Break?

Campus ministry is very, very busy during the fifteen weeks of each semester and is much less busy during holiday and summer breaks. When I talk to people, both friends and family, they often slyly grin when this time of year comes around as they assume I simply take vacation. My defenses go up because it seems that people really think I just sit around during breaks and do relatively nothing. I admit, I am very blessed in this ministry with flexibility and slow times of break. But I am also very conscious that people are financially supporting me to work full-time, those people are working full-time, and if I don't use the slow time wisely I am going to crash in the busy times. So, what does a campus pastor do during holiday breaks? I work.

*Prepare for the next semester's teaching. In the spring we'll be having weekly small groups themed around introducing the Old Testament story and weekly worship nights with the book of Revelation as the theme. I will be preparing both of these and if I don't start now, the quality will be low. Study is essential.

*Prepare for next semester's everything else. Planning activities, getting ready for Spring break and much more.

*Pray. As a pastor it is my job to pray so I'll be praying for the students, praying for the next semester. Pray, pray, pray!

*Fundraise. This is always happening but I especially focus on it during the holidays. Getting in touch with alumni and others, trying to raise support.

*Read. I love to read anyway and while anything I read may enrich my ministry, it is especially books on theology, culture and such that really help. So I will be reading books, seeking to grow as a person in order to better minister.

*Stay in contact with students. I will send out weekly devotional emails as I do on Fridays during the semester; I will also seek to keep in touch with them, talk with them (via email, Facebook, phone, whatever), listen to them and pray with them.

That's a start. It is pretty sweet; I get to read and talk to college students for a living. Of course breaks are also refreshing and there are times for spiritual rest and renewal. But the point is, I will not be lazing around. I will be working and loving it!

Getting Liturgical, sort of...

Over the past few years a sort of tradition has developed at CSF Berks. At Christmas and then again at Resurrection Day (Easter), we have a worship night focused on those most important events. So we set aside whatever our theme for the semester is and spend the evening singing songs and reading the scriptural stories. The students really enjoy it, which is why we keep doing it! It is interactive as we read some prayers in unison and we have individual students read each of the scriptures. Last evening we had a special treat, as my friend Adam, pastor of Desert Road Fellowship, visited to lead us in worship. We also shared communion together. I reminded the students that God became man as a gift for us and that this baby born on Christmas grew up and gave his life on the cross as a gift for us. Simply put, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, the greatest gift, to restore our relationship with God. Knowing there is nothing we can do to earn or deserve this, I asked the students to ponder what they are going to give to Jesus this holiday season?

Knowing all that God has done for you, the gift of Jesus' body and blood, what are you going to give back?

Here is the outline for our night.

Opening Prayer

Scriptures of Hope
Isaiah 9:2, 6 – Reader #1
Jeremiah 31:31-33 – Reader #2

Songs of Hope
O Come Emmanuel
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

The Christmas Story Part 1
Luke 1:26-38 – The Angel Visits Mary – Reader #3

Luke 1:46-55 – Mary Worships God – Reader #4
Matthew 1:18-25 – The Angel Visits Joseph – Reader #5

Songs
O Little Town of Bethlehem
The First Noel

The Christmas Story Part 2
Luke 2:1-7 – Birth of Jesus – Reader #6
Luke 2:8-20 – Shepherds – Reader #7
Matthew 2:1-12 – the Magi – Reader #8

Songs
Away in a Manger
Offering

Communion scripture - John 1:1-5, 14; 3:16-17 – Reader #9
Reflection
Communion (Cup and Bread up front)

Closing Prayer:
Let the just rejoice, for their justifier is born.Let the sick and infirm rejoice, for their Savior is born.Let the captives rejoice, for their Redeemer is born.Let slaves rejoice, for their Master is born.Let free men rejoice, for their Liberator is born.Let All Christians rejoice, for Jesus Christ is born.

Nearing the end of the semester!

Penn State's Thanksgiving break is like a big tease. The students get one week off and then have to return for two weeks of class and finals. After a week off, many have trouble getting back in the groove.

Nevertheless, a lot of activities are going on at campus in these two weeks. On Thursday CSF is hosting a question and answer night where myself and one student will seek to provide answers to any questions people have, recognizing and probably often repeating, that we do not claim to have all the answers. Thus, we titled it "seeking answers together" and the goal is that after the night is over, we have all learned a bit.

Next week CSF has a Christmas-themed worship night on Tuesday and caroling and a Christmas party on Thursday. Then on Friday we are partnering with the Step Team for a fundraiser to benefit the fight against human trafficking. The Step Team is doing a talent show while CSF members will share info on the horror of modern-day slavery. It is a good partnership and I pray it goes well.

So lots going on! God be with us.

Recent Reads

Working on a college campus, I see students struggling with life in various ways. I found this article to be eye-opening. Here is one quote:

"The 2009 National Survey of Counseling Directors, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh, found that 94 percent of directors reported an increase in students with severe psychological conditions, including depression, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol addictions. In addition, 91 percent believe a greater number of students are arriving on campus already taking psychiatric medications."

Also, if you want a nice summary of the importance of campus ministry, I found this article to be helpful. Here's the fact that churches need to face today: "In the past, churches would expect that people who dropped out of church during their college-age days would come back once they were married with kids. The problem is they're not coming back."

Perhaps not as unrelated to campus ministry as we might think are articles on the greed of banks (and many college students are still pursuing the American dream of more, more, more) and an article on forced abortions in China (a rare issue that might bring pro-life and pro-choice Americans together as neither life nor choice is getting a hearing here).

If the Phillies win today...

If the Phillies win tonight, which is a big if, we will have a game seven tomorrow at 8 PM. This will leave me with a problem. CSF meets on Thursdays at 7:30. People were distracted last Thursday when it was only game 2, no one will be focused when there is a game 7! So should we just cut our losses, cancel CSF, and watch the game?

Some might consider this a sacrilege: canceling a Christian worship time because of a baseball game? Wouldn't have CSF be a test of the students' faith, do they care more for Jesus or the Phillies and Yannkees? That seems like holier-than-thou pontificating to me. The whole point of CSF is to build a community of Christians on campus who can effectively reach out to their peers. Will this community be damaged that much if we set aside our normal routine to join those peers in a rare cultural experience (after all, game sevens are rare)? The right thing to do is probably to cancel CSF and encourage the students to watch the game with their friends. Those who do not like baseball can still get together for fun times.

Of course, if the Yankees end it tonight this whole thing is a moot point. We'll see.

Question of the Day

As I mentioned a while back, our theme this semester on Thursdays is to seek answers to tough questions people have about Christianity. Its been fun so far. Tonight one of our students has asked to talk about the persecuted Church in the world. I decided that a good question to go along with that would be: Why don't miracles happen today like they did in Bible times? This question relates to the persecuted church because in many places where the church is persecuted we do hear stories of miracles of healing and such. But often in America, the only miracles we hear about are of people finding close parking spaces at the mall on a rainy day! I don't think that counts.

So I wonder, how would you answer that question were it posed to you?

Old dying church...new vibrant church

Part of being a campus minister, at least for me, means traveling around and visiting churches to share the vision for ministry on campus. Being a commissioned missionary in the Evangelical Congregational Church, the denomination I grew up in and, obviously, am still a part of (along with the Christian Church/Church of Christ), most of the churches I visit are EC churches. Like any other EC churches, each church is unique and you can never be sure what you'll get.

This morning I was invited to visit, for the third time, First EC Church in Reading. I believe this was one of the first churches I visited back in 2006, then I was invited again in 2008. Each time I have been given an hour in Sunday school to speak on campus ministry. After that I sit in the worship service, worshiping with the community.

First EC Church is certainly a church with a long history that appears to be near the end of its race. While I am not sure of their history exactly, two things give clues. Their huge and beautiful building indicates they once had a larger, vibrant congregation. But their current attendance is around thirty, most of whom are well into retirement and nearing the end of their sojourn here on earth. It would be really tempting, if that was the end of the story, to be a bit sad for this church.

In the time since First EC began the demographics in Reading have changed. Along with more and more Hispanics moving into the area, churches have been planted. One of these churches, affiliated with the EC church, is Vida Nueva (New Life). For the last number of years (I am not sure how long, but at least as far back as 2006 when I first visited), First EC has thrown wide the doors to their facilities, allowing Vida Nueva to worship in this beautiful building. While First EC's thirty or so attendees barely makes a dent in the pews, Vida Nueva packs the place.

So we see while one church is finishing its race it is helping another church to begin its own race. This is beautiful. Even this is not the end.

Today between Sunday school and the worship service one of the ladies told me that another church, Living Word, is meeting in their building on Sunday evenings. This new church has already grown big enough to, like Vida Nueva, to pack the sanctuary. And like Vida Nueva, this church reflects the demographics of the city of Reading.

The Holy Spirit is certainly moving in the world today as churches like Vida Nueva and Living Word are emerging. In the evangelical sub-culture there is a lot of talk about the "emerging" church. This week I have been reading The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah and he has forcefully shown that the real emerging church is the one growing in Latin America, Africa and Asia as well as among such immigrant communities in the USA. If our eyes are not open we might miss this, but this is the true evangelical church emerging in 21st century America.

Human Trafficking

Last evening Karen Warren shared with us her passion for working to end human trafficking in the world. It was quite an amazing evening and all the students who attended were greatly affected. First, throughout the day we had a table in the hallway sharing information about human trafficking with people and inviting them to the evening's main event. This was successful as our usual attendance for Tuesday Bible studies is about 25, last evening we were around 45.

I can't sum up what Karen said here and I won't try. She has done much research on the issue, has spoke about it to many people, and has lived in Cambodia working in prevention and intervention. Her stories from her time in Cambodia were most eye-opening. She has seen young girls up close who have been forced into the sex trade, she has seen white Europeans and Americans walking the streets in the red-light district seeking out child prostitutes. Many times she had to hold back tears as she shared.

Perhaps most challenging was her calling the students to not just care about human trafficking because it is the cool thing for the moment. The temptation will be to move on to environmentalism, then homelessness in the US, then whatever comes next. She told the students not to care about human trafficking just because she does. Rather, she called them to find what issue they are passionate about and learn about it. Her prayer, and I echo it, is that students would look outside themselves, increasing their view of the world, and overcome evil with love.

She also warned us to be on the lookout for slavery in our own communities. This may seem shocking to many of us, but the fact is that thousands are trafficked through the US each year and that many are held in slavery here right now. Just this past weekend the local newspaper ran an article about massage parlors in the Berks area that serve as fronts for prostitution. That is just scary. But it should cause all of us to be aware.

During the question and answer time I could tell the students were somewhat shocked. My prayer is that the shock won't wear off today or anytime soon, but rather that the students in CSF would work with their peers on campus to actively join the movement to end slavery in our lifetime.

Below are a few websites of organizations dedicated to working to end slavery:

Love 146

International Justice Mission

Free the Slaves

Not for Sale

American Anti-Slavery Group

Concession stand - why I hate nachos with cheese

CSF at University Park runs a concession stand in Beaver Stadium for each Penn State home game. The money they make off this helps fund many ministry activities. One or two times each year, CSF Berks travels to the game and works the stand with UP. We then get a portion of the profit also. Money aside, it is a fun trip!

This past weekend we worked the game against Temple. It was the first time I worked the stand in two years, since I couldn't make it last year, but little has changed. I volunteered to be a cashier, with Emily as my "runner". Basically, I took the orders and the money while Emily retrieved the food. Having both worked the stand as students, we are veterans and make a pretty good team.

Unfortunately, I got stuck right in the middle of the stand. There are six lines, each with a cashier. Being on the end is just better, but I did not claim a spot soon enough so I was in the middle. This meant that Emily had to go to one corner of the stand or the other for soda orders, we had no soda nearby. But soda was not the problem. Nachos with cheese was.

There are two machines that dispense nacho cheese. I imagine someone designed these machines in the 1800s, shortly after the invention of nachos with cheese, and the design has not been improved upon. When the machine runs out of cheese you need to remove the bag (pouch?) that is now empty and replace it with a full one. The process for this refil is difficult and only one or two people in the stand, out of about forty, seemed to know how to do it. On Saturday one of the machines was broken, so the only one working was practically right behind my cashier station. Thus, most of the day I had a line of people behind me waiting for cheese or trying to fill up cheese.

Furthermore, people running around in tight spaces with cups full of liquid cheese is a recipe for disaster. Early in the game a worker carrying nacho cheese ran into Emily, spilling nacho cheese on Emily's white PSU sweatshirt. Later in the game she got more spilled on her. Needless to say, that sweatshirt has probably been worn for the last time!

So if any engineers are reading this I have a challenge: design a better nacho cheese dispenser for Beaver Stadium!

Overall it was a good trip, despite my animosity towards nacho cheese. We had a good group of students go up from Berks and I enjoyed seeing many old Berks students who now to to UP. I am grateful that we can partner with CSF UP in this stand once a semester. We might try to plan another trip up for they can certainly use the help. But if I go I think I will volunteer for pretzel maker or soda filler...whatever keeps me away from nachos with cheese!!!

Seeking Answers to Tough Questions

This semester our theme for our Thursday night gatherings is "Seeking Answers to Tough Questions". Each week we look at a different question, or set of questions, that people have about the Christian faith. The first week we discussed questions relating to God, seeking to understand how Christians can believe in one God who exists as three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). We saw that rather then being an academic doctrine only for theologians, this is a very practical truth as it shows us that God has always existed at base in loving relationship and we are invited into this relationship.

Last week we talked about where the Bible, specifically the New Testament, came from. We looked at things like the process in which the New Testament was put together and why certain books, such as the Gospel of Thomas, were never included. Tonight we are going to discuss the transmission of the Bible, asking whether we can trust that copies of copies of copies have preserved accurately what the original writers intended. In both of these the goal is not just an intellectual understanding but also to see how these questions, and our answers to them, play out in real life on a practical level.

Planning ahead, I am wondering what some good questions would be. I have a few that I have asked myself, and been asked by others, over the years and that I would love to talk about. But I want to make sure I am talking about questions people are asking. So I am open for suggestions.

Here are some I am thinking of:
*Relationship of Jesus to other religions?
*How can a good God send people to hell?
*How can the wrathful God of the Old Testament be the loving God of Jesus?
*How do you explain Christianity's support of slavery and oppression of women through the centuries?
*Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?

Any other ideas?

Volf is kicking my butt

I read a lot. Part of the reason is simply that I love reading. Another part is that reading is part of my job as a campus pastor. I believe all of us pastors need to be continually learning and growing, thinking through new ideas and poring over difficult texts. If I am not learning, how can I teach?

I finally started a book this week that I have wanted to read for a long time. It is Miroslav Volf's Exclusion and Embrace. Volf teaches theology at Yale and is originally from Croatia, having firsthand experience of the war (and ethnic cleansing) that took place in Yugoslavia. The book is, as the title indicates about the problem of exclusion and the answer of embrace. Maybe when I get further than page 57 I can offer more explanation.

But already in the first chapter Volf has said some challenging stuff. I'll leave some quotes that I have been pondering over, figuring out how they relate to my life and ministry.

"Our coziness with the surrounding culture has made us so blind to many of its evils that, instead of calling them into question, we ofer our own versions of them, in God's n ame and with a good conscience" (36).

"The ultimate allegiance of those whose father is Abraham can be only to the God of 'all the families of the earth,' not to any particular country, culture, or family with their local deities" (39).

"Christians can never be first of all Asians or Americans, Croatians, Russians, or Tutsis, and then Christians. At the very core of Christian identity lies an all-encompassing change of loyalty, from a given culture with its gods to the God of all cultures. A response to a call from that God entails a rearrangement of the whole network of allegiances" (40).

"Unaware that our culture has subverted our faith, we lose a place from which to judge our own culture. In order to keep our allegiance to Jesus Christ pure, we need to nurture commitment to the multicultural community of Christian churches. We need to see ourselves and our own understanding of God's future with the eyes of Christians from other cultures, listen to voices of Christians from other cultures so as to make sure that the voice of our culture has not drowned out the voice of Jesus Christ, 'the one Word of God'" (53-54).

Apologetics Night

Each week CSF Berks gathers together on Thursday evenings for worship and fellowship. This is also the time when I have the opportunity to teach. Our theme for this semester is "answering tough questions about our faith." I am not good at titles, so if I mention the theme throughout the semester it might change each time. But basically, the fancy term is "apologetics."

Last evening I started with questions regarding God, specifically how can Christians believe in ONE God who is also THREE persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). It was a lot of fun! It seemed like many students were very interested and learned some new things. Through my preparation I was struck again by how practical this doctrine is: the Trinity shows that God is inherently relational; the foundation of who God is has always been a dynamic relationship of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The beautiful thing is that this relational God invites us into relationship.

The next two weeks I am going to talk about the Bible, specifically focusing on the New Testament. One of the biggest questions I had growing up was, where did the Bible come from? Why is this book different from other books? So we'll be talking about other gospels that are not found in the Bible (should they be?), how was the New Testament put together, and how has the Bible been passed down and translated through the centuries. Fun stuff!

Beyond that, I'm not sure. We'll probably get into the problem of suffering, hell, and world religions. But I am open to ideas and I am looking forward to discussions with students about questions they have. So we'll see where we end up!

I am excited for this opportunity

Last night we had our first "official" CSF meeting (not that ultimate frisbee and a cookout are not official, but they are not our normal weekly activities). In addition to talking a bit about what CSF is going to be doing this semester and having some fun icebreakers for people to get to know each other, we had a guest come in and share a cool opportunity with us. Allen Dawkins is a pastor at New Creation Community Church in the city of Reading. He is working on starting an after-school program at Southern Middle School and he came to tell us about the program and invite the students to take part. Each Wednesday, starting in October, there will be a "homework center" from 3:15-4:15 during which time tutors will help the middle school students with their homework. But it is so much more than that.

Allen talked to us about how many of the kids in the city do not have people encouraging them in their studies. At some point, each Penn State Berks student was told about Penn State Berks and the opportunities a university education can open. By going into the city, the students can bring this same encouragement to kids who have not had it before. Along with that, Allen desires for these middle school kids to see real Christian young people living out their faith on a daily basis. After the homework center each week there will be another hour of Bible study. This is optional both for the tutors and the middle school kids, but my hope is that many stay for it. The chances for friendships and for making impact for Christ in their lives will be enhanced with this second hour.

This program starts on October 7. Please pray that students will step up and be committed to this as much as they can. Pray for details that need to be ironed out, such as rides to the school. Most of all, pray that this program changes the lives of both Penn State Berks students and the middle school students in Reading who we will be serving.

College Mindset List

Each year Beloit College releases the "mindset list" for the incoming class of freshman. It is always humorous, though it may make you feel old. Check out the list for the new class.

Here's the list:

1. For these students, Martha Graham, Pan American Airways, Michael Landon, Dr. Seuss, Miles Davis, The Dallas Times Herald, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.
2. Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Kevorkian, and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
5. Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister.
6. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
7. Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
8. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
9. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
10. Rap music has always been main stream.
11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
12. Someone has always been building something taller than the Willis (née Sears) Tower in Chicago.
13. The KGB has never officially existed.
14. Text has always been hyper.
15. They never saw the “Scud Stud” (but there have always been electromagnetic stud finders.)
16. Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
17. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.
18. Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
19. They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
20. American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.
21. Except for the present incumbent, the President has never inhaled.
22. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
23. The European Union has always existed.
24. McDonald's has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
25. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
26. Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
27. Christopher Columbus has always been getting a bad rap.
28. The American health care system has always been in critical condition.
29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.
30. Desperate smokers have always been able to turn to Nicoderm skin patches.
31. There has always been a Cartoon Network.
32. The nation’s key economic indicator has always been the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
33. Their folks could always reach for a Zoloft.
34. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
35. Women have always outnumbered men in college.
36. We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time.
37. Amateur radio operators have never needed to know Morse code.
38. Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia have always been independent nations.
39. It's always been official: President Zachary Taylor did not die of arsenic poisoning.
40. Madonna’s perspective on Sex has always been well documented.
41. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
42. Ozzy Osbourne has always been coming back.
43. Kevin Costner has always been Dancing with Wolves, especially on cable.
44. There have always been flat screen televisions.
45. They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
46. Disney’s Fantasia has always been available on video, and It’s a Wonderful Life has always been on Moscow television.
47. Smokers have never been promoted as an economic force that deserves respect.
48. Elite American colleges have never been able to fix the price of tuition.
49. Nobody has been able to make a deposit in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
50. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.
51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
52. They have never been Saved by the Bell
53. Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
54. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
56. The status of gays in the military has always been a topic of political debate.
57. Elizabeth Taylor has always reeked of White Diamonds.
58. There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
59. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.
60. Agent Starling has always feared the Silence of the Lambs.
61. “Womyn” and “waitperson” have always been in the dictionary.
62. Members of Congress have always had to keep their checkbooks balanced since the closing of the House Bank.
63. There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
64. CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging.
65. Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
66. NATO has always been looking for a role.
67. Two Koreas have always been members of the UN.
68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.
69. The NBC Today Show has always been seen on weekends.
70. Vice presidents of the United States have always had real power.
71. Conflict in Northern Ireland has always been slowly winding down.
72. Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
73. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
74. Congress could never give itself a mid-term raise.
75. There has always been blue Jell-O.

Another Year of Campus Ministry

Welcome to the Christian Student Fellowship PSU Berks blog. The purpose of this blog is to give you a window into the ministry happening at Penn State Berks. I hope to post 2-3 times a week.

I am very excited for this year, my fifth at Penn State Berks. We have a lot of great stuff planned. There is always a sense of nervousness as we approach the new year. It is excited nervousness as though we have lost many great students to graduation and transferring to University Park we have a core group returning ready to reach out to their peers. My prayer is that this core group can shine brightly and that many students will grow closer to Christ this year.

A few students are back on campus as RAs and orientation leaders prepare for new freshman orientation on Friday. There are a couple CSF students who work as orientation leaders and they are pumped to begin inviting new students to CSF.

Stay tuned...