Remembering and Expecting

Issue No. 2   Oct./Nov. 2008

In this time of Advent, followers of Jesus Christ remember and expect.  We remember God’s goodness and faithfulness to us.  This includes the blessings that he pours out specifically on individuals, as well as the “once for all” gift in his son, Jesus Christ (e.g. 2Cor. 5:14-15; Heb. 10:10; 1Pet. 3:18).  We also expectantly wait for Jesus’ return, and the consummation of the redemption of all things (e.g. Rom. 8:22-25; 2Pet. 3; Rev. 21&22) already begun through the fully efficacious sacrifice Jesus made (e.g. Col. 1:19-20).  With that in mind, I want to share some photos of God’s faithfulness and goodness this semester and a few expectant hopes for next semester!  

Remembering

Students at our apartment after SNF

Donald Miller at Kenyon, speaking about Faith and Politics before the election.

Koinonia hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner for over 50 Kenyon Maintenance and Custodial Staff

Expecting

In the last newsletter I wrote about the Lighthouse Statement for the student leaders.  It focuses on commitment to each other to be better disciples of Christ including loving God and loving others.  This necessarily involves intentionality. Whether they know it or not the student leaders impact their peers’ lives.  I expectantly hope that next semester, by God’s Holy Spirit, we would be able to focus on being aware of how they already can and do impact their peers, so that they would intentionally love their peers better as they serve Jesus. 

Last Semester I did a “Seekers Group” book study of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz.  I met with two students weekly to discuss this memoir of Miller’s life and faith.  I hope to do another “Seekers Group” next semester, looking more specifically at the life of Jesus.  Jesus changes people’s lives, and I expect him to move powerfully next semester, transforming more Kenyon students’ lives! 

Lastly, God has provided for us over these past years.  We trusted his call to this ministry, and we believe that he has not called us here without knowing how he would provide for us.  That being said, we’ve always had a goal of $2000 per month. Out of God’s goodness to us through your generosity we have been able to continue God’s Kingdom work here at Kenyon, but we have never had 100% of our monthly goal through pledges.  From time to time, we receive a full paycheck, but more often than not we do not. 

I wait in hopeful expectation that this coming semester, THROUGH YOU, God will fully fund this ministry every month!  Once we receive 100% in pledges, we will be able to better focus on serving Kenyon students, and less about monthly bills; we will be able to offer the students more resources (e.g. books, music, experiences, etc.) to help them grow.  If you are interested in partnering in this ministry, please contact us or begin sending gifts (see below for both)!  This is an opportunity for you to minister to Kenyon students and to us.  I thank Jesus and you in advance for the support I know he will provide through you! 

The Story of Many Disciples and One Lighthouse

Issue No. 1    Aug./Sept. 2008

Despite the words “Christian” and “disciple of Jesus Christ” being synonymous biblically, Rev. Dr. Greg Ogden has found that many today give these different meanings.  He addressed the CCO last April about discipleship, and one of my co-workers and friends reflected on that comment, saying, “‘Christian’ implies a one-time transaction requiring no further action, whereas ‘disciple’ implies an active, ongoing course for one’s life.”  Because the word “disciple” appears nearly 300 times in the Bible and “Christian” only appears three times, and furthermore because Jesus calls his followers to “make disciples,” Kelly and I hope to focus this ministry on making “disciples of Jesus Christ” instead of simply making “Christians.”

 

This is the beginning of our third year ministering at Kenyon College.  When we first started two years ago, we were continuing a ministry already established; we inherited two Christian Student Organizations, four weekly Bible Studies, and twelve student leaders.  During the first year of ministry, we wanted to get our bearings and begin developing relationships with Kenyon students, particularly with the Christian student leaders.  Kelly and I attempted to meet with all of the student leaders individually on a regular basis for discipleship (i.e. meeting them where they were spiritually to walk alongside them, and lovingly challenging them to live out their faith in every area of life).  It was not possible to schedule twelve one-on-one meetings in addition to our other responsibilities.  We managed to meet with most of the leaders regularly, but there were a few we met with irregularly and a few more we were never able to meet with for discipleship!  

At the end of the first year, I discussed with the leaders the possibility of creating a covenant between them, because so far there were no clear expectations for what it meant to be a leader in the Christian community.  Some were very excited, some were wary.  By the end of the Fall 2007 semester, though attempts were made, we still had no covenant…but God still did wonderful things in and through the Christians at Kenyon, of course. 

Last semester I talked with the leaders to address their concerns, and to ask about why the covenant-making process fell apart.  One student proposed a shift of language.  We wanted a brief statement that was intended to be something that we could look to for bearings as well as something to illuminate our surroundings—a Lighthouse Statement.  Based largely on the CCO’s fourth Core Value and a biblical model for discipleship as proposed by Greg Ogden, in late April the students and I composed a rough draft that focused on discipleship. 

During the first week of this semester the leaders and I (finally!) agreed on a Lighthouse Statement!  It is an intentionally broad statement, which we will hold to through meeting together in small discipleship groups, instead of one-on-one.  So although there are now fifteen student leaders, for the first time Kelly and I will be able to meet with all of the student leaders regularly, as we all journey together, as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Here is our Lighthouse Statement; I hope it is illuminating for you! 

We believe that faithfulness is pursued together, therefore: 

We commit to being disciples of Jesus together—holding one another accountable to this discipleship in Christian love.  Discipleship means actively pursuing our teacher, Jesus Christ, together—instead of stagnating or being distracted from this course—learning from him and permitting the Holy Spirit to transform us to be more like him and to better live out the Greatest Commandments per Luke 10:27.

Therefore, we covenant to be in relationship with each other in order to pursue our relationship with God the Father and our neighbors.  

The Semester in Review

Issue No. 5 Apr./May 2008

This semester has been a whirlwind and a blessing. We are thankful for your support. Because of your prayers and financial support, and God’s great goodness, here are some of things that happened at Kenyon this semester...
Click here to download the PDF file!









Prayer Trip to Washington, D.C.

Last SNF of the year

Experiencing Jubilee

Issue No. 4 Feb./Mar. 2008

The CCO’s annual student conference, Jubilee, was held February 15-17 in Pittsburgh, PA this year. We took 30 Kenyon students, 1 Kenyon alumni, plus Kelly, Ana, and me. I want to try to give you a brief experience of Jubilee in this newsletter! Over 2,000 college students attended Jubilee this year. As soon as you arrived at Pittsburgh’s Westin Convention Center, you received your registration packet. Page 2 said, “Welcome to Jubilee!” Part of that welcome letter from the CCO read as follows:

"Everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do matters today...Jesus began the greatest and final year of Jubilee. Our task is to live like it!...Throughout this weekend, give yourself permission to ask questions and seek answers. Give yourself permission to find that thoughtful interaction. Give yourself permission to find a connection with the God who loves you today."

There were four Breakout Session times over the weekend with over 50 possible Sessions to attend. Here are a handful of titles to give you an idea of those Sessions: Teachers Transform Lives; Seek Justice, Rescue the Oppressed; Not Just Science: The Master’s Handiwork; Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would; Caring for God’s Creation; Overcoming Poverty in America; Transforming Male Sexuality; Law and Gospel: Redeeming Value in the Ordinary Practice of Law; and Sabbath-keeping for Dummies. In addition to these times, there were four Plenary Sessions that everybody attended to hear from such speakers as Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries; Kelly Monroe-Kullberg, founder of The Veritas Forum; and Donald Miller, author.
All of the below pictures are of Kenyon students at this year’s Jubilee Conference!

Jubilee definitely seems to have affected the Kenyon College attendees. One Freshman pursuing pre-Med went to several Sessions about practicing medicine for the Kingdom of God. She came away from Jubilee excited for what being a doctor could mean. At our last Junior Bible Study (JBS) before Spring Break we discussed how Jubilee was for everyone. A first time attendee loved hearing Donald Miller. He said that Miller’s talk made him excited to see that the story he’s telling with his own life is really part of a bigger story. The others at JBS echoed his sentiments.

Janae, a Sophomore, wanted to share this with you all, “As a first-timer at the Jubilee conference, I can honestly say that it is one of the most powerfully spiritual experiences I’ve had in a very long time. With all of the Christian energy that was in the Convention Center, praising God and reflecting on your relationship with Him was inevitable! Even when you were alone! To sum it up in three words: Jubilee was awesome!"

I’m excited to continue to witness what God is doing in and through the lives of Kenyon students.

The First Week: Relationships

Issue No. 3 Dec. 2007/Jan. 2008


“Hi!!!” (Hug and/or hand shake.) “How was your break? What did you do? I’m so glad you’re back!” Kenyon has been in session for just over one week now, and the above is a typical ‘first conversation’ of the semester that we have with returning students. Some students visited new places over Winter Break, but most were home for the majority of their vacation. ‘Home’ for students we work with could be forty-five minutes away, three time zones away, or continents away! However far they’ve traveled, Kelly, Ana, and I are very excited to have them back. But we don’t have them all back. You see, Kenyon Juniors have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester or a full year, depending on their program. This semester there are ten Juniors abroad with whom we would normally spend time! But Ruth*, who was supposed to be abroad this semester, is back here in Gambier.


The first Monday night of classes, I went around campus visiting some students in their Residence Halls. I left a ‘welcome back’ note on some students’ door because they were not in their room when I knocked. I knew two of the students who were supposed to be in that room, but there was also a name I didn’t expect to see on the door. It was Ruth*, so I thought it was a mistake! But I saw Ruth* a few days after I left that note, and she shared with me that she had been abroad on her program for a week, but ended up withdrawing and is now back at Kenyon. She shared this with mixed feelings. She definitely thinks it was the right choice, though she really would have loved to have studied abroad for the semester. However, the sudden decision to not be abroad this semester has caused some tension with her friends on campus. Ruth* told me that she went to a dinner last Tuesday night where she expected Kelly, Ana, and I to attend, which we did not. She was disappointed. I told Ruth* that we’d love to have her over to our apartment sometime, and that I was surprised she hadn’t been over yet. She said that she would love that and it was good to know that there was at least one person glad that she was back on campus. This breaks my heart, but I thank God for the opportunity to love her. Ruth* is not in any Christian groups on campus; in fact, Ruth* is a non-practicing Jewish student. Please pray with us.

I am a Board Member of Kenyon’s inter-faith Board of Spiritual and Religious Life (BSRL). A student approached us last semester with an idea to promote and foster spiritual and religious conversations on campus. The first Thursday of classes, I met with three other BSRL Members and this student to start planning what the training process will be for this ‘Spiritual Advisers’ program. 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. Please pray for that!

Koinonia had its annual Winter Retreat the first weekend after classes began. We brought 20 students on the Retreat. Rev. Jonathan Fettig, the pastor of our church, was our speaker for the weekend. He spoke to us about relationship with God, with our neighbor, and about being relational as part of the Body of Christ.

After the Winter Retreat, a sophomore named Alex, said about the Christian Community at Kenyon, that he wants to try to “really make it about relationships with one another.” Another student said they wanted to work on “being more authentic in all of [their] relationships” and “remembering that worship is about acknowledging who God is.” Please pray with us.

Jonathan reminded us that, though we crave relationship, sin separates us from God and our neighbor. “Shame” (see Gen. 3:7 in contrast to 2:25), he said, “is Pride turned on its head.” Shame whispers ‘it’s all about me.’ Donald Miller is a writer and a speaker who often talks about relationships and community. He says in his book Blue Like Jazz, “The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me.” Don Miller will be one of the Main Speakers at Jubilee this year.

Jubilee is the CCO's annual college student conference. Jubilee is a catalytic event created to provide ‘a vision of and for life’ to help followers of Jesus grow in living out their faith in every area of life and what it means to be faithful to God in their college years and their vocational pursuits.

Also, I hope to begin a group for non-Christians who are curious about investigating Christianity. I’d like to start a book group that will read and discuss together Blue Like Jazz, which is a collection of memoir-like essays by Donald Miller, honestly looking at his journey of relationship with God. Relationships can’t be forced; they begin with an introduction between different people. I cannot force people to follow Jesus Christ; it’s a relationship that must be developed. Don Miller talks about how he used to not like jazz music until he witnessed somebody passionate about jazz. In the Author’s Note of his book he says, “Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.” I have no power to convert people, only Jesus can change people’s lives, but I can show others my love of Jesus Christ and try to explain the love God has for us. God desires to be in relationship with us, and perhaps by introducing others to Jesus they may desire that relationship as well. Please pray with us.

*Ruth is not the above noted student’s actual name.