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Space for Grace
I have spent my time on that board getting to know the group of college students who comprise that Fellowship. They are at first glance average college students. They dress to the beat of their own drummers. They speak the ever-changing, unique language of each generation of college students. Their overloaded backpacks hang from one shoulder causing them to walk in the familiar loping gait of students everywhere. But looks are deceiving. And, I have to admit, it took a while for me to truly understand just how special these students are, what strong bonds their membership in WCF has fostered, and why that is such a big deal. Brittni Delmaine, President of WCF, states it beautifully, “I was totally alone as a freshman; I had no friends, and my family had just left me to drive the 4 hours back home. I went to church that first Sunday, and I was welcomed not by the parishioners but by two WCF members, who took me to lunch with them and the rest of WCF. I have never felt more welcomed, and starting on that day the group became my family; they were my first friends, and they are my closest friends. It is not a place of answers but of relationships, so I have always felt safe to explore and to grow. And when the exploration lead me to darkness, my friends and mentors in WCF were the people I turned to for the love and support I needed. And now as I look out to my future, the lessons I learned about what it is like to be in genuine, authentic fellowship with each other and the world will always come with me.” Tommy Brown, Presbyterian Campus Minister, says, “In my 20 plus years of ministry I have read, learned, and experienced that the thing this generation (millennials, x-ers, y-ers – whatever you want to call them) – doesn’t come seeking is a WHAT – a program or a building or even a pre-packaged savior – instead they are thirsty – they are longing for a WHO – they seek relationship with a real someone who loves them for who they are – not for what they may become. They seek to be loved and accepted for who they are – not just for who we would like for them to be. Kenda Kreasy Dean, Professor for Youth and Culture at Princeton Seminary writes about this generation of young people in her book, The God Bearing Life . (I am paraphrasing) - The challenge of ministry with this generation is that so many of them are not buying the products (buildings, programs, security, status) that church has successfully offered young adults in the past. That isn’t what they are looking for – they can get that elsewhere – anytime/anywhere – 24/7/365. But what they can’t find – anywhere really – what they seek is a WHO - someone who is really there with them, for them, and with no agenda other than to hear what they have to say, to welcome what they have to share, and to meet them where they are – out there. Beth Turner, the Episcopal Campus Minister, explains, “Research across denominational lines reveals that young adults still yearn for a faith to believe in and to live for. They are interested in worship, community service, and the pursuit of justice. But they are typically not invested in the kind of community life that they find in traditional religious institutions. They insist that religious community be more than a place where we go to worship and be spiritually formed. Religious community must be a shared vocation, something we do together every day, where everyone, and I mean everyone, is welcome. This too is part of what young adults mean by ‘authentic’ community.”
This shared philosophy is what makes WCF what it is. A community of discerning young adults who choose to be a part of an authentic community that works together every day for the betterment of all. Their commitment includes every Tuesday night. This year the students have chosen a first Tuesday commitment to Hospitality House, a homeless shelter in Boone. The students have chosen to become personally invested in the lives of the residents so that they can better understand the issues facing the homeless and how to best respond to those needs. They have also committed to hosting a concert of three musical groups at Galileo’s, a local pub, on Sunday, November 20th to raise funds to support The Hunger Coalition. The other Tuesdays each month center on student-led programs. The students choose their subject matter as a group and then take turns researching, presenting a program and leading discussion. These programs may take place at “The Gathering Place”, the group’s very inadequate space near campus, at one of the supporting member churches, or wherever space and traveling time allow. The students also take part in a monthly “Moveable Feast” – dinner at different homes throughout the wider communities of the six supporting church congregations.
Two days each week during each semester tables are set up where trained volunteer listeners – retired volunteers from local congregations – sit at Listening Posts. The Listening Post volunteers are getting a glimpse of experience in this type of this ministry. A ministry of grace – a ministry of presence – a ministry of not waiting for students and young adults to come through our doors – but our going out and being available to them where they are. This is a ministry of listening to the concerns of young adults; about faith, about school, about relationships, about what they care about in a location where they are comfortable – in short – on their turf.
In conjunction with her campus ministry post, Beth Turner serves as the Diocesan Missioner for Young Adults.
Will Oxford, a junior member of WCF says, “I love having a community that is always there for me. Sometimes it is difficult being separated from our communities at home, family, friends, etc. WCF provides a place where every Tuesday I will be heard no matter what my situation, and either given advice or affirmation in the things that are going on in my life. It truly is a loving community that makes my college experience all the more powerful.” And always , Tommy and Beth are available. It may be for a brief check-in on the phone, for a meal, for a walk, or for a talk. They wear many hats in their roles as Campus Ministers. They wear them well and the students who participate in WCF are among the most engaged and engaging young adults I have ever encountered. And, like most organizations that rely on donations, WCF’s budget is shrinking at the very time more young adults are seeking. In addition, this ministry’s financial challenges have increased due to the loss of the use of a donated house for a Gathering Place. Not only does the ministry now have to pay substantial rent for a space near campus, but the space that is affordable is inadequate. So the space has truly become a gathering place – the students gather there and carpool to various locations for meetings. The board of directors is committed to reaching out to the greater community to raise the funds to make a new Gathering Place – A Space for Grace - a reality. A space for a community of discerning young adults who choose to be a part of an authentic community that works together every day for the betterment of all to find grace. For information on how you can be a part of that effort, or information on how you can participate in Campus Ministry at ASU, contact Tommy Brown at tommybrownmdiv@msn.com or Beth Turner at asucampusminister@gmail.com. |
A year or so ago, I was asked to serve as the representative from Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Valle Crucis to the Appalachian State University (ASU) Presbyterian- Episcopal Campus Ministry Board. This totally committed group of adults, representing six different churches, in addition to elected student officers work to insure that the Westminster-Canterbury Fellowship (WCF) is alive and well and building relationships with ASU students in Boone, NC. Our goal is insure that there is a system in place to support the students as they explore their spirituality and learn to integrate a very personal faith into their daily lives. 
The interactions between the students and the members of the various congregations have led to a shared feeling of holding each other accountable to building that ‘authenticity’ the students are seeking and that our churches are seeking to achieve. 
University students of all faiths, some of them members of WCF, team up with older adults for an academic year to consider what younger and older alike are called to do with their life and their love as
together
they enact a service role and mentor one another in conjunction with nonprofit organizations such as the Health and Hunger Coalition (Meghan and Bob as seen in photo), Watauga Youth Network and the Women’s Detention Center. Again, holding each other accountable to the idea that a shared religious community must be a shared vocation, something we do together every day, where everyone is welcome. This too is part of what young adults mean by ‘authentic’ community.”