural expenditures in the past several decades. It is functional ( essentially a large circle), and not entirely aesthetically displeasing. In otherwords, it has made an effort to avoid the Brutalist architecture ( SFU, U of Waterloo, York U ) of some of its contemporary universities.

a 'softer, friendlier institutional decore'....

From what I understand, it has been difficult for Christian ministries to thrive on this campus. There are no doubt a number of reasons for this, but it is also apparently reflects a somewhat militant, though not uncommon, secularism within the administration and student union. There are different forms of secularism. Some seek to offer religion its diminished place ( demi-status) and others see no place for it whatsoever in an institution of higher learning. The latter simply ignores both the origins of the modern university and even the actual needs of the student. Could you imagine aboriginal studies that ignored the place of spirituality in its culture? Anyway, that is the grist for another mill – another post.

I am so glad I had the chance to walk its hallways, even though school was out. I am praying that we will be the dreamers of His dreams for this campus.

Walking the U of Saskatchewan..

2011-07-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

Onto the University. The size and scale of the U of S is impressive.Even though school was essentially out for the summer, and the hallways and cafeterias were bare, there was still a powerful sense of its vibrancy. And the building and renovation is everywhere! It is a city within a city.

In a few weeks this will be jammed with students...

As I mentioned to John, it is almost painful for me to step onto a campus in September. The sheer weight of the challenge and the potential of the opportunity is simply overwhelming. As Drew guided us through its hallways, and we stood on the sixth floor of a building looking over the campus, we were led to pray. The weight of the opportunity was tangible. The sense of God's Spirit brooding over the campus was real.

Praying over the U of S Campus

There is a lot of work to do. At Campus Mission Canada, we approach the campus in a variety of different ways. Chaplaincy? Student Club? Church Ministry? What approach, or variety of approaches, would be best? Further, we do not want to either run ahead of God nor to lag behind Him. Our natural tendency is to lag well behind, but regardless we want to get it right. The number one priority at present, and in fact the first item of business would be catalyzing prayer for the campus. Not token prayer, but intentional prevailing prayer.

So, we have specific options. What rights and privileges go with Horizon College’s affiliation with the U of S? How do we go about starting a student group? With whom? How do we sort out the necessary procedural stuff within the District? How do we engage people meaningfully in the project so that we are able to leverage the gifts and abilities of those who are being called to help build a enduring campus ministry. It is honestly difficult to overstate the potential in God for what might happen on and through this campus.

Running Back to Saskatoon: The Journey is underway

2011-07-27T15:14:00.001-04:00

Flat? Maybe, but the skies were alive. God was speaking.

I wasn’t quite sure what He was saying, but He was certainly speaking…

Actually, it was a show.

The Skies were alive in 360 degrees

Yup... God rays..

It was a show...

The gently undulating topography of the prairie is certainly more subtle than that of other areas but nonetheless beautiful. Because you can see so much further, the far away changes in vegetation and elevation almost beckon you … it does something inside of me...

I arrived in Saskatoon and met with John Drisner and his intern Drew Chapman. Drew was a grad of U of Guelph and formerly a C4C worker at the U of S. Presently the student president of Horizon College.

John and Drew

John is the Superintendent of the Saskatchewan District, and in the unusual position of being both the DS and the lead pastor of his church. I was at the conference where he was upfront ( see May blog), when he let his name stand for the DS elections. He affirmed that he and his church leadership had prayed about it and that he would run with the clear understanding that he would still maintain (although adapt) his lead pastoral role at Lawson Heights . At the time, although I was a visitor, it was clear to me that John was going to be ‘the guy’. I had the opportunity to shake hands with him as the conference came to an end and then chatting with him over a meal, last month, at our national Mission Canada conference.

He is a strong leader and a solid communicator. In beginning a series on FaceBook Theology, he intersected with various theological discussions occurring online. Affirmative of the fact that people are actually discussing theology over Facebook, he provided the caution that most do not have grids or filters through which to evaluate people’s comments or arguments. He then made an effort to lay out a primer on postmodernism and how it affects the way people perceive and process the world around them. What could have been a dry academic exercise was made relevant by describing how different generations “think” or “feel” about truth. Moderns demand logic and sense. Postmoderns want it to “feel right”. While this is no doubt a generalization, it is one that has some connection to reality.

Lawson Heights Pentecostal Assembly is well situated in relation to the University of Saskatchewan. It is less than a ten minute drive, just across the river on the North and West of the city. Further, it has a user friendly feel to it that would appeal to a broad cross section of students. However, the idea behind what we do is not to try to attract students to church but to bring church to students. It is incarnational rather than attractional. One should not have to choose, but the point is: we need to go to where they are.

Calgary: The journey begins...

2011-07-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

I got the chance in Calgary to have breakfast with Kelly Johnson and Glenn Ryland who are our chaplains at the U of Calgary and Mount Royal U, respectively. I was hopeful about checking out the University of Lethbridge with them but it wasn’t going to work out. I am continually struck with their quality and just how well their universities and faith communities are served by them. Glenn is actually being hired full time by MRU on its faculty ( they love him that much) and will be able to continue his chaplaincy duties on a part time basis.

Some random personal things....

I worked through my midlife crisis in four days. The rental company gave me a free upgrade to a Mustang GT 5.0. It had been a long time since I had heard ( felt) the roar and throb of a jacked V8. It turns out that the 2011 GT is Ford’s pride and joy, the car critics' darling, and that it can go from 0 to the traffic court in mere seconds. Anyway.. got that out of my system.

Personal stuff. Helping my mom sort through meaningful things as she moves into a seniors' home. Thinking about what to bring back home that would be meaningful for the coming generations – especially for my daughters. China.. carefully packed and brought home. I also inherited Mom's little red car which would bring me back across the country. I took a lot of digital pictures of Mom's pictures....

My family when I was 11

My family when I was 35

Having helped my Mom find a suitable burial plot, we buried my father’s ashes. There had been a variety of complications that prevented this from happening before. .... Hope of resurrection. From dust to dust. Ashes to ashes. He was a special man. A brother in Christ. Victorious in death.

I got to meet David’s former boss who made it clear to me how much he thought of the boy and what he stood for. He too had lost a son and we were able to connect at the level of empathy. It is like finding a fellow compatriot in a foreign country. We spoke the same language and understood each other. Thank you, brother.

David Robert POWELL | POWELL, David Robert | LifeNews.ca

2011-06-20T14:48:00.000-04:00

David Robert POWELL POWELL, David Robert LifeNews.ca

A light burning brightly. Shine on, my son, shine on....

Mission Canada. What are we about...

2011-06-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

Let’s talk about what we are about. Mission Canada is about doing missions in Canada, realizing there are unreached peoples right in our own front yard. This is our Jerusalem and Judea ( Acts 1:8). We are prayerfully developing strategies to reach the unreached people in our own country: people who would otherwise live beyond the reach of the traditional model of doing church. In otherwords, people who for whatever reason would rarely if ever darken the door of an organizational church.

In my world, this involves the campuses of our nation. It is clear to me that what we are doing in CMC anticipates the need for creative models of building Kingdom communities among the unreached. These redemptive communities do not replace the church. They augment it. Better yet, they are arms and hands of the church reaching into the darkness. They may not be the complete Body, but they are connected to it. They are part of it. For that reason, we do not see what we are doing as “para-church”. The term I coined years ago is “apo-church” which means out from the church. Organically connected to it.

It has been rewarding to share with people who not only on the same team but who do their parts with passion and excellence. Further, they do it with humility. We all realize that we are up against Goliath – a giant that mocks and intimidates. Goliath has a way of breaking any sense of self reliance. Goliath has a way of forcing us into God. Goliath is the entrance point for the revelation of God’s glory.

I sat down with a dear brother and a new friend , Norm Bishop, who is the men’s ministry director for the District I am a part of: The Western Ontario District. He was very encouraging. Actually, he simply could not believe he had not heard about what we are doing on campus and was passionate about getting our story out. When he had a chance to hear our story and what we are about, he was determined to help us find ways to get our story out to the churches and to help us connect with those people who would be thrilled to hear what we are actually up to.

Emerging Gen discussion

As part of the conference, when we were not in the plenary sessions, we met in various groups. On the first day, the groups were mixed. This means that the various focus groups did not meet together but were jumbled up into various groups that responded to hard, searching questions regarding what we do and why we do it. On the second day, I was part of an emerging generation discussion where we talked about ensuring that discipleship does not happen in isolation amongst the various age and stage ministries ( e.g. Children’s, Junior High, Youth, Campus ). While we did not arrive at any conclusions or action points, it opened up a long needed discussion.

When we met as a Campus Guiding Group, it was all synergy. We have such gifted people and it was amazing to see how they had incorporated the overall vision of our national leader, David Wells, and incorporated it into our values and goals. The outcome of that meeting will be another blog....

Mission Canada Summit 2011 Montreal

2011-06-16T13:37:00.000-04:00

Arrived in Montreal. Again, the streets of Montreal teeming with people, many of whom are students.

With Kelly Johnson ( U of Calgary) in Old Montreal

Mission Canada hoisted the Summit: a gathering of the core of PAOC leaders and influencers from across Canada. These are Ministry leaders that reflect the core emphases of Mission Canada. Namely: Aboriginal, New Immigrants, Urban, Emerging Generation and francophone Canada. These emphases were identified as priorities because they are gaps that are not being reached at present by the local church.

MC Core Team: Gary Connors, George Werner, Natalie Rogge, Jaz Ghag

We stayed in a cool former convent, known as The Grey Nuns.

Grey Nuns - my 4th Floor window view....

It is presently owned by Concordia University and it is a student residence during the school year. I love the high ceilings and wide hallways and even the lack of air conditioning.

Concordia again. Buildings in foreground and background

View from the Molson School of Business of the busy city below

Speaking of Concordia, I make no secret of the fact that this school intrigues me. Its urban campus is integrated into the downtown core. Its buildings look just like any other office building, but what a difference! Having been in hundreds of campus buildings in the course of my job, it is my humble opinion that the architect of the building we met in ( The John Molson School of Business ) deserves an award. It just makes sense. As one of my team put it, it makes him want to go back to school. It is functional. It is hip. It’s big. It’s beautiful. It makes great use of natural light and creates multitudes of spaces for students to work and study individually and in groups. Further, it has state of the art classrooms and ampitheatres. All of this in the heart of a bustling downtown core.

School was going on all around us....

In this building, we saw at least four ( probably all five) of our missional priorities represented. Campus ministry, of course. Also, Quebec/Francophone Canada, New Immigrants and Urban. We could not immediately tell how the first nations were represented in the school, but we have no doubt they are. It was simply a powerful visual symbol of our missional priorities. We could not have picked a better spot to make our point.

Concordia Buildings from street level

LaSalle College

Maritime Campus Ministry Convergence

2011-06-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

The idea behind my trip to Nova Scotia was providing a context where our people in the Maritimes interested in campus ministry could learn about what God has been doing across the country through our movement and offering them an opportunity to think and pray about where they might fit into the unfolding story. Because there is an unfolding story. Since many in our movement work in relative isolation, it was encouraging for them to hear the stories and see how our C5 approach evolved along with how we implement it. It was encouraging for them to hear about how we contextualize what we do and find ways to make our efforts fit each situation.

Flying to Halifax, I decided to use a plane flight as a metaphor. It occurred to me to start ‘ take off’ by telling a bit about my own story and involvement with campus ministry for the past thirty years. That brought us up to cruising altitude where we had an opportunity to look at the breadth of campus ministry in Canada from the thirty thousand foot level and talk about the distillation of the C5 approach across the county.

Then we 'landed' in the Maritimes. Rev David Martin, our creative young Acadian pastor in Dieppe,NB talked about his ministry to the francophone University of Moncton. Haute Zone ( it rhymes with Ozone, and I butchered the pronunciation when I introduced him) is a great example of contextualized ministry that responds well to the unique needs and challenges presented by the specific institution.

We had a solid time of discussion regarding challenges in the communities represented and some of the campuses we would like to approach first. The Maritimes have a number of first class universities and colleges , many with churches nearby. The questions arose: How can we get the churches to engage the campus missionally? Would there be any willingness on their part to do it, if they have not done it already? Is it a matter of finding the right person or is it a matter of finding the right church? All I can say is that it depends. I am really happy that campus ministry is on the District’s radar and hope and pray that it can lead to constructive action.

Finally, I appreciated the opportunity to hang out with David Sawler - Church Planter and ministry leader who is putting Cape Breton Island ( the northern arm of Nova Scota) on the proverbial map. The author of "The Goodbye Generation" , Dave not only sees the need for campus ministry but for cooperative models of ministry development that transcend traditional denominational boundaries.

I also had breakfast with Jim Molloy, the ministry director for the District who introduced me to a gifted youth leader who is considering whether to engage a nearby campus in a full-time capacity over breakfast. That was an encouraging time.

Anyway, time will see.

Dalhousie University

2011-06-02T12:44:00.000-04:00

After landing in the Robert Stanfield International Airport, in Halifax N.S. , I set my trusty GPS for Dalhousie University. It brought me to the edge of campus where I was able to find free parking and walked towards University Avenue, and the centre of campus. Soon it brought me to the Chaplaincy Centre ,which is a house on the campus. Fortuitously, the only people there happened to be the very people I had hoped to find. The Christian Reformed Chaplain, Brad Close happened to be there with his intern, Desiree MacNeil. It had every evidence of being a God appointment. They had just come back into the centre for some random reason and were in the act of leaving when I showed up. They were friendly enough to ask me if they could help me and introduced themselves. Bingo….

Chaplain Brad Close and Desiree

Anyway, we had a great time of talking shop and comparing notes when it comes to campus ministry. Also, we knew a number of people in common. The fact is: we are on the same Team. Different tribes in the same nation working towards the same cosmic goal: bringing all things under one Head that is Christ: Eph 1:10. They are wrestling with the same issues we are and working for the same Boss. In a few hours, we left as old friends. I look forward to connecting with them again when I am back in Halifax.

Grad @ Dal

A couple of days later, I dropped back at Dal because I wanted to do another brief walk through. There is something about that campus I find to be compelling. It is , as Macleans magazine puts it: Canada’s smallest big university. It is both small and big. It has a medical and dental school, a world class reputation and faculty and a very liveable and human campus. In a previous blog, I referred to a ministry of a friend of our Fellowship, Mike Miller, called Shiloh University Church. It is an exciting expression of charismatic Christianity meeting on this campus. There are other notable ministries operating on campus. However, it is clear to me that all of them combined only scratch the surface of what God is up to on this campus. We need to think and pray about what our role might be.

Add caption

It is surrounded by residential/commercial neighborhoods that range from quaint to funky.

quaint

As I dropped into the neighborhood Starbucks to use their wi-fi, I was surrounded by a group of people who evidently knew each other. The lady nearest to me called a man over to chat and he sat a few feet from me. I looked over and blinked. I asked him if he had ever lived in Vancouver. He immediately asked me if I was Robb Powell and introduced himself to me as Mark. My recognition was complete.

Mark

Mark Carvery was a member of Point Grey Community Church back in the day and a mutual friend of a former intern, David Langille. He let everyone know I was his former pastor. Before he had to leave for work, a really sweet couple of moments of catching up with each other’s life. He is a videographer doing an ambitious project on the history of Africville in N.S. I confess that I never knew about it before. I took our 'random' encounter as another serendipitous sign of God at work. In fact, the lady ( a social catalyst named Lana) who had called him over to talk, told me that she had just called him over on a whim. Further, she was a former member of Southside Community Church in BC, where she attended for three years. She too saw God in this encounter.

Coming Home

Indiana Bound

2011-05-31T14:43:00.000-04:00

I took a van load of our WOD campus leaders down to the Chai Alpha Great Lakes Regional Conference for campus ministers ( known as FORWARD). We haven’t been able to spend time together as a group, so this afforded a great opportunity for the leaders to get to know each other. Robin Wallar, the student leader for Lift Church and Joe Wahba, pastor of The Embassy at U of Waterloo left with me from my house and we picked up Tevor Gingerich ( Humber College Embassy ), Andrew Masters ( pastor, Lift Church), Aaron Mix-Ross ( emerging campus leader) and Rielly McLaren ( chaplain at St. Claire College ) on the way. When I heard them connecting and synergizing I knew that if it had just been for the van ride down to Indiana it was worth it. I had two modest goals for the weekend. Connecting and learning. I think we accomplished both.

Joe, Trevor , Robin, Andrew and Aaron : Waiting for Rielly in Windsor...

Our friends, Steve and Belkis Lehman were our hosts. We were quickly enveloped into the Chai Alpha fold and found we had both a lot to receive and a lot to share with our new friends. The worship times were great. Time was given for response and prayer ministry. People were touched and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. There was prophetic challenge and exhortation combined with vulnerability and openness.

Steve and Gabe Lehman

I taught a seminar on ‘Breaking the 30 Barrier’. In campus ministry, that is a real, albeit soft, numerical barrier. It is borne out by Chai Alpha’s own statistics. I took the time to talk about why we would bother talking about numbers. The point is that it is not about numbers but it is about growth. Healthy organisms grow and reproduce. Thirty is the size to which a campus ministry grows, beyond which the campus pastor is not able to minister personally to everybody. Although there are other reasons, it is an actual sociological barrier. There needs to be an equipping of students to carry the load.

Trevor represents Canada... :)

Trevor and Robin shared from their recent experiences. I could not have been prouder of them. They did a fantastic job of walking through the things they had to do in order to break that barrier in their own ministries. While I gave the general overview, they brought the meat and potatoes. I then finished by defining three basic barriers. External, Structural and Internal. Focusing on the last category, I asked the group about what things might be limiting them within themselves. It could be fear, apathy, lack of vision , unbelief or something else. I left it with asking them to search their own hearts with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Steve asked me to speak on things I learned through the loss of my son. On Sunday morning I shared on the Hope of Eternity and we shared in the communion table together. It was a very meaningful way to wrap up the conference. We made new friends and saw God move.

Six Guys at the Five Guys ...

The conference wrapped up and we journeyed back up to the True North strong and free.

Saskatoon: my boyhood home

2011-05-31T14:12:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed the opportunity to visit the city of my boyhood, Saskatoon. After a creative series of flights to get there, I joined in with the spring district conference as a representative of the national office. Led by outgoing superintendent Dwight Schapansky ( who is a good guy even if he did go to the wrong high school) , it was like a family reunion, and I was privileged to see the election of John Drisner as the new District Superintendent.

GS David Wells leads prayer for the service of ordination.

I was there with a double purpose, because I also wanted to spend time at the University of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is the only district on our Fellowship that does not have a CMC campus ministry and I wanted to check out the university. In fact, when I was going to high school at Evan Hardy Collegiate, I worked part-time in the foodservices at the U of S, and was a frequent user of their weight room and football fields.

49 Lindsay Drive My childhood home

The U of S is a beautiful, full sized university, nestled on the banks of the South Saskatchewan and a few blocks away from my grandparents' former home. It is , in and of itself, a small city. Indeed, if it were to be airlifted out of Saskatoon and dropped in the middle of the prairie, it would form Saskatchewan’s fifth largest city. Concurrent with the province’s economic rise, in no small part localized in Saskatoon, it is experiencing a massive building boom. It is bustling.

U of S Classroom

Further, it has a vibrant campus culture. Strolling through the Student Centre, it is clear that the Student Union USSU has a strong presence and an aggressive take on what could be described as a progressive cultural agenda. It is clear that the existing chaplaincy and church networks connected to the campus share this perspective. It is also clear that these networks are shells of what they once were and there is a need for both a revitalization and fresh input. It was a sad moment for me to visit the beautiful Anglican Chapel on the edge of campus, with soaring ceilings and gorgeous stained glass to find that it is now the Grad Student’s lounge. It is like seeing a Lamborghini used as a delivery vehicle.

Across the street. It proves my point.

There are presently several solid Christian groups on campus. C4C and InterVarsity. There is also the CCO Catholic Campus Outreach which is on the evangelical wing of the Catholic Church. While I always celebrate the good work these organizations do for Christ, it is also clear to me that there is a massive void and opportunity here at the U of S if we are going to even begin to reach this institution for Christ. I really believe that we can make a difference. With our C5 approach, we can serve the institution and reach men and women. To borrow the language of our Chai Alpha friends, it is about reaching, reconciling and transforming.

I would pray that the churches of this fine district would not be content with the status quo. The challenge is too big. The stakes are too high. There is an incredible opportunity here, if we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

The Gospel Coalition Conference. Chicago.

2011-05-31T13:55:00.000-04:00

Karen and I had the privilege of taking in the GCC in Chicago, at the end of April. Quite simply, it exceeded my expectations. With speakers like.. Tim Keller, Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, D.A. Carson, James McDonald, Alister Begg and others, I knew it was going to be good. But it was better....

One of several panel discussions in the plenary sessions

Actually, the reason it was originally on our radar was the invitation of our recent friends, Nancy and David Guthrie. Nancy was speaking in a workshop about helping people through grief. They were the leaders of a retreat that Karen and I went to last year which helped us immensely.

The conference theme was finding and preaching Christ in the Old Testament. I have to tell you that as a preacher who has long wrestled with that very topic, this was simply great stuff - seeing the big boys go at it.

Anyway, here were some of my concerns going in. Whenever a group defines themselves as orthodox over and against other groups, there is a certain danger of smugness and even a polemical spirit. Fortunately, there was little of that at this conference. Even though the GC figured prominently in the hubbub over Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins, it did not over emphasize the controversy. They held a special early morning session on it which was not only well attended but done with clarity and considerable grace.

The highlight? Well, it was Tim Keller. Beyond all of the hype and the fact that he is the new IT Man in evangelical/reformed circles, he struck me as a unique convergence of experience, personality, brilliance and gifting. The whole shebang. Who I want to be if I ever grow up. He is a pastor, leader, apologist, communicator, writer, biblical exegete and expositor all wrapped up in an absolutely enthralling package.

Very few people can completely disarm my radar and built in skepticism. By skepticism, I mean that I delay the verdict. I want to check sources and make my own opinion thank you very much… Yet, I found as he spoke that I just had the sense that well.. if Tim said it , it is just so darn reasonable that it has got to be true. I guess that it flows from Credibility. He is genuine. So is his core message and the way he delivers it.

Mark Driscoll

Another highlight was hearing Mark Driscoll speak on the role of the Holy Spirit in ministry. Rolling through the book of Luke, he developed the Lucan theology of the Spirit in a way that reminded me of our own Roger Stronstadt who has argued long and well that Luke needs to be taken seriously as a theologian in his own right. While Driscoll gave some funny tweaks in the direction of pentecostals, he was powerfully affirming of the major sweep of charismatic spirituality when it is combined with biblical orthodoxy and orthopraxy.

Just one more. Matt Chandler, who is surviving a devastating bout with brain cancer was simply amazing. His words rang with truth and power, as he challenged the group to deal with eternity. A ridiculously gifted speaker, his words came with great weight as he spoke.

The Conference was at the McCormick Conference Centre near downtown. The word monstrous comes to mind. We had perhaps 6 to 7 thousand people at this conference, complete with hundreds of thousands of square feet of displays and extra breakout rooms. And we were simply squirreled away in one part of the complex. It was unbelievable.

Montreal.... LP Blog

2011-03-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

Travelled to Montreal by VIA Rail. Once I factor in fatigue and gas, it was the most economical way to go. I was able to board the train at Aldershot ( on the west end of Burlington ) and travel almost directly to downtown Montreal in about six hours.

Central Station was a huge, bustling hub of travel and business and only a couple of kilometers away from my destination – Evangel Pentecostal Church. EPC was a long, pleasant stroll down Rue Ste. Catherine’s. RSC is a street jammed with character and which is also filled with thousands of post-secondary students during the day.

Looking East on RSC. Just past the students is the green awning of EPC's 'storefront'.

The fact is, EPC is so strategically placed that it almost looks as if God knew what He was doing  . It is almost next door to LaSalle College, across the street from Dawson College and right in the middle of the urban campus of Concordia University. Concordia is an utterly fascinating project: integrating its campus buildings into the urban core of Montreal. The thousands of students who live, study and recreate in the area bring an intense vibrancy to the streets that must be “felt” to be appreciated, let alone understood.

Looking East from the EPC storefront towards LaSalle College. Concordia is just a few blocks down the road.

It has been contended that Montreal has the highest per capita population of university students of any major urban centre in North America. Boston would be the only real contender in its weight class. If we were to extract the post-secondary students from Montreal and transplant them somewhere else, say the Eastern Townships, it would create Canada’s thirteenth largest city. Seriously.

Psegga at the entrance of Innovation Youth - an organization we will partner with..

Into this, enter Psegga Jones, our newly commissioned Mission Canada missionary. Psegga is working through and with EPC to reach out to this burgeoning community. She comes with a boatload of experience and expertise that will be indispensible for reaching out to the student population. She has taken on a God sized challenge. I believe she brings the combination of wisdom, Holy Spirit savvy, people skills and humility to help create a powerful missional community right in the heart of the action. She is aware of both her strengths and limitations and it is evident that her previous experience has positioned her well to do what she has been called to do.

Psegga gave me a a tour of the community, including a remarkable ministry called Innovation Youth. We intend to partner with IY in the near future. More about that another time.

EPC is situated “kitty-corner” from the old Montreal Forum, which has now been gentrified and woven into the mall architecture of downtown. Evangel owns a building which was previously a restaurant that faces out onto RSC with entrances at street level. There is space for all sorts of ministry opportunities that will give Psegga and those God calls to work with her a great launch pad for what God places on their hearts to do. As I walked among the thousands of young adults teeming on the street, it struck me that this is the kind of facility that I would be praying for if I were a missionary to the community. The beauty of it is that Evangel already owns it.

The vast majority of those out on the streets are young adults.

on a side street, what would look like a boutique is actually a classroom. Notice the sign...

I also had the privilege of spending some time with Jonathan Hutchison, who is the leader of our campus initiative at Carleton University. Jonathan joined up with me to hang out with Psegga and I in order to have an opportunity to see her new world. He has some great stories to share about what God is doing in and through his students at Carleton and brings some wise, fresh eyes to bear in looking at the challenge and opportunities of campus ministry in Montreal. Since he is only an hour and a half train ride from Montreal, I really believe that he will be a key piece in what God wants to accomplish there in the next few years.

Gary and Jonathan

I also had an opportunity to spend time with Gary Connors, our Mission Canada coordinator for Quebec and Francophone Canada. Gary is also based in EPC, where he works part time as the Adult Ministry Team Leader in a flexible arrangement. Godly, experienced and charming, Gary is completely bilingual and the perfect interface between French and English Canadian realities. I actually can’t conceptualize a better person for what he does. Having previously pastored in Montreal, he was also our District Superintendent of the Quebec District. He proved to be an extraordinary travel guide and gave Jonathan and I a wonderful tour of Montreal, including the quintessential bagel shop in the Jewish quarter.

Gary facilitated a breakfast meeting with Pastor Mario Sassi of Lakeshore Evangelical Church, a fine PAOC spiritual community near John Abbot College and the MacDonald campus of McGill University. His associate, Tammy Findlay, and key ministry leader, Alexandria, are bright, aware and competent. They carry a deep burden to reach this campus and are a natural fit for the larger national conversation occurring amongst our campus leaders. They recognize the challenge and the opportunity of the campus and are very concerned to provide an alternative to what has been previously done on campus.

Tammy, Mario & Alexandra

I met with Stephen Schalm, a leader for InterVarsity at McGill University, where he works among international students. One of our own PAOC guys, Stephen has a big heart for McGill which presents a very different set of opportunities and challenges than found at Concordia.

Steve Schalm @ McGill

While Concordia is spread out across Montreal and is primarily a ‘commuter’ school, McGill is more of a “bubble”. It is almost a self contained universe. You will see some photos that illustrate this, from Mont Royal and on the street level. It has the classic architecture that is designed to impress, if not awe, the observer complete with large iron gates, stone walls and sweeping lawns. McGill enjoys high international ratings as a university and not a few students absorb some of its elite swagger.

The dream is that we can be part of what God is about to do on the campuses of Montreal. I have not even begun to talk about the francophone universities, like the University of Montreal which enjoys considerable prestige and influence in the French speaking world and which is one of Canada’s largest universities. That too is part of the dream, but one we will have to give much prayer to until it is fulfilled.

The lowlying buildings ( including the round one ) in the foreground belong to McGill

Multiplying.....

2011-03-15T12:12:00.000-04:00

I had the privilege of being an observer at a special church multiplication summit hosted by Mission Canada at Portico Church in Mississauga. At the request of the District Superintendents, Mission Canada facilitated a two day conversation between national and district leaders, along with key church planters, to work on a national strategy for church multiplication.

Good things happen when good people are locked into a room for two days to pray and plan. It was a rewarding opportunity to see God at work in and through people I have grown to love and respect.

First, we heard from Craig Burton, the Superintendent of our Eastern Ontario District, who originally called for a national level discussion about why and how we do (and will do) church multiplication in our movement.

Next, we heard from our General Superintendent, Dave Wells, who spoke from his heart about finding ways to reach lost people. He revisited an image from several years ago when he described how he received his news. He uses both “Hard Copy”( printed media on paper) and wireless ( on the screen). He appreciates both. It is not a matter of either/or. The same is true for how people can receive and appreciate the Good News.

For years we have done “Hard Copy”, gathering people into “church”. We have learned to do this reasonably well. However, future success does not lie in simply trying to do this better, but in finding ways in which people are open to hearing and receiving the most amazing message ever given to our species. It is not about replacement. It is about augmenting what we do - adding to our tool box.

This certainly resonates with what we are about at Campus Mission Canada. We are on the cusp of the movement to both strengthen and improve what we have done before and to risk and innovate in finding ways to reach people who would otherwise never be able to hear or receive what it is we have to share.

So, facilitated by John Caplin, the former assistant superintendent of the BC/Yukon District and now the president of his own consulting/coaching company, the group was led through a series of questions and exercised in first framing the issues and then in determining how we would respond to them. It was stated from the outset that there was an allergy to the phrase “church planting” because for various reasons it has accumulated a considerable amount of baggage. So, we used the term Church Multiplication.

John Caplin coaching a discussion...

More specifically, we wrestled with “ Why become a Church Multiplication Movement (CMM)? What barriers are there to our becoming a CMM? What would it look like if we really were a CMM? What strengths and liabilities do we bring to the table? What steps can we take , at all levels, to become a CMM? What steps will we take?

Leaders hashed through the questions at their tables , wrote them on large sheets of paper and then presented them to the larger group. As they did, there was the creation of a synergy where we were all able to see the issues from a variety of perspectives and to develop a larger picture. My role was to absorb and chronicle. I would have loved to have jumped in on the discussion, but Mission Canada was concerned to facilitate the discussion and not to skew it in any direction.

CMC's own Matt Glombick ( Epic @ U of Alberta ) presents...

Having said that, I need to underline that I really believe that what we are doing on the campuses anticipates the direction of where the larger movement can go ( while I have banned the term “cutting edge” and “paradigm” from our CMC vocabulary, they might actually work here ;) ).

In the discussion, the term church was queried. I believe that there are biblical and historic markers for the term so we need to find other terms rather than bend this one out of shape. Given this, we have been talking about “missional communities” or “discipling communities”. I would also add “redemptive communities” which means that we are aligned with the big picture of God’s redemptive activity on this earth. It is not limited to reaching people ,but also transforming culture and affecting institutions. For me, properly understood, it combines the elements we are looking for. It can be applied to formal and informal groups. It can refer to clubs or churches. It works for us. Therefore, I would see us as a RCMM – if you will…

Sharing at The Humber Embassy

2011-02-16T15:37:00.000-05:00

On Monday evening, Feb 14, I had the privilege of joining Trevor Gingerich at The Embassy at Humber ( see posting September, 2010) to talk to their gathering. As I explained to the group, it was a lot easier to get there than the first time I went ( Oct 6, 2008) where I assumed that I would be able to find the meeting without problem just by arriving on campus and looking for its signs. Well, it was the Embassy's inaugural Monday meeting, Humber College was a whole lot bigger than I ever imagined, and the signs never materialized. Indeed, no one I asked had any idea whatsoever where I might find this meeting. When I finally stumbled across it, the meeting was over, things were being packed up, Trevor was gone and I chatted with a few students. This would be about a year before I started my present position – and it was my wedding anniversary, to boot. I had gone into serious relationship debt over a meeting I never actually got to see.. :P

Monday Night @ Embassy Humber

Back to the present. Humber is a big institution. The Embassy, through the commitment and effort of its students, has found considerable favour with the institution. They are able to meet in the commons area which allows them visibility and accessibility. At present, they are meeting right near the cafeterias and across the commons from where they met in the fall. It allows them to have a sense of relative privacy, while being open and easily accessible.

I took the opportunity to talk about “living for eternity now”. Specifically, I talked about what I have learned since 12/11, the day Dave died. Far from focusing on death, my questions revolve around:
What does it mean to truly live the life we have been created and called to live?
How can we live meaningfully without a vision of The Bigger Picture?
What’s preventing us from Living “ All In and All Out” both of which Dave did in spades.

Again, it was moving to see how his life and words had a way of focusing us all on what it really important. They point us to Jesus – who embodies all that is truly Real.

I must confess, though. In looking back, I realize that there was what I could only describe as a spiritual battle taking place before and after. I wasn’t as much aware of it when I was actually in the middle of it, but more so when I had a couple of days to think about it all. I take that part of the biblical cosmology seriously, with the proviso that it receives no more ( or less) than its proper due. Given all of that, I count it all privilege and joy.

It is really encouraging to see what God is doing in and through The Embassy.

Church In The Box

2011-02-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

One of the privileges I have is working with the chaplain of Redeemer University College, Dr. Syd Hielema, as an adjunct chaplain. As he words it – he is a reformed guy with pentecostal leanings and I am a pentecostal guy with reformed leanings.

Actually, I was sort of a John the Baptist for him, forerunning as a part-time chaplain at Redeemer ,from 1997 to 2006, clearing the way for a full time chaplaincy position. Anyhoo...., he invited me to join him this year, a day per week – which helps augment my income and provides yet another avenue for me to pour into the emerging generation. This includes my own son, Jordan, who is actively involved in the life of the school. Working in both secular and Christian institutions, I recognize that there are challenges and opportunities in both, with considerable common ground.

One of the privileges of working at Redeemer is being able to work with the spiritual ‘keeners’, who see Redeemer as a means to the greater ends of being worldchangers. Like any school, students will vary in their reasons for being there, but there is a solid core of them who are there on a mission. Some of those students are involved in leading what is called “Church In The Box” ( CITB ) where, as I tell them, they are not a church but they are doing church. It is Church as a verb, if you will. Once per month around a thousand young people gather to worship, hear a speaker and be challenged in their faith.

Corey, Paul and Team...

The beauty of it is: the students pretty much do it all. They develop the themes, discuss and select the songs, lead the worship, do drama and creative arts, greet, pray, do prayer ministry, run the AV and lights, select the speaker and whatever else it takes to pull off the biggest production at Redeemer outside of convocation. They have a faculty advisor, Richard Wikkerink, and chaplaincy input and oversite, which has proven helpful for continuity and guidance.

Tag Team Scripture Reading

Anyway, last night was the February CITB, featuring a well loved professor of English at Redeemer, Dr. Deborah (Deb) Bowen. Deb, picking up the theme of “Sidekicks of The Faith” talked about a “ministry couple” namely, Aquila and Priscilla. A & P were friends of the apostle Paul used strategically by God in the propagation of the gospel. In a humble, personal fashion she described current examples of key people who had modeled 'gospel partnerships' and who had made an impact on the life of both her and her husband, Dr. John Bowen.

Dr. Bowen Presents:

I love that worship team. The leader, Corey, has both skill and presence. I want to find out sometime what it is that made him into what he is. Yet the cool thing is that he does not dominate. Like a great quarterback, he distributes the ball. It’s a great combination. Anyway, kudos to the entire CITB team for another job well done.

Come Be The Fire....

We NEED to be There....

2011-02-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

Sunago @ UVic

I had to write a 200 word piece for our updated Mission Canada publication, SUPPOSE that we will put out in the spring. As you can imagine, it is difficult to stuff " a quart into a pint bottle", but here is what I submitted this morning, before the editors get their hands on it....... It came in just under the limit.

We NEED to be there.

When their minds are opened to engage the broader world. When they lay down a foundation for the rest of their lives.

When they ask big questions. …What really matters? How can we know? Why should we care?

When their lives are in flux.. engaging questions about their future

When they are looking for friendships, community, purpose, value, identity, meaning, a bigger picture.

When faith is attacked, undermined or negated.

When they dream big dreams… and make big choices.

When, whether they realize it, they are looking for God

When they have the potential of making a difference for eternity in the lives of hundreds of their peers

We ARE there….

Campus Mission Canada is on dozens of Canadian campuses, led by God to develop Spirit filled communities that challenge both the mind and the spirit.

......Communities that witness to the power of Christ in every corner of our broken world.

.....Ones that see the challenge and the potential of the university and recognize its critical role in shaping our culture.

We WILL BE there…

We are reaching onto new campuses each year. Join us. There is so much yet to be done!

Ian Rennie and Jamie Smith : Perspectives on pentecostalism

2011-02-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

Back in the day, when I was at Regent College in Vancouver, I was privileged to study "History of Christianity" under Dr. Ian Rennie. Dr. Rennie was a brilliant and personable pastor/scholar with a deep commitment to the entire Church and to his Presbyterian heritage. He left Regent College and had moved to Ontario and had since become Dean of Tyndale Seminary in Toronto.

Dr. Ian Rennie

I say that to say this: He wrote a letter to a friend ,which was later published, that resonated with what I knew of the man. I provide the link below. Speaking as someone who had been birthed into the Kingdom by God's power and who struggled to integrate this with "the academy" I found his words both helpful and challenging.

Specifically, this article is about Pentecostalism...... by a Presbyterian.

Dr. Ian Rennie on Pentecostalism

Further, I would like to commend a book to you by James K.A. Smith , Associate Professor of Philosophy at Calvin College and (among his many hats) the executive director of the Society of Christian Philosophers. It is entitled “Thinking In Tongues: Pentecostal Contributions to Christian Philosophy”. There are a variety of reasons I would recommend this to people on the inside and outside of the Pentecostal/charismatic stream of Christianity. For the record, while being a renowned neo-calvinist , Smith also defines himself as a small p “pentecostal” which means that, in light of the breadth of our movement, he sees himself connected to this stream of spirituality without being having to be defined as such in any denominational manner.

From the introduction onward, I resonated with so many aspects of this book that I don’t know where to begin. He not only provides a robust apologetic for pentecostal spirituality ( although that is not his goal) but the philosophical implications for working from pentecostal presuppositions ( which he roundly affirms). In other words, he was determined to break fresh ground into areas where pentecostals have things to say that need to be heard by the broader Christian community. In fact, he makes a powerful case that the broader Christian community is empoverished by not bringing pentecostals to the table.

In doing so, he has described his book as a “Manifesto”. Indeed, this is but one volume of a series of pentecostal manifestos he plays a significant role in editing. It unsettles and clears the ground in order to open up new areas of dialogue. Towards this end, it succeeds admirably.

I work in an adjunct capacity at Redeemer University College, where there is a strong Reformed foundation and emphasis. I very much appreciate its strength in its broad, all encompassing vision for redemption and education. I see much in their approach to academics to admire and appreciate. Yet, I can see the invaluable ( although often unrecognized ) contribution of pentecostal spirituality to the school. Indeed, the chaplain, Dr. Syd Hielema is very aware that the spiritual leadership provided by pentecostal students is all out of proportion to their numbers. I can see the impact of our movement in everything from the 24/7 prayer vigils to the "Hot Spot" worship events and calls to corporate fasting and respentance. As the 'pentecostal guy' on staff, it is very apparent to me that everyone is impoverished if we are excluded or if we simply allow others to misunderstand or define us. This is exactly Smith’s point.

James K.A.Smith

While he may lose the reader at certain points ( he has a chapter on “a Pentecostal Contribution to a Philosophy of Language” that I guarantee will be slow reading ), he makes for fascinating reading. Let me just hint at one of his points:. When he describes characteristics of authentic pentecostal spirituality and worldview, he writes “ that is why I think Pentecost is really about radical openness to God – especially an openness to a God who exceeds our horizons of expectation and comes unexpectedly ( p. 34)“ . While he is not unaware of controversy, he is adamant that our thinking be freed up from the implicit Enlightenment naturalism that has rigidly controlled our theological categories, and that we allow for “openness and surprise”. Indeed!

Why do I include this: Well, because I really do believe that there is a Kingdom opportunity,here. There is an opportunity to learn from the broader body of Christ and an opportunity to share that which is valuable in our heritage without feeling we need to be apologetic for doing so. There can be a mutually beneficial "cross-pollination" that will benefit the body of Christ as we engage a culture in the midst of seismic flux. The fact is: it is already happening. However, I believe we need to be more intentional about it. We are of the greatest blessing to the Body of Christ when we are what God has called our movement to be....

As we begin a missional movement on our campuses, we want to draw from the wealth of our own spritual heritage, rather than downplay it for the sake of conformity. We need to be very careful not to throw the proverbial baby out with the proverbial bathwater......

Thoughts from Chapel Tuesday morning

2011-02-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana,

I was in chapel this morning at HQ, where James Craig gave us an enlightening overview of a biblical theology of land, and how it applied to the history and legacy of his hometown of Mississauga ( where our HQ is situated) as well as to the Mississauga Tribe who previously owned this land and had it wrested from by through force and deception.

The Mississaugas were a deeply spiritual people who actually converted en masse ( without exception) in the 1820’s to Christianity under the preaching of Peter Jones, a young convert of an English father and Mississauga mother, who would one day become their chief. The phenomena accompanying his preaching – the manifestations if you will – were remarkably similar to those of another move of the Spirit, in Mississauga, known as The Toronto Blessing ( with its epicentre in the controversial Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship). The incontestable fruit of this move of God in the life of the Mississaugas continues to this day.

Peter Jones ( 1802 - 1856 )

Anyway, let me digress, I have long considered myself post-denominational. Educated in interdenominational schools and working on what could be considered as the fringes as a church planter and campus guy, I have appreciated my denom but found my spiritual connections and identity well beyond its borders. However, I have to say that for all of its human and cultural warts, I am growing to appreciate the PAOC now more than ever. I love its diversity and the quality of the people I get to work with. I enjoy watching our leaders like Dave Wells, David Hazzard, Murray Cornelius and George Werner in action. As I tell people, “I work in 'the Vatican', and it is basically Dave, David, Murray and George in the corner offices”. Actually, I could name other names as well. They are good at what they do and leaders for the times.

That brings me to James Craig. I love the fact that he combines rigorous historical analysis, biblical theology and a deep hunger for the moving of the Holy Spirit. I love the fact that we have guys like that. I love the desire to connect the past with the present and the future – as does scripture. Last week, Murray Cornelius, our Overseas Missions Boss ( and fellow Regent College alumnus) challenged us to never lose sight of the Greater Hunger. The emerging generation has a righteous passion for Justice and social action. So it should. We are actively involved in such initiatives all around the world. However, as Murray rightly points out, we will lose our way if we ever replace feeding the “ greater hunger” with feeding the “lesser hunger”. It can never be a case of "either/or". In light of the scriptures and in light of the history of missions, he was absolutely right.

An Article.

2011-01-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

I just had an article/update about Campus Mission Canada printed in the recent January 2011 edition of testimony ,the national magazine for the P.A.O.C.

If you want to get a quick snapshot of what is going on click right HERE.

Also, a year ago I provided an article that not only surveyed our campus ministries, but also explained why it is that we do what we do. Why campus ministry?

If you would like to see it, please click right HERE

Mt Tremblant

2011-01-17T11:08:00.000-05:00

Over a year ago, as I began my role as campus ministries coordinator, I arrived on the campus of Carleton University to pray and to connect with a young pastor, Jonathan Hutchison, of Peace Tower Church. Jonathan had just been released by PTC to give a day per week to the Carleton campus and we talked about first steps to creating a ministry on campus. You can read about this in previous blogs ( Oct 09 etc).

Anyway, Jonathan set to work laying a solid foundation. Carleton Christian Ministries was formed. The ministry began this September and he has been instrumental in drawing together a diverse and dynamic group of students who have a deep desire to pursue God and to change the campus for Christ. A group of the guys have committed to daily prayer from 7-8 on campus, with a combination of worship and prayer ( harp and bowl). As a result, God is “surprising” them with healings and salvations. It is exciting to hear.

So it was a privilege to be the speaker at their inaugural retreat at Mt. Tremblant, an hour and a half north of Montreal. Although a number of their people, including some key leaders, were not able to make it due to commitments they could not escape, there was a solid group of students who came to pray, worship and be challenged by God’s word ( not to mention ski, tube and play board games until the wee hours of the morning). The retreat gave them a chance to learn and play together. I could just sense the depth of prayer that had gone into this retreat and it was exciting to be there.

They came from places like Burundi, Botswana, Guyana, Haiti, Rwanda, Ireland, and Sarnia :) . They came with international experience, a global perspective and the potential to impact people far beyond our sphere. It was a privilege to be amongst them. I think of a quote that Matt Glombick shared with us by another campus minister who wrote “ we are able to have access to future world leaders before they no longer have time for us….”

The entrance theme for our time was “one thing” ( regarding vision and focus) and we talked about how important it is to have a big picture sense of where we are going. That means having a vision of eternity. In the second session we worked from John 3:16 and unwrapped “the big story of God” imbedded in the gospel. In the final session we looked at Living for the Kingdom – Now.. . We actually covered a lot of ground and it was energizing to see people engaging the truth and for “lights to go on..” all across the room.

This is a ministry grounded in prayer. They have a respect and appreciation for the Word. They are not afraid to desire the fulness of God's Spirit, while engaging truth at a profound level. They expect God to communicate Himself to them and it is clear that He does.

It is a solid group and it is well led. Jonathan is one of the rising leaders in our movement and I appreciate his depth and maturity along with his bright mind. His wife,Tera, who accompanied him for the weekend, is an ideal match for him, even as she holds down a demanding job on Capital Hill. I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with them.

Village of St. Jovite with Mt.T in the background

A Day of Three Provinces

2011-01-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

Mitch Lewis

On my final day on the ground (Dec 1) I had the privilege of being in three provinces on the same day. First thing in the morning, we connected with Mitch Lewis who is the pastor of Crossroads Gospel Temple in Amherst, NS. … and also a student at Mount Allison University, fifteen minutes down road, across the DMZ in Sackville, New Brunswick. Mitch has a deep burden for MAU and has been praying about it for some time. He is hoping and praying that the right individual(s) may come along and reach out in an intentional way to the campus community.

Chapel and Commons

AMU is a little jewel of a university. It is always highly ranked amongst Canada’s smaller universities. In fact, it is a perennial #1 in the Macleans Magazine ratings. It is very hard to get into and it has a bit of a reputation as an elite school.

The campus is compact and graciously designed and laid out. The student centre is modern, central and available for events. The Mount Allison Christian Fellowship meets on campus beneath the chapel. It is a vigorous group but it is clear that so much more could happen and so much more needs to happen. I am looking forward to picking up the conversation with Mitch and with Jim Malloy and seeing what possibly might come out of praying, dreaming and strategizing.

14km Confederation Bridge

We left the mainland and made a sprint via the Bridge for P.E.I., home of Anne of Green Gables, as well as the UPEI or University of P.E.I. UPEI is undergoing significant development and expansion and is a veritable hub of activity in the heart of Charlottetown. It is also a neighbor of Calvary Temple, which is strategically located at the intersection of two key highways that run through the city, a couple of blocks from the campus.

Josh in the UPEI Student Centre

Their associate pastor in charge of community outreach and young adults, Josh Singh, is aware of the need for patience and diligence in becoming part of the chaplaincy network on campus. He is well aware that there are times we have to earn a seat at the table. At present, however, he is running a ministry on Sunday nights that is set up very much on the EPIC model which engages students over beverages and encourages them to contribute as well as receive.

UPEI has strong athletic teams and an impact in the region all out of proportion to its size and numbers. It will be exciting to see what God will do on that campus as he brings together the right people and resources.

Halifax: Dalhousie and SMU

2011-01-13T14:32:00.000-05:00

The next day we travelled down to Halifax.On route.. It was my privilege to travel through the village of Stempiak, NS, which is apparently the geographical midway point between the equator and the NPole ( I just knew I felt balanced).

Anyway, we travelled through the trendy neighborhoods of Halifax until we arrived at Saint Mary’s University (SMU). SMU (perennial football powerhouse and alma mater of my relative and former linebacker, Tyler) is a compact school with a big reputation. They cram a lot into a large city block – including a football field ringed by a cathedral, residences, academic buildings, a student centre and athletic facilities. They have , to borrow a British term, stuffed a quart into a pint bottle.

Apparently SMU has the rep as a party school. To hear it told, it is sort of a place where people go to have a good time and figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives.

Although I did not have much time to spend on campus, I was concerned to at least get a feel of the spiritual atmosphere on campus. SMU has Jesuit roots. The Society of Jesus has long stressed academics, a missional orientation and athletics.

engaged chaplaincy

SMU bulletin board

From the people I talked to and what I could see on the Bulletin boards and on the chaplaincy’s brochures and information, the SMU Chaplaincy seems relatively orthodox. The chaplain is targeting catholic students to connect them with their faith – namely introducing them to Jesus.

The bulletin boards reveals a lot of quality innovative programming. The CCO has full time missionaries dedicated to the task. Both C4C and Navs have official status as Societies on campus. I would like to know how it fares for them.

.

On to Dalhousie...

King's College historic core of Dalhousie

Down the road from SMU is Dalhousie University. Integrated into the urban core of Halifax, Dalhousie ( called Dal by the locals) is one of the funkiest campuses around. It’s not downtown urban core like Montreal, but it is lowrise urban nonetheless. It is just the kind of place that one could see him/herself living in if they were free to do so.

Dalhousie is not without Christian witness. There are the regular raft of groups involved on campus as well as an interfaith chaplaincy with a house right on the edge of campus.

The chaplaincy does not seem to have any representation of our form of Christianity, which is regrettable, especially considering that pentecostalism in its various forms is one of the largest expressions of Christianity in the world. It is without question the fastest growing. I would like to know if this reason for the void lies on our side ( lack of engagement) or on the side of the chaplaincy association.

Shilo U Church at Dal ( advertised on a SMU bulletin board)

We met with Mike Miller who runs the Shiloh University Church once every other Friday night on campus. At present he is partnering with C4C which does programming on campus every other week. The SUC is a large attractional event based around solid worship, emphatic preaching and Holy Spirit response. Mike is the associate pastor at Rock Church in Lower Sackville which was once an assemblies church. He has strong connections with many of our people including Matt Tapley and Steve Osborne.

Mike Miller (l) with our reflective guide Jim Malloy

By his own admission, he is not interested in developing a 'seeker sensitive' or a unity service. He wants to play to his strengths and to the best of his ability provide a full service where the presence of God is invited and expected. Whatever unity, outreach or relationships that occur will be an outflow of the event.

His vision is clear. It could be either inspirational or daunting to the reader depending on the context. It takes Mike about 30 volunteer leaders to make this event happen. Most of these leaders come from his own church which has had to adjust its internal programming to allow for the extra time and resources required by this service. This would include the renting of a truck, the setting up and taking down of equipment and the development and dissemination of advertising materials.

I became aware of New Life Church which meets on Dal. I am not sure to what extent it reaches students. I had hoped to meet with its pastor while I was onsite, but I had a delightful first encounter with one of its deacon while I was at GTM; It seems like a church that is doing many things well.

What I would hope at some point is we can plant a missionary onsite to specifically reach out to the Dal population. What would be double bonus is if we could buy or rent a house where students could live and hospitality could happen. If we could consider it as an investment, it would bear long term dividends.

I am praying for that very thing, even as we speak.....

Nova Scotia travels...

2011-01-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

did I mention "the middle of nowhere...?"

The next day, George was tied up in meetings and I hit the open road.

I was off to visit St Francis Xavier University. After driving an hour and a half from our district headquarters in Truro,NS, I arrived at what seemed like the middle of nowhere. When I saw the university, nicely set on a hill with the town of Antigonish at its feet, the idea of a castle and burgh came to mind. In other words: A town forming at the base of a castle.

SFX entrance

As I had heard, St Francis Xavier is a high class, nationally ranked university. It’s compact campus is neatly and classically designed with a “New England” architectural look and feel. It boasts of its high scores in student satisfaction surveys and uses its relatively small enrollment ( around 5,000 ) to its advantage in recruiting. I enjoyed the combination of architecture.

lower floor student centre

When I land on a new campus to ‘scout the land’, one of the first things I do is look for where students naturally congregate when they are not in class or in the library. In some places, like the University of Alberta, it is easy to do. In others, such as the University of Toronto, Mississauga (UTM) , it is much more elusive ( students seem to avoid the UTM student centre). However, I quickly found the student centre at SFX. While the main floor was not promising, its lower levels revealed a hub of student activity and its upper floors led me to the chaplaincy offices.

SFX, seems to have a relatively inclusive approach to chaplaincy and appears willing to embrace different forms of spirituality. While I tried to connect with the chaplaincy office, which is well situated and seems to be well run, there was no one there. The best I could do is leave a note of greeting. I plan to follow up on it.

Over the past several years, our PAOC church near the campus has been deeply involved with Xavier Christian Fellowship, on campus – but now it is in the midst of a pastoral transition. We will have to ensure that whoever follows this pastor has a missional heart towards the university. It is important to see that kind of involvement and connection again. Everything about the town and the campus sings "potential". I am praying that we will see it actualized.

2011-01-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

Travelling with my leader George Werner, I had the opportunity to take advantage of some of the connections he has diligently established all over the country. We had the privilege of connecting with Jim Malloy, who functions as the assistant superintendent ( whether or not that is his title ) of the Maritimes District ( which, believe it or not, includes Bermuda!), and who was our guide throughout the week.

While George preached at Nouvelle Esperance, our francophone church in Dieppe , translated by Pastor David Martin its youthful francophone Acadian pastor, I had the opportunity to speak twice at Glad Tidings Church in Moncton, NB. The worship leading and special music was simply stellar. Music and Maritimes go together…… While I took the opportunity to highlight my Mission Canada role in the area, I used the time to share two personal messages. The first was “Growing Through Grief” , something I have had the opportunity to do over the past year, and the other was “Live for Jesus Now” ( lessons from Dave ). There was liberty to speak from my heart and the congregation opened their hearts to what I had to share. I very much appreciate the leadership of Pastor Paul Pattison and his staff. I met with Luke Anderson who serves as the emerging generations ( youth and students) pastor – who is intentionally reaching out to Crandall University, nearby. He is a fine young leader who is asking the right questions and who has the right heart.

David Martin and George Werner

Later, we took a tour with David, who directs a student ministry called Haute Zone at the University of Moncton ( the largest francophone university outside of Quebec). He gathers a group of students on Friday night and combines general events and gender specific small groups. They gather in the basement of the chapel which is perfectly suitable for their purposes. Although being non-Roman Catholic on a Catholic university, they experience a general atmosphere of good will. Having said that, David is fighting generations of religious bias towards ‘sects’ where the average person does not have the capability to discern the distinctions between them.

UM seems magnificently endowed for the size of the school . It has a state of the art football stadium (It far surpasses Dalhousie’s stadium and compares favorably with those of perennial powerhouses St. Mary’s and Wilfrid Laurier) that seats several thousand people and it sports a variety of large modern buildings. It is clear that the various levels of government have prioritized university expenditures.

When David was a student at UM (back in the day), he felt like he was the only Christian on campus. One day, as he was lamenting this to the Lord, someone walked by him “singing a song of the Lord”. While he never saw that person again, it was more than encouraging for him. He travelled to Peterborough for Bible College, and then came back.

He then met his wife, Natalie, on campus through a mutual friend. She too had been a student at UofM. They are quite the combo and it is great to have them on our team...

Alberta Bound...

2011-01-10T11:19:00.000-05:00

In November, I appreciated the opportunity to visity the U of C and our intrepid chaplain, Kelly Johnson. I call the way Kelly does chaplaincy as “chaplaincy on steroids”. In fact, our team in Alberta ( Kelly, Matt and Glenn) has a lot to teach the rest of us.They are each leveraging their strengths to develop new paradigms of campus chaplaincy ministry. In many ways, they have redefined and upgraded the position for a new millennium.

I had the privilege of sitting in on one of the chaplaincy Wednesday noon presentations for the U of C community. With Kelly's leadership, the chaplaincy provided a luncheon and an opportunity to hear an Iranian Christian Pastor , Afshin Latifzadeh, speak on “Identity Issues in a Pluralistic Land” . Afshin was an academic who once lived in London, England and who could discuss his topic with an international perspective as well as with an inter-faith and inter-human appeal. His approach and personality was appealing with self-deprecating humour combined with solid content.

Afshin Latifzadeh

This is exactly the kind of event that we need to see more of. Kelly can pull it off because he has built credibility not only for himself but for the entire chaplaincy association. It is done on neutral turf and it has an appeal well beyond the Christian community.

Chaplains Hangin... Kelly (r) Paul (2r)

I spent some time with Kelly talking about the successes and struggles of being the de facto leader of an inter-faith chaplaincy at a major university. While I don’t have the privilege of telling you what they are, it is worth knowing that he very much appreciates the involvement of Paul Verhoef, the Christian Reformed chaplain, who happened to be the captain of the soccer team that my son David played for the previous summer while he was in Calgary.

There are several things to note. First, not only has the Muslim Student Association ( MSA) arisen as a force to be reckoned with across the country but there are various forms of Islam struggling for control and ascendency. Some of these forms are alarming.

Further, we talked about Pluralism. We are at variance with some of our mainline colleagues who tend to approach ecumenical or inter-faith discussions with the conviction that we are all either equally wrong or equally right. We cannot discuss our various faith positions without the caveat that we cannot really say we are "right". While it sounds equitable, this stance actually dishonors not only our own position but the position of those we are trying to hear. It puts all religions and truth claims through its own grid ( which, by the way, is seen to be the "right" one).

It is just so, well, "Canadian". Speaking as one who is Canuck to the core...we are afraid of the possibility of strong disagreement( parliamentary conduct aside ) . So,in the interest of Tolerance - which once meant that we could disagree intensely, with charity and goodwill, about issues of ultimate importance , the rules are changed so that what remains is a neutered "common ground" which ought to offend no one. No one, that is, except believers of whatever tradition who are unhappy at finding that some of the very things they find most compelling about their beliefs are left on the cutting room floor.

To quote G.K. Chesterton The point is ( speaking of those who promote the new curriculum of “tolerance”) is to propagandize acceptance of different ways, and indifference to their real content is as good a means as any.

More on this another time

Back to EPIC U of Alberta

2010-12-28T12:25:00.000-05:00

At the University of Alberta ( my alma mater) it was a pleasure hanging out with Matt Glombick and his excellent interns Aaron and Juliana. As I said to Aaron ( referring to a conversation I had with him a year ago), he could have simply taken an internship in a regular church. It would have been nowhere near as exciting as this one. The name of the church/club/ministry ( it is a project even for them to define it) is EPIC : referring to the grand story God is unfolding into which we are invited to be a part. It is more than a cool name. It defines the vision and the philosophy of ministry of this group. Check it out HERE

Here is the idea. It would be a ‘regular life’ church that sought to integrate church with the way people actually live their lives in the classroom and in the market place. The idea would be that it would intersect people where they actually live, rather than expecting people to extract themselves from their lives and live a parallel but unconnected spiritual life alongside of their regular life.

They had a time of debriefing. Matt was concerned that this term they did not have the same type of interesting seekers that made last term so enjoyable. Aaron referred to cycles and seasons and suggested that it may be a time to go deeper with the students.

We then met with the student leadership team, which also included a seasoned ministry couple who play the important role of spiritual parents to these young people. Having taken a year out of regular ministry, they found Epic a refreshing change . Part of the discussion revolved around whether they were a church or not. That flowed from another discussion regarding “What is a church”. My own take on the subject, when asked for my input, was that in campus ministry I tend to see church as a Verb. Rather than seeing it in static categories, I tend to ask whether we are “doing church” or “churching” on campus. Are we being church to this campus? The details will follow.

Their Tuesday night main gathering is at Deweys Pub, in the billiard and meeting room attached to it. It is a great venue for the relaxed conversational EPIC style of gathering.

They repeat the Epic Creed. This was to be a Wiki service which means that everyone has the opportunity to add something to it. Sort of the model of 1 Cor 14 where everyone came prepared to bring something. The idea is that church is a place to gather and to connect with the Big Story , the Meta Narrative which is in the process of being written. There were some songs which were led by someone with a guitar that helped focus people and create a context of worship. Several people shared. There was a guest presenter, who represented IJM ( Internation Justice Mission) which is a leading organization in setting people ( mostly young women) free from slavery. IJM is a natural partner for CMC in that it puts feet to many of our convictions. When she was done, I was offered the opportunity to share the message Dave gave me to share with his generation before he departed.

The service ended with people hanging out and visiting. There is obviously a good sense of community about EPIC , even with the enormous pressures of school that militates against it. There is a lot more that I could say about it. I always appreciate the way Matt empowers his staff and students, while giving them appropriate leadership.

Matt is very strong on building bridges. In addition to being the pastoral advisor to the EPIC Student Club he is the Pentecostal Chaplain to the University of Alberta. He builds bridges wherever he goes.

He takes his role as the head of the U of A Chaplaincy Association seriously. They are in the middle of developing a MOU ( memorandum of understanding) with the U of A Administration that lays out the parameters of their responsibilities and privileges. For the Administration the chaplains provide an accountable and stabilizing influence to interface with the various “spiritual” campus clubs and organizations. They also provide services to the broader community in matters of pastoral concern. That would include functions like funerals, crisis intervention and grief recovery.

A bit of history..

2010-11-17T14:34:00.000-05:00

I arrived with James Perraux at Langley Christian Life Assembly for the BC/Yukon district’s conference entitled Live Out Loud, at the beginning of October. It was great to see familiar faces, albeit with a few more lines and grey ( if any )hairs. Travelling to BC is a bit of a pilgrimage for me. Especially due to the fact that I spent eighteen years of my life in Vancouver,including fifteen years of full time ministry. All but a few of those years involved campus ministry. There is a big part of me on the West Coast and it is hard to describe what it is like to reencounter myself back in my familiar haunts. I got to hang out with some people who have played a large part in my life.

Halos?

Let me share a picture of interest In the middle is my previous associate pastor at Point Grey Community Church, Greg Laing. He was also the associate of Lawrence Rae (left) , who succeeded me as pastor. Greg is now the lead pastor. I planted the church and pastored it from 1989 to 1997. This is the first time that we have been able to get a picture of the three of us in the same place at the same time. How about that halo effect

Greg Lawrence Jeff Robb Rod

The second picture includes a couple more generations. First, there is Rod Bitterman ( right), who took a chance on hiring me , in 1982, out of Regent College at Vancouver Christian Life Centre (downtown -West End) as its Young Adults pastor ( continuing ministry I had already been involved in for the three years I was involved in the church while going to Regent) and who released me part-time to begin campus ministry in 1985 and plant Point Grey Community Church four years later. As well as Lawrence and Greg, there is Jeff Wong, who has been on staff at PGCC and is planting an innovative urban church called More Than 12 . As Jeff was sharing notes with one of his team who was part of VCLC in the old days, he says that it is more than clear to him that we share the same DNA, even though the look and structure are different.

This actually has a tie into campus ministry. Rod Bitterman believed in university ministry. He was willing to put himself behind me, and Reid Johnson before me, to cover and support ministry on and to the UBC campus and beyond. He did it without any expectation of being able to see the benefit of this investment within the walls of his church. However, the way the Kingdom works, God honored VCLC for its support of campus ministry and subsequently the planting of Point Grey Community Church. Further, Lawrence and Greg have taken the same missional , Kingdom ( Big Picture) view of campus ministry. PGCC has supported campus ministry in a way that is both sacrificial and inspiring.

In the future, I would like to write about this in some depth. The lineage you see in this photo represents a glimpse of a Vision that God started. Thirty years later I can see the ongoing fruit of it in the way it has produced and reproduced disciples and spread the Kingdom far beyond the borders of the local church. On a personal note, I simply cannot understand pastors who feel that campus ministry needs to be about them ,or their church, and who cannot see the bigger picture of what God can do when we lay our agendas down and work for the greater good.

This Season

2010-11-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

This fall has shot by as if it were on greased skids. I have had the opportunity to take in a lot of ministries - in Ottawa, Winnipeg, BC, Calgary, Windsor, Michigan, London, ON, Waterloo, Toronto and I have been in discussion with many more.

As I go, I write - and I was about to publish a big batch of commentary on this blogsite when my previous ( former - now deceased ) computer seized up and fried a hard days work.

I resonate with the plaintive voice of Richard Harris in the long playing ditty, of a previous era, "McArthur's Park" " Someone left the cake out in the rain.. And I don't think I can take it because it took so long to make it and I'll never have that recipe, again... O No... (echoes). "

I would have backed it up, but it happened just before the end of a long day of editing. I was about fifteen minutes of having it all up and posted. So I am resigned that if I want to recreate the stuff, it will have to be later :( .

2010-11-17T13:29:00.000-05:00

Dave - up close & personal

This was a significant service for a number of reasons.

The previous Sunday, Dave Slater, the founding pastor of Lift spoke to the gathering. A few months ago, Dave had taken a call to Parkview Church in Guelph, about 45 minutes away. That means he moved away.... But he was back and brought a worship team with him. It was a good night.

Dave had unique gifting as a networker , people person and visionary. With his gifting and experience, he proved to be a hard person to replace.

But, before I continue that narrative, let me give you a quick overview of this gathering. Sunday nights at Lift church involve a number of elements, all of which are good...

They begin with good worship. They give it the time and focus it deserves. They often rotate worship leaders, ( some of whom visit from other churches, with the core of the band consisting of Lift students).

There is a time of refreshment between the worship and the message. Allows a time to connect and stretch legs/

Announcments esp Simple Church which are small groups meeting around a main point. It could be guys issues, girl issues, a NT study, service or whatever.

Then the new lead pastor, Andrew Masters, got up to speak. I asked him if was nervous. He answered something to the effect that he had just moved across the country and was expecting a baby any moment. He had other things to be nervous about.

Andrew & Michelle Masters

Enter Andrew Masters.

After a summer long search process , which I was a part of, Andrew floated to the top of the pile. Originally from nearby Brantford, he had gone to school in Eston, SK and started his ministry in Manning, AB a few hours north of Grande Prairie. He spent the last 7 years at a church in Surrey, BC where he was far and away the youngest on staff. Now, at Lift, he is one of the old guys on the block.

During the interviewing process, what captured us about Andrew was his strong emphasis on community and the track record he had on reaching out to the surrounding community. We found him eager to learn and fired up about finding fresh, creative ways to reach out to the surrounding community, whether on or off of the campus.

He and Michelle are expecting any moment. I am sure that by the time we go to press, the baby girl will have been born and they will be back home.

Andrew with baby Calli born Nov 15.

Anyway, Andrew started by offering a smattering of facts about himself, including his likes and dislikes and areas of expertise and incompetence. It made for good listening.

Things became focused when he underlined the difference that Jesus made in his life and his desire for people to know and experience Him. He presented an encounter with Jesus in a way that was disarming and compelling. It was real without cliché. I have every confidence that people will be able to come to Lift, or bring their friends, and they will be offered a clear contact point with the One who makes all of this possible and worthwhile.

On the back tables, there is something for the body and the soul. There is a book table with titles ranging from Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson, Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller to Simply Christian by N.T. Wright. For the body there was simple fare. Hot water for Hot Chocolate or Tea, Pop and coffee along with chips and hotdogs. There are periodic veggies to boot.

At the end of the month, Community Church ( the mother church of Lift, in nearby Waterdown )is providing a Chili feast, with all of the trimmings for the hungry student population.

There is an outreach to the mean streets of Hamilton. They do student tutoring where upper classmen help those behind them.

There is a lot going on at Lift. There are some really sharp young adults that have made it their home. It is going to be exciting over the following months to see just what God is going to do in and through them.

Driving with James...

2010-11-01T15:27:00.000-04:00

James Perraux

The following morning, I travelled down to Langley, BC with James Perraux. James, who was previously on staff with Arthur Howard and the staff team at UCM at UBC, is now merging beautifully with Matt and the gang at UBCO. It is pretty clear that he and Matt complement each other in their gifting and skills sets.

The time whizzed by as we covered how he began ministry at UCM, having graduated from Regent College, and just how God had been shaping and preparing him to take the leap into full time campus ministry. There is no doubt that the challenge of fundraising is real, but James has found that God has been faithful to provide for him all the way along.

Having been a key player at UBC which is amongst the strongest campus ministries of any type in the country, James has a lot to bring to the table in Kelowna. He is a people person who also has a strong administrative side. It is a great combination. I am really looking forward to some great things.

Kelowna Bound

2010-11-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

I landed in Kelowna on Sunday, October 3, and spent the afternoon hanging out with Matt and Sandra Duffie. Matt is the chaplain at the University of British Columbia at the Okanagan ( UBCO). Matt and Sandra are a team and it is great to see how she weighs in with the ministry on campus.

Over an early dinner, Matt and I had a deep ecclesiological discussion of what church actually is and what it means to be the church on campus, without taking on the structural obligations of being an institutional church. That is why I am grateful for the flexibility we have at Campus Mission Canada when it comes to defining and responding to our mission to being church without having to “be a church”. As I like to say, church is a noun. I also consider it to be a verb. We do church. We church.

As mentioned in a previous blog last year around this time, Matt is both the director of University Christian Ministry (UCM) at UBCO and the chaplain to the university. He has a strong ministry of presence within the university, among students, faculty and administration. He also works at equipping student leaders and developing reproductive community. I once wore both hats myself, at UBC. Most of my time was with UCM which was student run, although it was strongly ‘staff led’ or guided. The level of connection and engagement with the university community in general and with students in particular simply cannot be matched by a church luring students offsite.

They are both excited and pleased about the addition of James Perraux from the UCM at UBC to their staff. Matt , with tongue in cheek, said that because they were the “lowliest of the low”, they were able to “get the top draft pick”. There is no denying that James ( who I will write about in the next blog) brings a lot to the table. He will make a strong ministry even stronger.

The student ministry, this fall, is off to a solid start. Not only did UCM have a good initial response ( they fed hundreds of students in the first week ) but there was a large group who signed for the retreat occurring on the second weekend. Normally, interrupting your second gathering of the year for a retreat could be momentum killing. However, this was not the case, here. It was , by all reports, a strong time of bonding – even if it was in the rain…

Setting Up in the Atrium

Pre-Meeting Buzz

When I hung out before the evening meeting, I found that there were many things that I appreciated, even before the event officially started. The atrium is a particularly nice venue for a service. It is a high, multi-level room complete with tropical plants. The acoustics are well suited for the ‘unplugged’ band – which by the way led worship simply and powerfully. I also enjoyed meeting the students who were friendly and engaged. I was surprised to find out how many of the group were engineering students.

Solid Worship

The room quickly filled up and buzzed with expectancy. Students were putting icing on cupcakes and opening boxes of Timbits. Sandra brought kettles to boil water and prepare coffee and tea.

I had an opportunity to speak to the group for their Sunday evening service. It may come as no surprise to those familiar with my past year that I took the opportunity to introduce them to my son, David, and the last words he posted up on Facebook. They present a challenge to live our lives for Christ.. now. The immediacy and the power of the challenge is hard to describe. It is a message that speaks right to the heart of the student. I had the satisfaction of seeing God work through pain and brokenness in the way that only He can do.

Matt facilitated a question and answer period afterward. The questions were honest and perceptive. The students were sharp and engaged.

There is a strong work, here. It has been well led and it will only get stronger in the coming year.

Launch 2010 Humber Embassy

2010-09-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

September 20th was the Fall Launch of The Embassy at Humber College http://www.embassyhumber.com/. Trevor and the leadership teams' hard work paid off with a great gathering of students for worship and teaching.

Trevor was straightforward and humorous. Referring to The Embassy's strategy of giving away thousands of bags of popcorn, he talked to the group about being people of generosity. Generosity is far more than a growth strategy. It actually reflects the nature of the One they follow.

He mentioned that there were many people who had difficulty getting their minds around the notion of something being given for free. They simply didn't know how to receive a free gift. One of the reasons was due to the modern belief that 'there must be a catch'. For good reason ( Trevor gave some funny personal examples ) there is a general air of suspicion that nobody could be giving things away without an agenda.

Another key point, Trevor raised was the old adage..."Actions speak louder than words…". He gave numerous examples of how people will give more substance to nonverbal or paraverbal communcation than they will to the actual words.

It was good food for thought. Once he finished, the group broke up for discussion in smaller groups with refreshments.

It was a good evening....

University Chaplaincy Dr. Ken

2010-09-16T16:58:00.000-04:00

I just met with Dr Ken Stupak who is the longest standing chaplain at the UofM and a veritable fixture in the organizational life of the University. Ken runs what I describe as a ‘responsive’ chaplaincy , where he makes himself available to the need and timetables of his students. This means that his days are often unpredictable because he is never sure what is going to come up.

When I asked him what energizes him in what he does, he immediately answered “The students”. He has build long term relationships with many of them. Many of the students have since been dispersed around the world where no doubt they are sharing some of the fruit of Ken’s work in their lives.

Ken was happy that their first Chewy Chewsday,(a monthly event run by the combined chaplaincies where students can come, make a club sandwich and connect), was a tremendous success. It was overflowing. Ken has tremendous repoire with his fellow chaplains.

From my perspective, having been a pastor, chaplain and the founder of campus club groups, I can see how each of these models of ministry can complement each other. Ken, as a chaplain, falls under the Student Services - which is part of the U adminstration. While they do not pay his salary and dictate his work, they do make room for him at the Table to be a voice and to represent the faith perspective in the student services programming. He gave me several examples of how this has worked in the past. He is able to influence the institution as a whole.

Tammy, in starting up a campus group has another level of ministry. As a student herself, she relates to UMSU which is the student union and connects to students at more of a peer level. This too has wonderful strengths. Having balanced chaplaincy and campus group hats at the same time on my large head, I can see with some clarity how each type of ministry can augment the other.

In fact, it works that way with Seth Greenham at Simon Fraser University and with Matt Glombick at the U of Alberta, to name a couple. I am excited to see the possibilities of what can happen at the U of Manitoba. The way we work at Campus Mission Canada is in the realm of Complementarity rather than Competitiveness. It is just so, well, biblical....

Starting Segue.... The University of Manitoba

2010-09-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

I am out in Winnipeg right now, meeting with Mission Canada's own Tammy Junghans who is launching a new student group at the U of Manitoba called Segue. It really plays to Tammy’s strengths. I may have said elsewhere that if we were to use a movie plot as an indicator, Tammy would be the ‘cool aunt’ in the life of the young adult. She has experience, wisdom and sensitivity. She has a huge heart for young people. In fact, she just loves people.

It is exciting for her to be on campus this year as a student. She loves taking in that part of the campus experience and networking with people of all kinds of backgrounds – not as a religious professional but as a student. So Segue has that feel about it. It is not about events or programming. It is all about networking, relationships and a desire to act in ways that are helpful and relevant to the university community. She is developing a relationship with Tom’s Shoes in order to help provide shoes for the countless people in other lands who do not have the opportunity to own any.

I had the privilege of hanging out with some of the students she was meeting with during the noon hour. You will see Tammy ( in the sunglasses ) along with Melissa and Vanessa. Others came and went during our time in the warm September sun. It was a killer day. The weather later changed for the (much) worse.

U of M has enormous potential. Tammy has worked very hard at building bridges with other Christian leaders on campus, some of whom have been extraordinarily helpful and encouraging. She has a sincere desire to complement what others are doing and to bring the love of Christ into the UofM in ways that flow out of her passions and personality. It has been a privilege to be part of the process of seeing her released to do it....

The Embassy at The Turret WLU 2010

2010-09-16T16:15:00.000-04:00

Out for the September launch of The Embassy. Again overwhelming…. Special thanks to Joe and to Katie, Ev and Hannah for remembering Dave to me.…..

This year The Embassy is meeting at Wilfrid Laurier University, across the street from the University of Waterloo. They are meeting in the totally renovated Turret Nightclub on the fourth floor of the Student Centre. What a great venue.

After typically dynamic Embassy worship, the Embassy pastor,Joe Wahba, opened his series on the book of Acts where he began by talking about the truth of the Resurrection. Joe waded right into the heart of the matter, isolating key issues. If the ‘resurrection’ seems strange, it tells us as much about ourselves as it does about resurrection.

Joe Wahba

The core issue was not if it seems true ( worldview) but whether or not it actually is true. Did it happen? Borrowing heavily from one of CMC’s 'patron saints', N.T. Wright he challenged students to change the way they approached the entire issue. It was intelligent and engaging... Good stuff... Solid.

Afterwards, there was Pizza along with opportunities to sign up for Red Frogs or involvement in small groups etc. The turret had all sorts of cool side rooms that were perfect for hospitality. It was a great start to what looks like a great year.

Lift Launch 2010

2010-09-16T16:04:00.000-04:00

On Sunday evening, Sept `12th I enjoyed the privilege of taking in the September launch service of Lift Church, at McMaster University, Hamilton ON. Living nearby,I have the opportunity to serve in an adjunct capacity on their leadership team this year and we are looking forward to what this coming year is going to bring. Check out http://www.liftchurch.ca/

With founding pastor Dave Slater moving up the road to Parkview Church in Guelph, Lift has been working through a pastoral search process throughout the summer. Since the successful candidate has not yet been announced, I cannot quite go public on him yet, but there is a great deal of anticipation in the ranks regarding the announcement.

What the shift in leadership has caused is the student leadership has stepped up its involvement a notch or two. This is nowhere more apparent than in the leadership involvement of Robin Wallar, who is now a graduate student in the faculty of Engineering Physics and a shining product of the first four years of ministry of Lift.

At their first service, they had a fine worship set led by my young friend, John Balt, and a mingling time where they could grab refreshments. Seeing as it is set in the Student Pub, it is a great venue for mixing and mingling with food. Dozens of first year students signed up for ‘Simple Church’, which is the small group dimension of Lift. Each group has a specific focus. It could be organized around the study of a book or fellowship or whatever, but they each have a different flavor and emphasis.

Then the teaching began. Robin taught on ‘What are we here for..” Great stuff. He spoke to the students right at their level. Total relevance. He was brilliant by just being himself. I think that the students hung on pretty well every word he said because he lived in the same world they did.

Then Lift did what they do so well…. Hospitality. It was time for hotdogs, chips and drinks. People hung around and feasted. Lift happened. It is going to be an exciting year.

If you read my Lift Blog at the same time last year, you would understand why this evening was a bit hard for me. Some of my sweetest memories are from a year ago , seeing my son Dave’s big body abandoned in worship. Jon Balt told me that for him, as a worship leader, seeing Dave engage in worship was the equivalent of ‘about thirty people’. If you knew him, you would know what we mean.

Dave loved the fellowship and worship at Lift. It was important to him. It is certainly important to me.....

It's Raining Red Frogs

2010-09-16T15:53:00.000-04:00

OK, we are back in the thick of it. For anyone who has anything to do with the school calendar, September is the real new year. This is no more true than for campus ministry.

Let me bring you up to speed..... I have a bit of ground to cover!

I have had several meetings with Roy Olende, the Canadian director of the Australian campus phenomena Red Frogs. http://www.redfrogs.com.au/universities/canada Just over a year ago, Roy ( a site pastor of Central Church, St. Catharines, hailing from Kenya via South Africa) launched Red Frogs at Brock University and has a fistful of amazing stories to tell. They have not only built an incredible rapport with the university, but they have become quite literally, the "Life of the Party".

It would take too long to tell its history and all of that right here.

Roy Olende

Here are some notes I scribbled about what I heard at the first meeting…

I am not going to make an effort to make them coherent. Roy speaks with a blast of contagious enthusiasm. I was just trying to capture a few of the highlights of how he made it work at Brock. It's like using a teacup to capture a firehose. If you want more and better information, email him directly at royolende@centralcommunitychurch.ca . I hope this serves as a bit of a primer.

It opens doors because:

• It is servant hearted.

• It is respectful.

• It is bridge building

• It’s FUN

Red Frogs.

• Starts through a local church. The ultimate goal is connections.

• It has built up momentum quickly.

• Low key connection with the church but it is solid. ( The association is not announced but it often comes up in conversations )

Began with about 15 people. They run a training session. Looking for relational students.

Have to be able to build bridges with non Christians. Need to know how to connect. Do not bring the sheltered people to be the front line people.

But we do need people who are servant oriented to help out behind the scenes. They enable others to have the conversations.

It needs both kinds of people. The front line servants and those who support them behind the scenes…

Biggest expense is getting the stuff to share with people. They use the Red Frog candy ( it is a popular Australian candy )at the beginning. It is very very popular. Looking provide them here. As it is, Timbits are the deal over here….

Frosh week big push

Arrive at residences and villages in order to clean dorms.

Show up with a six pack of Donuts

Random acts of donuts

Random acts of cleaning
Random acts of pancakes.

Provide support for events that residences put on. Be helpful...

Eg speed dating event at the residence. Can spice up the events. Help people throw it. Stay and talk and build relationships.

Roy speaks at the Student Union and brings a dozen donuts or two.

Serving and building relationships. Food, Fun and Free.

They approached the right people. Set up a meeting with Student Services.

They were clear and forthright regarding who they were and what they wanted to do in serving the student community. They have made continual efforts to ensure that communication lines are kept open.

They worked with the Residence Life Director. The RLD was appreciative of the donuts and the services provided by RF to the Residences.

RF shows up at parties and creates Alcohol free zones with refreshments and people to talk to. They are called Hydration Stations.

RF helps other groups put on events….

In June,George Werner and I met with Roy’s lead pastor, Bill Markham to talk about how we can synergize the efforts of Red Frogs and Campus Mission Canada. It has great promise. It matches what we are about and is a dynamic way of putting feet and hands to our vision for “irresistible loving service”. In fact, Red Frogs is “hospitality on steroids”.

At the end of August, I met with Roy, Joe Wahba of The Embassy and the associate director of RF , Brandon, who was in the area as part of a globetrotting tour to tell the RF story and help equip churches to replicate it on their own soil. Roy’s success on Brock is a brilliant example of a Church Based campus ministry and proof that RF is able to work in various countries. Joe is implementing RF this year at The Embassy and is really pumped about the energy and focus that it is bringing to their outreach at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. RF is a big part of their outreach this year…

More to come...

Desert Conference... part 2

2010-07-20T16:24:00.000-04:00

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….

A Desert Experience... literally.

2010-07-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

There we were in the desert. I mean the Desert..... actually, Chai Alpha’s national campus ministry conference in Phoenix, AZ. This past week, we averaged nearly 115 degrees in the shade. It is a heat such as I have never before experienced in the outdoors. But, dry heat is actually an acquired taste. I was growing to like it. Having previously exchanged emails with our host, Dennis Gaylor ( see picture below ), the director of Chai Alpha, he would intersperse his correspondence with a question: “Did I mention that it was hot?” He didn’t want anyone to be surprised. It was Shhhmokin…! One of the speakers fired off a bunch of “hot jokes” to the crowd. “It was so hot!” “How hot was it?” “It was so hot that I saw two trees fighting over a dog.”

Karen and I were taken under wing by Dennis and his wife, Barbara. We had the privilege of spending an evening with them, eating room service and talking for hours Twenty years ago they lost their vivacious eighteen year old daughter, Jennifer, to a drunk driver. They shared with us their journey of grief which helped to validate our own. We are deeply grateful for the time they spent with us as we unpacked our story and described our own peaks and valleys. There are certain things that only those who have undertaken the journey can understand or share, and they gave us a special gift in their time, love and prayers.

As the director of Chai Alpha, the campus ministry arm of the Assemblies of God, Dennis has played a key role in building a multi dimensional ministry that is one of the most dynamic and potent student movements in America. As Dr. Rick Richardson , author of Evangelism Outside the Box and Associate Professor of Evangelism at Wheaton college said in his plenary address to the conference, Chai Alpha is a combination of spiritual power, biblical fidelity and cultural relevance. Often groups or movements tend to align under one banner or the other. Those which do are often intolerant of each other ( he gave examples). Biblically, the NT models an integration of all of three ( think: Apostle Paul ). Chai Alpha is one movement in which all of these elements are in operation.

Odds and Sods...

2010-06-07T11:44:00.000-04:00

Even though it is the 'offseason' for much of campus ministry, there is a lot to be done. During this time, our campus missionaries work at consolidating their support base, getting some restorative r & r , and work towards launching again in September. In many ways, with the traffic flow that is inherent within post secondary institutions, a campus ministry whether it is a club, a church or even a chaplaincy ministry needs to 'relaunch' every year. It needs to approach each September as a fresh opportunity that will set the course of the years to follow. As Trevor Gingerich reports, at Humber College, it feels as if he needs to 'relaunch' each and every term. One thing is for sure, there is no opportunity to rest on last year's laurels. The image that comes to mind is one of a fast moving stream. If you want to steer your canoe, you have to paddle hard.

A quick note here, to be developed later. We are starting a new website. It has great promise. Stay tuned...

Some good things are on the horizon, each of which I will unpack at some time or another. This is only a part of what I could report on. There is just so much going on...!

First, it is exciting to see the development of Segue University Ministry, a student club at the University of Manitoba which is being launched by Tammy Junghans in September. This club will complement the chaplaincy ministry of Dr. Ken Stupak who has provided over two decades of ministry to the U of M.

Second, we are presently working with a very impressive candidate to spearhead the outreach to the campuses of downtown Montreal, in conjunction with Evangel Church. Evangel is led by Jonathan Smith, who has a deep desire to see the student population reached for Christ.

Third, Portico Church, here in Mississauga, is looking seriously at reaching out to the nearby University of Toronto at Mississauge (UTM). UTM provides a variety of challenges that Portico is well positioned to respond to. I am not at liberty to discuss their plans, at present, but it is gratifying to me that UTM is right in the crosshairs of their outreach vision.

At Carleton University, Jonathan Hutchison has been released by his church to spearhead a new student ministry. Having done the preliminary work of connecting with the area churches and pulling together a representative steering committee, Jonathan is committed to seeing an indigenous expression of Christian community emerge at Carleton that enables students to grow in Christ and to add value to Carleton through acts of loving compassion.

I have had the opportunity to have some recent conversations with some of our people in the field, like Matt Glombick at U of A, Paul Quesnele at Algoma University and Joe Wahba at the University of Waterloo (I am looking forward to speaking at The Embassy's ( U of W) leadership retreat this coming weekend). There are a bunch more to come. I am reallllly impressed with the quality of people we have on the campuses and dream of the day when we can fully utilize their expertise.

Anyway, let me share a video clip with you. This is from the University of Calgary, with the chaplaincy ministry of Kelly Johnson. See for yourself. It's great stuff....

U of Calgary UCM 2008

MC Campus Ministries Video

2010-06-01T11:00:00.000-04:00

Before I link you to the Mission Canada Campus Ministry video, let me give an explanation and some credit where it is due. First, this video is actually a report on our Priority One initiative in which we had endeavoured to begin eight new campus ministry initiatives by the end of 2010. We dubbed it 8 X 10. We are in fact well on our way to that goal.

The vid is a bit of a team effort. First, our creative director guy, Shoubert David ( yes, that's his mug in the picture ), put out a request to the campus ministry gang in the field to send in photos that could be used in a video. For the most part, they came through. For the most part..... anyway, I wrote up a script which George helped edit. We found that it was a tad wordy, so it was important to strip it all down to the bare essentials in order to fit into a three minute track.

Shoubert took me outdoors to shoot the talking head sequence. It was in a busy park with curious bystanders rubbernecking to see what I was up to. Then he took all of the bits and pieces and put them through his trusty Mac computer. Our office manager, Erynne Williams provided a 'voice over'. Another editing discussion with myself and George and then Shoubert pulled it off. It needs to be mentioned that he did it with a whole bunch of General Conference deadlines looming.

Anyway, here it is. It provides you, the viewer, with a bit of a snapshot of what we are about and what we are up to...

Campus Video

If you have a PC and find that you can't play the thing, you can download a free VLC player

Free Video Player

Mission Canada Retreat... Axis Cafe, Edmonton

2010-05-15T14:21:00.000-04:00

At the tail end of this General Conference, I am in a Mission Canada retreat where George and Eileen are hosting our Mission Canada missionaries in a two day seminar on Fundraising. While the subject matter may not seem particularly sexy, it has been extremely valuable on a number of fronts. First, there was a considerable amount of time spent on working through biblical texts in developing a biblical theology of how money relates to the Kingdom of God and furthering His purposes. It helped us to understand that when we approach people to partner with us in our ministry we are including them in God’s redemptive purposes. It is not about us. It is about God, his purposes and how he intends us to work with Him in concrete ways with what He has given us.

John Engels ( the BCCM director ) and his wife Nancy led and taught the seminar. They shared real life examples that we all found instructive and inspiring. . We were challenged to be able to summarize and communicate what we are about and what it is that we do. Not only that... but why people should actually care. As you can imagine, this is a profoundly clarifying exercise.

While I do depend on the support and partnership of individuals and churches to make my role as national campus ministry coordinator possible, I found that working through the material was about much more than finances. It was about vision, faith, core motivations, communication, relationships and attention to details. Finances is simply one (albeit a necessary) part of a greater picture. I attest to the value of the exercises in that I feel compelled to both spend time in prayer and to attend to my ‘to do’ list.

It makes me deeply grateful to be where I am and doing what I am doing. It is not by right. It is by grace. ``