I have a mountain bike and we don't always get along. It seems like I fall a lot. Falling off your bike as a kid was never too big a deal. Falling off your mountain bike while going down a hill in the woods seems a lot more painful. It seems that while riding along I tend to look at what is around me, flowers, trees, so forth. On the other hand, when the pedaling is tough, say up a long hill or on a single-track that is winding, I focus really hard on those little technical things that can make or break my momentum. In these times I fail to notice the beauty around me in an effort just to get through the trail.
I rode my bike tonight for a long time. I needed to get my brain in a better space as I head off to Annual Conference tomorrow. As I'm in the midst of planning for the fall and the upcoming school year I realize just how important the next few days could be. I've only been a Wesley Foundation Director for two years, but in those two years I have come to see just how crucial young adults are to the future of our denomination. Serving as a director has offered me huge challenges as I find myself in this weird space of relying on the connection to survive. I've been overwhelmed by the support we have received from so many churches and individuals, some I never thought would really care about campus ministry. People are willing to give of their time, talents, and food to reach the hearts and minds of "my" college students. I am so humbled by this ministry experience that I often do not know exactly how to describe it. I feel like I have never been so aware of what the Holy Spirit can do, and just how amazing it is when a young person who isn't sure they believe in God realizes that God IS.
When serving in the local church I loved building relationships with my people. It was so fun to hear their stories and get to know their souls. It was challenging to keep them growing spiritually. Rarely however, did I have the opportunity to really be a part of someone's faith journey at the earliest ponderings, doubts, and longings. In the church I was able to share in community service to some extent, but rarely was I able to see someone's perspective opened-wide to the vast nature of God in the world. Rarely did I engage in those really hard conversations about justice and faith. These things are the foundation of what I do at Ferris. Sometimes it happens when somebody needs a microwave or a printer. Sometimes it happens when somebody does poorly on a test and needs reassurance that God's got an awesome plan and it is going to be ok.
I'm heading to our annual conference. Change is on the horizon, a "new thing" is being created as we connect with our friends from the other side of the state. Change is something I am getting used to, as every few months my congregation seems to change so much. New things are always on the horizon, some work and some don't. Our mantra "Blessed are the flexible" seems to be the one steadfast thing in our lives. We have to keep our heads up and see what is around us, lest we get too focused on surviving.
For the first time in my life as a pastor I am feeling kind of sick about this gathering of pastors and laity from around the state. I wonder how many people understand the heaviness my colleagues and I have because of this past year. This year we have repeatedly been treated as clergy who do not count, ministries that are a nuisance because they are not self-supporting, and our proposed 2017 budget affirms a Conference that does not see a focus on campus ministry as a priority. The integrity of honest conversation and dialogue has been traded-in for conference leadership decisions that exclude the powerful God-Alive reality in which I (and my campus ministry colleagues) exist.
Maybe I'm whining. It happens. But before you roll your eyes let me just say that I'm looking at the big picture here. I'm riding my ministry mountain bike and seeing all these churches doing everything possible to be VITAL, I'm watching as some churches are making those hard decisions about closing their doors. I'm seeing God move in and through us now, and I know that it will survive into the future because of the students that are graduating from our ministries and heading to seminary, lay certification classes, serving in local churches as teachers, and so on. If my church makes the decision to place no priority on campus and young adult ministry it feels very much like we are only focusing on the financial hill we are climbing and have no idea what we will do when we get around the next bend and half of the members of our churches are no longer living this life.
So my friends. If you believe this is important now is the time to say so. It cannot come from me or my colleagues. It cannot come from our young people. It must come from the rising up of the people who really get what is at stake, from those who's lives have been changed by campus ministry, from those who's children and grandchildren have found a home and community within the walls of their Wesley Foundation. Having a United Methodist presence on our college campuses is the most effective way to reach young people at one of the most crucial, defining time in their lives. This is the time when understanding what grace, faith, prayer, and community is most important. Don't we want our Wesleyan theology to be present alongside the often louder (and frightening) theologies that exist?
Might you consider supporting one of your campus ministers as a missionary? After this Annual Conference we will be in charge of raising much of our own salaries. Maybe you would consider sponsoring an event or class at your nearest Wesley Foundation. Perhaps you would like to adopt-a-student and help to support the costs for Bibles, study books, meals, etc.
Most importantly I'm asking for your prayers. My colleagues are weary of this fight. You will notice less of a Wesley presence this year. Please pray for us, pray for our conference, pray for the future of our ministries (and the future of your UMC). Help us to be open to the leading of God in the midst of all the business and numbers.
Thanks friends. See some of you tomorrow.
