A Christian, a Jew and a Muslim knelt down in prayer…

Election Day, 2012. Televisions and radios were swamped with last minute political ads and speculation about the outcomes. Pundits were gleefully preparing for a long night of poll watching. People from all political parties had knots in their stomachs in anticipation of either a victory celebration or a period of mourning and anger.

There was another group of people who chose to spend Election Day in a very different manner. The Chaplains and Advisors in the Religious and Spiritual Life Office at USM committed to be in prayer for the duration of voting and invited members of the USM community to join in the prayer vigil for our nation, state, and local communities as we peacefully made decisions about leadership and other ballot issues, along with prayers of gratitude that we are able to do so! Taking shifts in the Interfaith Prayer Room, chaplains, advisors and community members came in deep faithfulness. Some brought prayers to use and share. Others sat in quiet meditation.

And then there was that extraordinary moment when a Christian and Jewish chaplain were joined by a Muslim student. Each was in their own place of prayer, but they did so in each other’s presence. It was, indeed a holy moment.

Eboo Patel, the Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Corp, told the participants of the Global Chaplain’s Conference (which I attended this summer as a participant) that higher education is in a unique position to lead our nation in teaching respectful, interfaith interaction. He reminded us that one of the primary tools that will be needed if we are to ever bring about peace, compassion and cooperation is interfaith literacy. Where else do most of us have the opportunity to interact in such close proximity with people of different faiths and races. His experience at the Interfaith Youth Corps has taught him that interfaith literacy requires of us not only encounter with people who are different from ourselves, we must also develop friendships forged in ongoing sharing and support. These friendships are what creates the foundation for global understanding and cooperation.

Higher education chaplaincy is one of the last mission fields for the church. The demographic of SBNRs (spiritual but not religious) and Nones (identifying no faith tradition) is ever increasing, and campus engagement looks very different today than it did 40 years ago in its hay day. Nearly every student encounter begins with either educating about very basic faith tenants or with a gentle re-directing of the extreme stereotypes that result in hostile first encounters.

The power of the Religious and Spiritual Life professionals’ presence on campus is a witness to the possibility of civility, respect, and compassion without a loss of one’s own beliefs. It shows a commitment to future leaders that faith communities are and will continue to be one of the places where they can find meaning and support. It also helps to remind us that our lives are not compartmentalized machines. We bring our beliefs into the academy, as well as in the workplace. Interfaith literacy allows that to happen in a way that encourages curiosity and appreciation rather than suspicion and separation.

A Christian, a Jew and a Muslim knelt together in prayer. And God, most certainly, smiled.

Takin’ it to the Streets

You don’t know me but I’m your brother

I was raised here in this living Hell

You don’t know my kind in your world

Fairly soon, the time will tell

You, telling me the things you’re gonna do for me I

ain’t blind and I don’t like what I think I see

Takin’ it to the streets

Takin’ it to the streets

Takin’ it to the streets

Take this message to my brother

You will find him everywhere

Wherever people live together

Tied in poverty’s despair

You, telling me the things you’re gonna do for me

I ain’t blind and I don’t like what I think I see

Takin’ it to the streets

Takin’ it to the streets

Takin’ it to the streets

Takin’ it to the streets

“Takin it to the Streets” by the Doobie Brothers

In this season of Ashes to Go and Holy Conversations, I’ve been thinking a lot about takin’ it to the streets. What does it really mean to do so? How/must we change in order to make that transition? How will it be received?

All of my work takes place in the secular world. As a chaplain at a public university, the intersection couldn’t get more obvious. Even among the other chaplains, I stand out by wearing a collar. We never know what that collar means outside of our church walls. I am frequently asked if I am a Roman Catholic priest (not yet, sadly), a nun (no thanks!), or I get second and third glances of pleasant surprise or hostility. Takin’ it to the Streets means never quiet knowing how we will be received. We have no control over another person’s experience of clergy or the church. We are not within the walls in which one expects to meet us. It’s a crap shoot as to what reaction we will engender. And that’s part of the fun!

Takin’ it to the Streets means taking the opportunity to inject the sacred into the secular. We get to share “churchy” concepts translated so they can be heard in a new way. Each semester I am invited into a Spirituality and Healing class to offer a Christian perspective. I begin by telling the students the lens from which I operate, progressive Christianity, so they understand that I don’t speak for all Christians. Over the course of the next 60-90 minutes we exchange questions, ideas, theology and orthodoxy. It is always lively and honest. I am moved by their willingness to engage with me, sharing their own beliefs and seeking to understand mine. Feedback from their faculty informs me that students value the opportunity to see Christianity in a broader light than they get from the media, and some indicate the desire to go back to their roots to explore their tradition more fully as young adults.

Annually, I offer Ashes on campus. That too can be a prickly business, but well worth any stings. There are some in public higher education who don’t believe such offerings are appropriate on campus. And yet, much like my experience last year with Ashes to Go, there are always those souls who light up when they see the signs, and share their sorrow at being so long since they last received ashes; grateful for the chance to participate in that outward visible sign of recognizing their brokenness and mortality and still walking away with lighter steps for being given the chance.

As Executive Director and Chaplain at one of the Jubilee Centers in the Diocese, all of that work is also in the community. Takin’ it to the Streets means reaching out to city leaders to partner on addressing violence in our community. It means inviting other clergy and lay leaders to work toward a common statement about violence. It means being present every time a public vigil or gathering is held in response to gun violence, hate crimes, domestic abuse, teen violence and poverty. It means partnering with General Assistance by offering to be a resource for those who have no spiritual community but have need of spiritual support, including wakes and funerals at no cost. It means speaking out at City Council meetings, advocating for our brothers and sisters of other faiths when invitations to the National Day of Prayer are identified for Christians alone. It means working with local social services and churches to practice good stewardship of our limited resources and in helping stop the “run-around” people needing services often get.

Takin’ it to the Streets also means learning a whole new vocabulary of the streets and the current stressful system of health and human services. It means hearing more about bodily functions and methods of survival than we were ever taught in seminary or CPE. It means meeting a more diverse population than we see on Sunday mornings and necessitates our continual learning of new cultures and sometimes even languages. It means entering homes of unspeakable poverty and graciously accepting hospitality. And it especially means having our hearts broken; broken by the stories of wounded bodies and aching souls; broken by the realization that all of our best collective efforts cannot “fix” some problems; broken by the children who only need love and shelter, and often have very little of either; broken by the extreme gratitude expressed for even the smallest gesture of kindness.

Takin’ it to the Streets is not for the faint of heart. But for some it is where, as Frederick Buechner tells us, our “deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” I look forward to seeing some of you out in the streets!

What does the church have to say to me about sex? “Nothing!”

This was the question to and resounding response from a large group of students in a session I joined at a recent bi-annual Episcopal College Student Conference in Colorado between Christmas and New Years. Students from around the country gathered to talk about matters of faith, culture and their lives. The session covered many ethical issues students face.

Although silent until that moment, I couldn’t remain so any more. “I’d like to push back against that response, if you don’t mind. I think the church has a great deal to say to young adults about sex.” There were a few eye rolls, but they politely said, “Sure. Go ahead.” I could read it in their smirks; they were expecting Just Say No. But as we all know, sexual intimacy is much more complicated than that. This is what they heard…

“First and foremost, you are all precious children of God. Any conversation about sexual intimacy must start at that place. And, if you truly believe that, the rest of what I say won’t be all that surprising. As a child of God living among other children of God, you deserve to be treated as such, and have the responsibility to treat others similarly. I’m not going to tell you to not to be sexually active while single. That is totally your choice.”

(At at this point, a few mouths dropped open and a couple of them even sat forward. I continued.)

“I’m just going to offer you a few thoughts based on working with college students for 27 years. The church teaches that sexual intimacy is most like the love God desires for us when it is in a committed monogamous relationship. Each person should be clear about what taking that step means to them and assume responsibility for taking measures that will not endanger or impact their health and well-being. In all things, try to be sure the choices you make are compatible with what you believe.

Believing you’re a precious child of God means that you have the absolute say over what happens to your body. No one has the right to force, manipulate, coerce or impose their will on you. You have the right to say no, to walk away, to not “join along” and most importantly, do what it takes to protect yourself. The media wants you to believe that “everyone is doing it” and you’re not cool if you aren’t as well. But the research among college students is very clear. Fewer students are engaged in sexual intimacy than you believe. And even if they were, you don’t have to. And if you want to, you have responsibilities also.

You must not force, coerce or shame anyone to do anything that is against their will. You must ask permission every step of the way and receive a clear positive response. You must be clear in every message you send and believe the response of the other person. You must not assume anything about a person’s sexual identity or the behavior that is attributed to it. You must not believe urban legends that all men are sexually promiscuous and all women who say ‘no’ really mean ‘yes,’ or that men and women who want to “wait” must be gay or weird, or that gay intimacy is not “normal.”

(At this point students were jumping in with stories of friends who were victimized and/or given a hard time for either being a “goody-goody” or a “slut.” Their sadness, pain and compassion were powerful. I continued, knowing this last piece might be the least probable to them – but I forged ahead.)

“But before you have to negotiate all those landmines, let me encourage the old fashioned act of dating. In today’s “hook-up” culture, dating has suffered. Texting and one-night-stands don’t require looking into another’s eyes and sharing a bit of yourself. They don’t encourage friendship and companionship. They often don’t result in more than a brief encounter. And that may be right for you. But if it’s not, have courage. It’s OK to be willing to patiently get to know another person and to develop a relationship. It is never a waste of time to invest in another person’s happiness, or your own.

Finally, I want to encourage you to not confuse your search for meaning and connection with sexual intimacy. We each have a hunger that can only be filled by God. Holding God at arm’s length in our college years can result in grasping for the wrong tenderness, for conditional acceptance, and marginal kind of love. Remember the love and foundation that has always been the church. But if this hasn’t been your experience, then find a faith community that will love and support you and encourage your relationship with God as well as with others. The Church wants to serve you. And if we’re not, be the change or find another. Be authentic in knowing what you believe, and seek people who will let you be that person.”

When the session broke up, after they “schooled” me in some of the more common campus attitudes and behaviors (Who knew that a “friend with benefits” wasn’t someone who could offer a partner health care! Insert hilarious laughter here, and yet without any judgment from the students.), they shared their experience of never having anyone from their church talk with them about sexual intimacy. Not one of them, and they were from many parts of the country!

We must do better. We must be real with students. We must reach them where they are. And, we must realize that many college students have had to make these decisions long before they went off to college. Our young adults are smart and curious and seeking authentic connection. Let’s walk beside them as they find their way. Let’s teach other young adults how to mentor their peers and the rising generation. Let’s not forget them once they leave for college. Let’s see them and love them as God does. Let’s earn their trust, prepare them for what they might face at college, and welcome them home when they return to the loving community that sent them..

Powerful Wisdom from a Methodist chaplain colleague

This is printed with permission

Missions Need a Missionary—Why Full-Time Campus Ministry Matters

Posted on: April 15th, 2012 by Mark Schaefer

People don’t always understand what it is that I do.  As a campus minister, I find that people often suppose that I am basically a youth group leader for college students.  ”Do you have services?” they’ll ask, surprised to discover that we have a full-fledged worship program, including a choir, a worship committee, and student-written liturgies and prayers.  But the questions don’t end there and it never seems that people quite get what campus ministry is.

After a few years it finally dawned on me that there was an image that I could give to people that not only helped them to understand what I do, but it made the most sense in interpreting campus ministry to the broader community: I’m a missionary.  A missionary to a college campus.

I’ll usually go on to explain that as such I have to learn the local language, adapt to the local customs, and I spend a lot more time “digging wells” than doing what would be usually seen as “church” stuff.  That’s not to say that church doesn’t happen; it is merely to note that there’s an awful lot of relationship and community building that looks more like watching a movie with some pizza than it does like having a prayer meeting.  But it is certainly church.  And vital church.

See, we understand this with our missionaries abroad quite well.  We know that they’re going to be spending a lot more time digging those wells, or working for farm workers’ rights, or simply sharing a meal with people than they will conducting worship services.  Now, there are those missionaries who travel far and wide essentially to “bring people to God”.  But in the United Methodist tradition, shaped so profoundly by E. Stanley Jones’ experience in India, we do not so much “bring people to God” as help them to see where God already is in their midst.

Another important point to remember about mission work is that one of the primary values of what the missionary does is stand in solidarity with the people being served.  Our United Methodist missionaries (indeed anyone who has ever gone on a mission trip) will tell you that they don’t go abroad to solve the problems of others, they go to stand beside the people of that area as they seek to attain their own justice, their own freedom, their own well-being.  The missionary represents the solidarity of the One who stands in solidarity with us, through life, death, and resurrection.  In so doing, the missionary preaches a powerful gospel of presence that is truly transformative.  For it is a gospel that says, “You matter to God and that is why you matter to me–I am here with you.”

And doing so requires being present.  With the people.  Mission cannot happen at a distance or by invitation to a location other than where the people already are.  No one would seriously suggest that the General Board of Global Ministries merely send out invitations to people around the world to visit one of our fine United Methodist Churches here in America.  Neither would anyone suggest that a local church identify a staff person to work 30 hours a week at the church and 10 being a foreign missionary.  We shouldn’t suggest the same thing with campus ministry.

It is not impossible for local churches to do campus ministry, but it requires those churches to commit someone to be the full-time presence to that campus.  As we have seen in the experience of our own campuses, part-time ministry from a local church will always yield to the immediate—and important—needs of that local church, as one would expect.  At present there are approximately 70 colleges within the boundaries of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, an area that contains well over 600 churches. And yet, the only campus ministries in the Conference are Conference funded.  If local church based part-time campus ministry were a viable model, shouldn’t we expect to see many more of them, particularly in a region where churches outnumber colleges nearly 9-1?  All we can conclude from this staggering absence is that local churches are either unwilling to dedicate the time to campus ministry or, as a result of the considerable demands on the local churches, unable to do so. Either way, the need for dedicated, full-time ministry to our college campuses is clear.

Budgetary concerns and a shrinking denomination have put a lot of pressure on campus ministry.  Where once our annual conference had 17 campus ministries, today there are four.  But where there are campus ministries, exciting things are happening.  Young people are discerning call to ministry and to other vocation in light of their faith.  Authentic Christian community is modeled.  Skills in worship planning, mission work, justice organization, Bible study and devotional reflection are all being learned by young adults who will become active and engaged lay members in our congregations.  The Gospel is preached in a time of incredible importance in the formation of young adult identity.  The campus ministries are dynamic centers of the church.  Methodism was started on a college campus and Methodism will be renewed on our college campuses—if we commit to campus ministry.

Young adults are our missionary population.  They are a people in need of solidarity from the church.  As Rev. Dr. David McAllister-Wilson said, “Young people have no interest in saving the church; they care about saving the world.  If we can show them that we can help them save the world, they’ll save the church.”  When we stand in solidarity with young adults, we validate their hopes, their aspirations, their longings.  We give them the context in which they can act to better their world and the hope that comes with the Gospel.  But if we do not commit to being present with them in meaningful ways that demonstrate a commitment to them, then all of our talk about wanting young adults in the church will be for nothing.  For we will have shown them our assessment of their worth through our indifference.  And the harvest of decline that we will reap will be the fruit only of what we will have sown.

We are a church called to be in mission and the present and future of our church depend on being in mission with young adults, particularly college-aged young adults.  Let’s be sure to send them the missionaries they need.

Rev. Mark Schaefer
United Methodist Chaplain
American University

A Mission Field Filled With Mines

A Mission Field Filled with Mines

Although reports cannot be confirmed due to privacy reasons, the press has reported that 2 or 3 students died by their own hand in the fall semester of 2011 at the University of Southern Maine. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that at least 1,350 college students commit suicide each year, making suicide the second leading cause of death among college students after accidents. Research reports that for every completed suicide, 20 attempts have been made.

It is nationally reported by Counseling Centers that increasing numbers of students are coming to campus with significant mental health diagnosis and do not have foundational safety nets or resiliency skills. Scholars who study religion, society and the media have commented that the increasing interest in vampires and zombies among our youth and young adults is reflecting their internal emptiness and loss of hope.
The year 2010 also found an increase of hate crimes on campuses across the country. Additionally, increasing in number are harassment and hate behaviors that may not quality as a crime but negatively impacts the targeted group. Sexual assault and dating/violence continue to haunt the hallways of academia, despite vigorous efforts by campus officials to interrupt the behavior.

Students of faith who are courageous enough to share that part of their identity in a classroom environment are sometimes ridiculed by faculty and other students who discount religious beliefs as superstitious and ignorant. Residential students find themselves living along-side such a mix of lifestyles and beliefs, the developmentally-appropriate exploration can sometimes have disastrous consequences. Christian and Non-Christian students of faith often try to be invisible in their religious identity due to the hostile responses that surround them.

Less traumatic but no less challenging are the realities of increasing debt for college students and the lack of a guaranteed employment following graduation. The explosion of social media, when not managed responsibly, has alienated students from achieving positive, interpersonal interactive skills. Communications comes in “bytes,” is frequently more brutal than would be communicated in person, and gives a skewed sense of anonymity that does not exist. Casual connections can become dangerous predatory encounters.

Being a student on most college and university campuses today is fraught with hidden mines that will explode in their lives at any time and with varying degrees of impact. Additionally, fewer students entering higher education have been raised in a faith community, thus find themselves without spiritual grounding to sustain them through life’s inevitable challenges.

For those of us who grew up in the church and have come to take for granted the support system that comes from clergy and the parish community, we must try to imagine what it is like for young adults to navigate their college experiences in the climates described above. Academia has always been a critical mission field for the Church. There has never been a time more critical for college chaplaincies to exist.

Many young adults are feeling hopeless, discouraged about their future, disgusted with oppositional leadership in our country and fearful about the safety of our environment and the planet. I work in higher education because I believe the rising adults are our best hope for the world. But we need to be there for them now, while they are working out their future. There are some cult-like organizations on campus, including religious ones, that “prey” on isolated, unconnected students, drawing them in to unhealthy patterns and practices and alienating them from family and friends. These students frequently end up dropping out of school.

Lest you think me only a harbinger of doom, the good news is that the national research out of UCLA tells us that college students are desperately seeking meaning and desire to grow in their faith understanding. We also know that when support is provided, students grow deeper in their faith through their college years and are successful. We just need to provide them with a vehicle to do so.

I am writing to renew my offer as a resource to parishes with adjacent campuses who desire to be intentional in ministering along-side college students. With 30 years of experience in higher education, my offer is to help facilitate connecting with the campus, to help insure that all activities are respectful of and in compliance with college policies, and to support you in potentially building a ministry team for this purpose. There are already such initiatives under way in the Diocese, and I would love to invite others to join in the venture. We have a team from St. Pat’s – Brewer and St. James – Old Town beginning work at UMaine Orono and an new emerging outreach to Bowdoin College.

I also want to encourage those who have parishioners in college, to reach out to those students and their families – to be sure they know what resources are available on their campus and to remind them that they continue to be part of a loving parish community. Encourage them to seek out a local parish and/or the Episcopal chaplaincy if present. Help them find out more about what types of religious organizations they might encounter and how to discern what is right for them. Most importantly, please let them know they are being held.

I would also be happy to serve as a conduit to help students connect on their campus or their communities. Pass on my contact information and ask their permission to give theirs to me. I could be in touch on a regular basis and encourage their journey. I have creating a blog for college students and others interested in them: http://www.mainecampusministry.wordpress.com .

The old adage, “It takes a village to raise a child” can be translated into “It takes a Diocese to support our rising adults into their full, hopefully Christ-filled, lives.” One half-time Missioner based on one campus can’t do it alone. Please join me in helping students navigate the minefield of higher education. Please pray for them and me. God bless you.

What’s Maine’s College Chaplaincy All About?

What does it mean to be a person of faith in an academic
community? How do I process information from my classes that are in conflict
with what I believe? What do I really believe about God and Jesus? How do I
think about being friends with students who are very different from me? How do
I decide what activities are OK for me to engage in? As a returning adult
student, struggling to re-learn how to study and to balance a complex life, how
do I keep it all together? What is a life worth living? Who am I and whose am
I?

To see more click on the Blog above or this link:  http://mainecampusministry.wordpress.com/blogs

Young Adult Reflections on Poverty – A Lenten Series

This Lent we invite you to join us on a journey of reflection
and discernment around the questions inherent in the word “poverty.”
What is it? What does it mean? What is our Christian response?
Sixteenth century Italian writer and jurist Andrea Alciato wrote,
“Poverty prevents the advancement of the best of abilities.”
It is poverty that keeps individuals, communities, and entire categories of people
from living into the fullness of being God has created for them.
And poverty is perhaps not simply material but may manifest itself
socially, politically, and spiritually.
How do we examine, recognize and work to alleviate such poverty
in our own lives and in the lives of those we are called to serve?

We invite you to subscribe to receive a meditation
written by a young adult from within the Episcopal Church
in your inbox each day this Lent. Each meditation offers a scripture text,
a brief reflection, and a prayer to carry us forward.
Simply click the link below and fill out the subscription page:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/109462_127114_ENG_HTM.htm

May this Lent be filled with much growth and much hope
as we work collectively to do the work God has set before us.

Many blessings,
Young Adult and Campus Ministries
The Episcopal Church Center