Campus Ministry Reflections
This is a post I started writing on Victoria Day weekend (holiday in Canada) – reflections on Campus Ministry.
Sandra and I are attending the Spring retreat for our Taiwan church fellowship retreat. The theme for the retreat is Sowing, Reaping and Keeping. This weekend is a good chance for me especially to take a break from the last few very intense (but incredibly satisfying) weeks of work and build some relationships with our church community.
However, this is also the Victoria Day long weekend and I can’t help but spend time reflecting upon Campus Challenge and how this conference has so significantly impacted our lives over the years.
This weekend is a long weekend in Canada, Victoria Day weekend. Victoria Day weekend has been a very special weekend for Sandra and I for many, many years. From 1994 through to 2006, for 13 consecutive years, I’ve spent Victoria Day weekend on Trent University Campus in Peterborough, Ontario attending a student conference called Campus Challenge. It seems a bit nostalgic to actually write and reflect upon how long a period Campus Challenge has been a part of my life. Besides the obvious fact that we’re far from being students and that we’ve even further from being “young”… it is overwhelming to reflect on what an important part of our life Campus Challenge (“CC”) has been over the past number of years. Without a doubt, Campus Challenge has one way or another, whether we were students, working or whatever, was one of the most significant points in our year. It is a bit empty and sad not even having an opportunity to be involved in Campus Challenge, but being in Taiwan, its also a strong message from God to transition and focus on “being” here in Taiwan.
What is Campus Challenge?
My simplest and most personal definition of CC is that it is a Christian student conference bringing together students from Chinese Christian Fellowships (“CCF”) and Asian Christian Fellowships (“ACF”) from primarily Ontario and Quebec, but at times, from all over Canada. The focus of course changes from year to year, but I have always seen the purpose of CC to be a combination of mission, leadership development and discipleship. I have witness God work in each of these areas in every single year that I have attended CC. The most beautiful picture of CC to me is to see volunteer student leaders and alumni come together, each campus or group taking on a part of the program and pulling together a conference to touch the hearts of many. This annual conference has transformed lives, ignited new leaders and united hearts together.
Campus Challenge – The First Year
My first experience at CC was towards the end of my first year of University. The details will have to wait until another posting, but basically, the first year at the University of Waterloo was a significant spiritual milestone and journey for me. It was in this first year where I began to see Christians for who they were – people striving and struggling to understand and build a relationship with God. I cannot pick a point in my first year at University that I “accepted” or “became” a Christian, but I do remember attending my first CC in August of 1994 and how it was an emotionally charged experience. I don’t remember every detail of that five day conference but I do remember meeting countless older and more mature Christians and being in awe of their genuine thirst to know God more. It was unreal and quite emotional. I remember on the last day of the conference, sitting with N, an old friend from ETCBC, sharing with him what I’ve experienced at this conference and during my first year away at Waterloo. I remember sharing with him that I now know that I am a Christian and can never turn back. I also remember making a commitment to N and my new friend CW that I would give whatever time that I had left, using whatever skills and resources that I had (not many) to the work of campus ministry. I firmly believed everything that I heard that weekend – that campus ministry was a unique and important opportunity to reach students for Christ.
Consequences of Commitment
I remember returning back to Waterloo campus as a second year student. Not previously heavily involved in the activities of CCF, I started wondering if the commitment I made was an emotional one or one that I could really follow through with. Over the remaining 4 or so years of being on campus, CCF became an increasingly important part of my life. I still never really had the confidence that I could give back or contribute, but I often remembered the commitment that I made. It was a commitment made out of an overwhelming response that God had found me, a lone student searching for Him a home… The confidence in being able to make a difference never fully came, but came one bit, one person, one encounter, at a time. It started that first orientation week, a few weeks after the CC commitment, sitting awkwardly as an inexperienced second year student at a inter-fellowship prayer meeting. I remember talking and sharing with our small group when a young freshman shared that he was so thankful to find a group of Christians after having experienced and believing that the campus was a dark and Godless place. To this freshman, we were similar to “angels” and a support, to me, this experience was God saying that you remain faithful in what I have called you to and I will use you. So… that incident formed a large part of my philosophy to ministry – give whatever you have, humbly rely on God and He will do the rest. Sometimes we meet up with old “CCFers”, look back and laugh at how amateur we were… but without question, God used CCF (and I suppose us) to change lives. How amazing a testimony that God can use people like us to draw others to Him?
Transitioning Roles and Lessons
This theme of “learning on the fly” (in a positive way) seems to be recurring over the last 13 years. As time passed, and we grew, we realized that our roles would also have to change to build a sustainable ministry. To the many faithful servants at AFC and CC, our roles changed from receiving to giving, to teaching, to supporting… Not all of it in this order, and not all of it necessarily effective, but I think that in the end, it was the heart and desire to give back to others and rely on God that made this a positive and meaningful experience.
In each of my 13 years that I’ve been at CC, I’ve learned something about myself. Perhaps this realization was more important than worrying about whether I was making a positive contribution or not. Whether as a student, as an organizer or leader, a workshop speaker, or as an “old” supporter, I have always believed on the drive home from Peterborough that I have received more than I have given. I also see very clearly today that who I am today, how I approach projects and issues – at work or at church, has been shaped by my experience at CC.
In my later years at Waterloo, in an effort to encourage fellow students to attend CC or sponsor those who had financial need, some of us offered a “money back guarantee”. The offer was simple – if you want to go to CC and feel God prompting you to go – don’t let money get in the way. You go… and if it wasn’t worth your time or money, I’ll give you your money back. I think I must have offered dozens of people this offer and nobody ever asked for their money back. Those who were financially supported came back raising money to support others in future years.
For those of you reading this who are familiar with CC or CCF, I really encourage you to continue to support this conference. I remember being in meetings when we were discussing whether to continue CC (or have it in alternating years) because attendance was at a low of 40 and also meetings where we were approaching 200+ and wondering if we could handle all of the logistics of such a “larger” conference. Whether as a student or as an alumni, there is a role for you. What I’ve learned is not to ask what you can contribute, but to make yourself available and God will surprise you. The lives of students are worth investing in. To this day, I cannot think of a better mission field than the campus. No, I won’t further this entry with all of the hundreds of points that we used to try to cover in the Campus Ministry 101 workshop, but those of you who have read this far will know what I’m talking about.
Thinking back to that commitment I made with N in 1994… I really had doubts in the months and years following that commitment whether CC’94 was a truly a transforming experience or whether the commitment was simply an emotional response. Funny, even after 13 years of being involved in campus ministry, I still don’t feel like I’ve had enough! Yes, it has been affirmed that God has called us to be in Asia, and I also know that God has called me specifically to workplace and church ministry for the time being, but there will always be a part of my that will support and respond to campus ministry. Being in Taiwan forces a small break from CC which is healthy. God in his own way prepared us for this just over a year ago at CC’06. We didn’t know, just like many years, that this could be our last CC for a while, but it was the Sunday night campus sharing. Sandra and I had planned to head back to Toronto that evening when one of the Waterloo leaders asked if we could join in on the Waterloo sharing and support them. We entered into the room of 40+ leaders and quietly sat at the back listening to these young leaders share about their dreams and ideas for the year. In the past, we remember sharing sessions like this where God prompted us to jump in to share a word of encouragement, to provide some sponsorship to a young leader, or to provide some context to some history, etc. This year was different, we were quietly in awe of the maturity, the passion, the strength and humility of these young leaders. In the end, Sandra and I said nothing and slipped away into the night around midnight for the drive home to Toronto. I think I knew it then, that that was God’s way of saying that it’s okay for us to move on, even if its only for a little while. God does work in amazing ways doesn’t he?
Sowing, Reaping and Keeping
So, as we are here in Taiwan, as we emerge into a new community of believers, we are challenged with the theme of Sowing, Reaping and Keeping. How fitting that it is this weekend, Victoria Day Weekend, that we attend our first retreat in Taiwan! We don’t really fully know what God has in store for us, but we know that there will be lots to learn, lots to contribute and many to support and pray for. Campus Challenge wasn’t “taken away” from us, or we didn’t “leave” it. It was never “ours” to begin with, but God’s conference, a place that was used to sow, reap and keep many for generations to come. I thought that I would miss not being a CC much more than this, but I think the confidence that God has placed students and alumni to support this ministry has encouraged me to look towards what we have here.
For those of you in Canada, I encourage you to continue to support CCF and CC in anyway possible. Over the years, I’ve realized that we are all called to transition from season to season in our life. It’s not realistic or perhaps even healthy to stay involved in the same way forever – especially in a transitional ministry like CCF, but there is still always room to pray, to give encouragement and perhaps even financial support. I love how our network has grown so broad and deep that there are friends that we can turn to in our time of need. Together, wherever we are, may we continue to Sow, Reap and Keep what we have found in our hearts.
ray
This is a post I started writing on Victoria Day weekend (holiday in Canada) – reflections on Campus Ministry.
Sandra and I are attending the Spring retreat for our Taiwan church fellowship retreat. The theme for the retreat is Sowing, Reaping and Keeping. This weekend is a good chance for me especially to take a break from the last few very intense (but incredibly satisfying) weeks of work and build some relationships with our church community.
However, this is also the Victoria Day long weekend and I can’t help but spend time reflecting upon Campus Challenge and how this conference has so significantly impacted our lives over the years.
This weekend is a long weekend in Canada, Victoria Day weekend. Victoria Day weekend has been a very special weekend for Sandra and I for many, many years. From 1994 through to 2006, for 13 consecutive years, I’ve spent Victoria Day weekend on Trent University Campus in Peterborough, Ontario attending a student conference called Campus Challenge. It seems a bit nostalgic to actually write and reflect upon how long a period Campus Challenge has been a part of my life. Besides the obvious fact that we’re far from being students and that we’ve even further from being “young”… it is overwhelming to reflect on what an important part of our life Campus Challenge (“CC”) has been over the past number of years. Without a doubt, Campus Challenge has one way or another, whether we were students, working or whatever, was one of the most significant points in our year. It is a bit empty and sad not even having an opportunity to be involved in Campus Challenge, but being in Taiwan, its also a strong message from God to transition and focus on “being” here in Taiwan.
What is Campus Challenge?
My simplest and most personal definition of CC is that it is a Christian student conference bringing together students from Chinese Christian Fellowships (“CCF”) and Asian Christian Fellowships (“ACF”) from primarily Ontario and Quebec, but at times, from all over Canada. The focus of course changes from year to year, but I have always seen the purpose of CC to be a combination of mission, leadership development and discipleship. I have witness God work in each of these areas in every single year that I have attended CC. The most beautiful picture of CC to me is to see volunteer student leaders and alumni come together, each campus or group taking on a part of the program and pulling together a conference to touch the hearts of many. This annual conference has transformed lives, ignited new leaders and united hearts together.
Campus Challenge – The First Year
My first experience at CC was towards the end of my first year of University. The details will have to wait until another posting, but basically, the first year at the University of Waterloo was a significant spiritual milestone and journey for me. It was in this first year where I began to see Christians for who they were – people striving and struggling to understand and build a relationship with God. I cannot pick a point in my first year at University that I “accepted” or “became” a Christian, but I do remember attending my first CC in August of 1994 and how it was an emotionally charged experience. I don’t remember every detail of that five day conference but I do remember meeting countless older and more mature Christians and being in awe of their genuine thirst to know God more. It was unreal and quite emotional. I remember on the last day of the conference, sitting with N, an old friend from ETCBC, sharing with him what I’ve experienced at this conference and during my first year away at Waterloo. I remember sharing with him that I now know that I am a Christian and can never turn back. I also remember making a commitment to N and my new friend CW that I would give whatever time that I had left, using whatever skills and resources that I had (not many) to the work of campus ministry. I firmly believed everything that I heard that weekend – that campus ministry was a unique and important opportunity to reach students for Christ.
Consequences of Commitment
I remember returning back to Waterloo campus as a second year student. Not previously heavily involved in the activities of CCF, I started wondering if the commitment I made was an emotional one or one that I could really follow through with. Over the remaining 4 or so years of being on campus, CCF became an increasingly important part of my life. I still never really had the confidence that I could give back or contribute, but I often remembered the commitment that I made. It was a commitment made out of an overwhelming response that God had found me, a lone student searching for Him a home… The confidence in being able to make a difference never fully came, but came one bit, one person, one encounter, at a time. It started that first orientation week, a few weeks after the CC commitment, sitting awkwardly as an inexperienced second year student at a inter-fellowship prayer meeting. I remember talking and sharing with our small group when a young freshman shared that he was so thankful to find a group of Christians after having experienced and believing that the campus was a dark and Godless place. To this freshman, we were similar to “angels” and a support, to me, this experience was God saying that you remain faithful in what I have called you to and I will use you. So… that incident formed a large part of my philosophy to ministry – give whatever you have, humbly rely on God and He will do the rest. Sometimes we meet up with old “CCFers”, look back and laugh at how amateur we were… but without question, God used CCF (and I suppose us) to change lives. How amazing a testimony that God can use people like us to draw others to Him?
Transitioning Roles and Lessons
This theme of “learning on the fly” (in a positive way) seems to be recurring over the last 13 years. As time passed, and we grew, we realized that our roles would also have to change to build a sustainable ministry. To the many faithful servants at AFC and CC, our roles changed from receiving to giving, to teaching, to supporting… Not all of it in this order, and not all of it necessarily effective, but I think that in the end, it was the heart and desire to give back to others and rely on God that made this a positive and meaningful experience.
In each of my 13 years that I’ve been at CC, I’ve learned something about myself. Perhaps this realization was more important than worrying about whether I was making a positive contribution or not. Whether as a student, as an organizer or leader, a workshop speaker, or as an “old” supporter, I have always believed on the drive home from Peterborough that I have received more than I have given. I also see very clearly today that who I am today, how I approach projects and issues – at work or at church, has been shaped by my experience at CC.
In my later years at Waterloo, in an effort to encourage fellow students to attend CC or sponsor those who had financial need, some of us offered a “money back guarantee”. The offer was simple – if you want to go to CC and feel God prompting you to go – don’t let money get in the way. You go… and if it wasn’t worth your time or money, I’ll give you your money back. I think I must have offered dozens of people this offer and nobody ever asked for their money back. Those who were financially supported came back raising money to support others in future years.
For those of you reading this who are familiar with CC or CCF, I really encourage you to continue to support this conference. I remember being in meetings when we were discussing whether to continue CC (or have it in alternating years) because attendance was at a low of 40 and also meetings where we were approaching 200+ and wondering if we could handle all of the logistics of such a “larger” conference. Whether as a student or as an alumni, there is a role for you. What I’ve learned is not to ask what you can contribute, but to make yourself available and God will surprise you. The lives of students are worth investing in. To this day, I cannot think of a better mission field than the campus. No, I won’t further this entry with all of the hundreds of points that we used to try to cover in the Campus Ministry 101 workshop, but those of you who have read this far will know what I’m talking about.
Thinking back to that commitment I made with N in 1994… I really had doubts in the months and years following that commitment whether CC’94 was a truly a transforming experience or whether the commitment was simply an emotional response. Funny, even after 13 years of being involved in campus ministry, I still don’t feel like I’ve had enough! Yes, it has been affirmed that God has called us to be in Asia, and I also know that God has called me specifically to workplace and church ministry for the time being, but there will always be a part of my that will support and respond to campus ministry. Being in Taiwan forces a small break from CC which is healthy. God in his own way prepared us for this just over a year ago at CC’06. We didn’t know, just like many years, that this could be our last CC for a while, but it was the Sunday night campus sharing. Sandra and I had planned to head back to Toronto that evening when one of the Waterloo leaders asked if we could join in on the Waterloo sharing and support them. We entered into the room of 40+ leaders and quietly sat at the back listening to these young leaders share about their dreams and ideas for the year. In the past, we remember sharing sessions like this where God prompted us to jump in to share a word of encouragement, to provide some sponsorship to a young leader, or to provide some context to some history, etc. This year was different, we were quietly in awe of the maturity, the passion, the strength and humility of these young leaders. In the end, Sandra and I said nothing and slipped away into the night around midnight for the drive home to Toronto. I think I knew it then, that that was God’s way of saying that it’s okay for us to move on, even if its only for a little while. God does work in amazing ways doesn’t he?
Sowing, Reaping and Keeping
So, as we are here in Taiwan, as we emerge into a new community of believers, we are challenged with the theme of Sowing, Reaping and Keeping. How fitting that it is this weekend, Victoria Day Weekend, that we attend our first retreat in Taiwan! We don’t really fully know what God has in store for us, but we know that there will be lots to learn, lots to contribute and many to support and pray for. Campus Challenge wasn’t “taken away” from us, or we didn’t “leave” it. It was never “ours” to begin with, but God’s conference, a place that was used to sow, reap and keep many for generations to come. I thought that I would miss not being a CC much more than this, but I think the confidence that God has placed students and alumni to support this ministry has encouraged me to look towards what we have here.
For those of you in Canada, I encourage you to continue to support CCF and CC in anyway possible. Over the years, I’ve realized that we are all called to transition from season to season in our life. It’s not realistic or perhaps even healthy to stay involved in the same way forever – especially in a transitional ministry like CCF, but there is still always room to pray, to give encouragement and perhaps even financial support. I love how our network has grown so broad and deep that there are friends that we can turn to in our time of need. Together, wherever we are, may we continue to Sow, Reap and Keep what we have found in our hearts.
ray
2 comments:
Ray, thanks for sharing about CC. It's inspiring. I too had a life changing experience at CC back in year 2000.
Hi Ray,
I never had a chance to ask you about your past CCF/CC experience. Thanks for sharing, it was a blessing to read.
Post a Comment