No that's not quite right here.
However, I will no longer be posting our newsletters here. However, you can see and read my most recent newsletter IN FULL by clicking here! On that page, to the right, click on "My Latest Newsletter."
Enjoy!
What's an 'AgnostiChristian'?
Issue No. 4 Feb./March 2009
The first time I met Ted* was his Sophomore year, two-and-a-half years ago. He wasn’t too interested in coming to Sophomore Bible Study that year, though he had originally been involved in Freshman Bible Study his first year. We rarely saw each other. Once, he told me that he was interested in working within his Baptist tradition after college, so he saw his time in college as “a break from all that, for now,” since his plan was to spend the rest of his life immersed in the Church he figured he could take a 3 ½ year “vacation” of sorts from it.
In our January 2008 newsletter, I briefly mentioned that a new program was being started on campus: The Spiritual Advisors. This is an inter-faith endeavor for which I was invited to help design the training the “Advisors” would receive. Last year, I wrote, “The purpose of the program is not to convert anybody to any of the represented faiths, but to foster a safe space for spiritual and religious conversations on campus. That being the case, the training must be very general. This is not specifically a Christian program, but I do believe that it holds great potential to glorify God.” The Spiritual Advisors program was Ted’s* concept.
Around the time this program was getting started last academic year, I expressed to Ted* that I saw how it could benefit Kenyon students, but that it shouldn’t replace a mentor or discipleship relationship. I asked him if he had a mentor actively discipling him. He said, “no.” Shortly after that, he asked me if I would be willing to meet with him regularly. We have now had 30 one-on-one meetings together over the past year-and-a-half!
This time last year, we had just met a handful of times. Ted* still wasn't really involved in the Christian Community, but he was pouring a lot of his energy into the Spiritual Advisors program he was creating. I invited him to Jubilee last year, but he didn’t go. Even last semester, Ted* once identified himself as an “AgnostiChristian” with the Spiritual Advisors. But I praise God for what He’s doing in Ted’s* life!
In February, after a full year of meeting together regularly, Ted* came to Jubilee! At the last plenary session of Jubilee, author Andy Crouch asked the 2,000+ attendees two questions: In response to what you've heard this weekend, 1) what one thing do you want to start doing? and 2) what one thing do you want to stop doing? Back on campus, I emailed the 21 Kenyon students who attended and invited them to share how they responded. Ted* clicked Reply-All to the email, saying that Replying-All was the first step in fulfilling his answer to the first question. He prefaced the email saying that his answers were vague. They were, respectively: “Start focusing more on God” and “stop focusing less of God.” Ted* included the following explanation for his vague responses:
“Jubilee was something of an eye-opener for me. Over my past three years at Kenyon, for a variety of reasons, I've really been hiding my Christianity in favor of a more agnostic-friendly intellectual spirituality that was loosely based on Christianity. Admittedly, some very good things came of this (e.g. becoming active in the Spiritual Advisor program, which focuses on discussing spiritual issues with students of all faiths), but there were some pretty negative side effects as well (like a growing unease with my own spiritual life). Jubilee was the first time in years that I've actually been able to relax and be myself with a group of Christians (most of whom were strangers to me until now), and it felt awesome. Thank you guys so much for an excellent trip, and I'll be seeing you around.” (Note: emphasis added is mine)
Ted* has reconnected to Kenyon’s Christian Community in several ways, including coming regularly to Senior Bible Study now and attending another Bible Study, too! He graduates this May, and I praise Jesus for how Ted* has grown over the past two years. Please praise God with me! *name changed
Hot chocolate and iced-in cars, or: what is ministry?
Issue No. 3 Dec. 2008/Jan. 2009
The word “minister” is often used as a noun. But I think the verb form and the word’s origin give a better depiction of what being a minister—Campus Minister or otherwise—is truly all about. Here it is:
min·is·ter |’minəstər|
1 (minister to) attend to the needs of (someone)
• archaic provide (something necessary or helpful)
ORIGIN ministrer (verb), from Latin minister ‘servant,’ from minus ‘less.’
~definition from New Oxford American Dictionary
Last weekend was a busy one for me, so Monday afternoon I took a short nap. While I was napping I missed a phone call and a text message from MaryElise. I woke up a little before 3:00, and I saw the text message. Her car was stuck, and she needed a ride into Mt. Vernon to babysit at 4:00. I called MaryElise, and asked if she still needed a ride. She said, “Yes, and…I’m actually in your parking lot right now” (we live within walking distance from campus), so I invited her in. I opened the door and asked if she was okay. As soon as she got inside our door, she started to cry!
I gave her a hug and asked again if she was okay. She said she had pulled an all-nighter last night, and she was just stressed and emotional because of it. Her car was stuck in its parking spot because of the ice (this is before the big melt we recently experienced). She kept crying. I asked if she wanted some tea or hot chocolate. Through tears, she said she didn’t like tea. So I told her I was going to make her some hot chocolate, and I made some for Kelly and me too. Her mom called, and MaryElise started to cry more, feeling helpless; she talked briefly with her letting her know she was at our place. We all sat down on the couches and started to drink our large mugs of hot chocolate. She began to calm down with that. “I can’t do another all-nighter…”
“We can give you a ride there and pick you up, too. It’s not a problem,” Kelly and I agreed. But then MaryElise realized that she had to drive one of the kids to an afternoon commitment. “I knew there was something more. I knew this wasn’t going to be fixed so easily.” She began to tear up again when she realized that she would need her car every day. She said nobody had pushed it, but her tires just spin and spin when she tries moving it. I said, “Let’s finish our hot chocolate, and go try to get your car out. If we can’t, you can borrow our car this week.” She let out a deep sigh. “Okay, but this is a big mug,” she smiled, and kept drinking her hot chocolate.
I put my boots on, and we got in our car and drove to hers. She got in and started the car. I pushed and she slowly accelerated. Nothing. “Is it in reverse?” I asked. “Yes,” she replied, downhearted. “Okay, this time accelerate a little bit more.” I pushed, she accelerated, and the car was dislodged! She thanked me, made it to babysitting on time, was able to drive the boy to his appointment, and she parked elsewhere back at Kenyon.
We didn’t discuss anything biblical or otherwise profound! Now, Bible Studies and deep conversation is certainly a lot of what we do as ministry here at Kenyon. But last Monday, we drank hot chocolate and moved a car…and that was most definitely ministry! Her mom wrote me an email that night:
Dear Jeff & Kelly,
Thank you SO much for taking such good care of MaryElise this afternoon. When she called me crying because she couldn't get her car out I felt so helpless. Once I found out she had made it to your house I knew she'd be in good hands. It must have been the hot chocolate that did it!
Thank you again. She is lucky to have such good friends she is comfortable turning to in time of need.
Jesus said that he did not come to be served, but to serve (Matt. 20:25-28). Thank you for helping us to serve!
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