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Occasionally, we have opportunities to instruct college students when they’re particularly open, particularly interested, or particularly available. If we indeed strike while the iron’s hot, our impact might be greater and/or our draw – even among outsiders – might be stronger.

I know how busy all college ministers get. Sometimes we miss chances ’cause they simply pass us by. So in hopes of serving you guys, here’s a little rest-of-the-semester calendar that might prove helpful, for planning ministry events or even connecting with the rest of campus in a unique way. (And you can help – see the Qs at the bottom!)

February

  • Of course, we’re already mid-Lent, but that’s often a popular ministry opportunity.
  • February 27th: Purim starts at sundown on Saturday the 27th, so something on Esther could be a bonus. (Or for you church-based college ministers still scrambling for a talk for this Sunday…)

March

  • Thursday, March 4th: The Office airs its Jim-and-Pam-have-a-baby episode. An hour. A great watching party opportunity. Or a talk on babies.
  • Sunday, March 14th and beyond: March Madness officially begins on Selection Sunday, March 14th. The first NCAA Tournament games happen that week. So there are quite a few opportunities there – for hanging on campus while students watch the games, hosting a watching party, taking a road trip to see the tourney in action, or – of course – having a ministry-wide Bracket Challenge.
  • Wednesday, March 17th: St. Patrick was truly an amazing individual. Sharing about his life could be a win – and, believe it or not, college students these days can get pretty excited about church history.
  • Sunday, March 28th: Palm Sunday and the beginning of Resurrection Week. Lots of ministries use this week in some cool ways.
  • Monday, March 29th: Passover begins at Sundown. More teaching opportunities, or (combined with Easter) discussions of Jewish-Christian aspects. You could even look into hosting a Seder – or attending one with a local synogogue, Hillel group on campus, or local Messianic Jewish congregation.

April

  • Thursday, April 1st: April Fool’s Day. Possibilities of interesting teaching tie-ins or campus-wide hijinks abound.
  • Friday, April 2nd: Good Friday.
  • Sunday, April 4th: Easter Sunday.
  • Also Sunday, April 4th: Opening Day, Major League Baseball. (HT: D. Merricks)
  • Thursday, April 15th: Tax Day. I can definitely see this setting up interesting service projects among your students or with the community. (HT: Bob Wreidt) Bob also reminded me that some restaurants or other orgs might do special things on this day – worth tying into!
  • Thursday, April 22nd: Earth Day. Regardless of your thoughts on the environment and its care, this is likely a cool opportunity to connect with your campus.

May

  • Wednesday, May 5th: Cinco de Mayo. Sounds like fun, diversity, or something else awesome. Or participating with others who are enjoying the awesomeness.
  • Sunday, May 9th: Mother’s Day. Great for teaching about family, creating opportunities for students to serve their moms (even extra-valuable right before they head back home), or at least reminding students!

Share your thoughts:

  1. Anything I’m missing?
  2. Want to share your methods for any of these activities? I’d love to highlight them (and you!) on this blog!

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Please check out TWO requests for ideas at the bottom of this post!

One of the best projects I was ever a part of involved giving roses to the girls in our small group. I led a freshman Bible study my sophomore year of college, and I got all the dudes to secretly donate, come particularly dressed up that night, and then meet just before group time to get roses. As our lovely ladies walked down the hall, we were looking sharp and carrying flowers.

Valentine’s Day is possibly in the Top Ten of regular opportunities college ministries have to

  • be counter-cultural and redefining
  • shine
  • serve
  • make people’s day
  • develop group community
  • raise expectations for spouses
  • or all of the above.

So though I recognize today is Valentine’s Day, you’ve got a whole day ahead of you and then a whole “Valentine’s Week” ahead of you, too… It might not be too late to seize the Day, as it were.

and now, two ways I could use your help:

I would love to hear any and all examples of how you’ve seen ministries do well with Valentine’s Day (this year or otherwise). PLEASE either leave them in the comments or send them to me directly, so I can spread the wealth!

And while we’re at it, could you send me any Super Bowl party suggestions, along the same lines? Anything you’ve seen or done would be really helpful.

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Drew Brees, Purdue
Peyton Manning, Robert Meachem, and Jabari Greer, Tennessee
Gary Brackett, Rutgers
Jeff Saturday, the Tarheel tribe
Ryan Diem, Northern Illinois
Dwight Freeney, the Orangemen tribe
Marques Colston, Hofstra
Antonio Johnson, Mississippi State
Pierre Garcon, Mount Union
Scott Shanle and Carl Nicks, the Cornhusker tribe
Robert Mathis, Alabama A&M
Austin Collie, BYU
Jerraud Powers, Auburn
Jahri Evans, Bloomsburg
Will Smith, the Buckeye tribe
Jermon Bushrod, Towson
Sedrick Ellis, USC
Jeremy Shockey, Jonathan Vilma, and Reggie Wayne, the Hurricane tribe
Darren Sharper, William & Mary
Remi Ayodele, the Sooner tribe
Kyle DeVan, Oregon State
Roman Harper, ‘Bama
Melvin Bullitt, Texas A&M
Tracy Porter, the Hoosier tribe
Daniel Muir, Kent State
Joseph Addai and Devery Henderson, LSU
Jonathan Goodwin, Michigan
Philip Wheeler, Georgia Tech
Dallas Clark, the Hawkeye tribe
Ryan Lilja, Kansas State
Charlie Johnson, Oklahoma State
Scott Fujita, California
Jon Stinchcomb, Georgia
Antonie Bethea, Howard
Pierre Thomas and Kelvin Hayden, the Fighting Illini tribe
Clint Session, Pitt
Bobby McCray (plus #45, the star of one particular commercial), the Gator tribe

and a bonus #46, Carrie Underwood, Northeastern State

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This week’s Fridea was inspired by a recent post by my college minister friend Steve Lutz (who serves among the Nittany Lion tribe). In his post, he looked ahead to a discussion group he’d be holding this semester – including the very timely topics the group would be contemplating.

This is common in some ministries, but I would guess that most – especially those campus ministries that are larger or more well-developed – don’t make intentional space to discuss such issues with students. Perhaps we occasionally teach about the issues of the day – which can have major benefits, to be sure. But there’s a deeper chance to disciple students by illustrating how a Christian thinks through various issues – including things that could easily be categorized as only “secular.”

So that’s this week’s Fridea: Spend one “session” thinking with students about the issues of the day.

Can this take place regularly? Sure. But that’s not this Fridea. This is just an encouragement to think about doing it once, in a very intentional and explicit way. It might look something like this:

  1. Designate a normal portion of your ministry schedule – either a regular teaching time or one week in small groups.
  2. Prepare multiple topics to look at – with questions that strike at the spiritual angles of each issue, including angles students might not naturally consider. (See examples at the bottom.)
  3. Walk students through the thinking process. This might be taught – with a large dose of audience feedback or Q&A – or it might be true dialogue. Use the method that’s best for your group.
  4. Whichever method you use, I’d encourage you to lead. The purpose is not to get students to have the same sorts of discussions they may have already had on Facebook or in their dorms. It’s to use real-life, pressing issues to illustrate the ideals of a Christian College Student Thoughtful Response.

Sadly, many students haven’t viewed current events through a spiritual lens; it’s hard to think of many more valuable ways for us to disciple them. And the topics they’re interested in provide teachable moments; I encourage you to seize the moment!

topics / questions

One of the reasons this idea might be especially useful right now is that several BIG issues have popped up in the last month. [If you're reading this later, of course, I'm sure you can find some other great issues to dialogue on.]

In case you’ve forgotten, some of the recent topics (with suggested spiritual angles worth exploring):

  • Haiti (compassion, donating, wisdom when donating, “What if I don’t feel passionate about this?,” responding to needs close to home, Pat Buchanan’s response, other Christians’ response to PB, etc.)
  • Avatar (a better world beyond earth, religious issues, dealing with other cultures, etc.)
  • Brit Hume & Tiger Woods (proselytizing, the Gospel, tolerance & relativism, public Christianity, various responses to the situation, etc.)
  • Colt McCoy (public Christianity, response to suffering / loss, the Gospel, success, how we respond “in the moment,” etc.)
  • Lane Kiffin (what “loyalty” does and doesn’t mean, students’ angry response, other responses, career ambition, etc.)
  • Health Care (providing for the less fortunate, making choices politically, not being idiots about politics, Christians in politics, abortion, campaign promises, etc.)
  • Conan O’Brien & Jay Leno (conflict, public conflict, compromise, “kindness” vs. “business,” etc.)

What other topics are ripe for collegiate spiritual discussions?

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(click the picture for a better view)

I recognize that this weekend is probably the first “downtime” many of us have had, as our semesters or quarters have come to an end. So I don’t mean to rain on that parade. Rest. Rest well.

But I encourage you even now to start praying (or keep praying) about how these next weeks could lead to an upgraded college ministry. For most of those working with semester-system schools, you’ve got four or five weeks; even those on the quarter system have a couple of weeks, I believe. How could your ministry (or you, as leader) be upgraded in that time?

I would guess that improvement between the fall and spring is one of the least-tapped opportunities within college ministry. And yet it’s probably a period which, for many of us, actually is the most “free” of any point during the year. Is there any way to take advantage of that, coming back in 2010 with the best college ministry you’ve ever led?

Yep. There are ways.

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I have rarely (if ever) reposted a former blog entry. But about a year ago – and also the Monday after Thanksgiving – I wrote a post that seems particularly applicable to this time each year. And I’ve even updated it a bit.

So here’s this year’s charge to do something great in a very special college ministry season: those cwazy, cwazy final weeks before all the little kiddies take big tests and then go away.

  1. Serve your heart out. These are weeks when students need everything from Scantrons to car tune-ups to counseling about their family situations. Or, Finals brownies! Why not write thank-you notes to professors? Or parents back home? You can ask staff / faculty / administration if they have any special needs as things wind down. And of course, a zillion local churches and service organizations have projects they’re working on for the Holiday Season, too, and you guys could join in.
  2. Host. Why not host study hours or tutoring sessions? Why not make some snacks for dorms? Why not have a “study break” party? Why not camp out on campus? Or go really big – like Blackhawk Church in Madison – and host a Study Day.
  3. Share Christ. There’s probably an uptick in students’ focus on religious themes – or at least there will be in the coming month. Are there ways to share, with gentleness and respect, right now… or to provide students with Jesus-exploring resources for their extended time away from school?
  4. Teach. Teach about Christmas. Teach about growing in Christ during the Break. Teach about “Glorifying God in Finals.” Teach about loving (and enduring) family. Teach in some special venue, or on campus, or as a three-week intensive. Or teach ONE thing to your group – a whole new mini-series right at the end – that will get them ready for a revolutionary Spring.
  5. Finish something. Your best option in these few weeks could simply be to get that particular “to do” item finally finished. Right now, when your calendar is a little bit lighter and students are tied up studying and such.
  6. Connect. Local churches – whether you’re a church-based ministry or not – are all hyped for the Holidays now. How can you connect that energy to the campus?
  7. Have a blast. For example, I’m still waiting for somebody to have a Game Marathon during Finals. (Ingredients: some ongoing, unchanging game(s) where the participants change as people go study or take tests. Keep track of teams and points across the hours. Do it right, and I bet you draw a crowd.)
  8. Unveil. “Did you hear that? I can’t wait until next semester!!!”
  9. Recruit. Why not add to your ranks now, or at least help students start thinking about participating in 2010? (More on this idea.)
  10. Make a splash. While every other activity on campus is winding down, what if your ministry did something ultra-noticeable? Fun? Surprising? Random?
  11. Tighten bonds. Or maybe the best thing for your group is to take a couple of community-building weeks. If your group was that much tighter before they left for the break, I bet there would be plenty of benefits once they got back. (And they might even stay connected better with each other and you over Christmas!)

Do y’all have any further ideas for this high-potential season?

written from back home after Road Trip 13! (recap coming tomorrow)

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If you aren’t already aware of the public conflict (and resolution) between Christians over Foster & Wilhite’s Deadly Viper book (and marketing), it would be very worth catching up on.

One of the really helpful things about Twitter is staying current on topics of interest to us as college ministers. And while I haven’t been able to follow the Twitter-stream nearly as much as I would hope to (participating in a 7-week road trip and all), I did happen to catch wind of this very helpful teachable moment for all of us.

The very brief summary of the conflict is that Deadly Viper, published by Zondervan in 2007,  seems to have insensitively pictured Asian stereotypes, and their recent marketing push went (in the eyes of many) even further “over the top” in this regard. As a result, many expressed deep public concern – especially after the authors did not respond well to the original confrontations. Since then, the authors have expressed deep regret and a desire to learn. And others are pointing to this as an opportunity for us all to learn.

And indeed it is. I certainly learned much by taking a look at some of what has been said.

Of course, this is important for us as Christians. But it’s also extra-important because of the climates in which we get to serve – climates which are often some of the most (integrated) multicultural environments in America. We need to understand how students and others in our campus communities view the world. And we should also be helping our students, teaching them wisely on navigating the sometimes-tricky waters of community.

So how can you explore this important topic? Here are three good places:

  • Eugene Cho offers an excellent summary of both the situation and the concerns
  • D. J. Chuang offers links aplenty on this situation, as well as some wisdom on the value of a very public conflict
  • The major catalyst in airing the concerns has been Professor Soong-Chan Rah, a (well-loved) prof of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Seminary. I’d encourage you to scan his progression of posts through the last several days, beginning with the initial major posts from November 3rd.
  • And of course, don’t miss the chance to read the comments on those posts. As always, they present the opportunity to view a wider spectrum of reactions to this issue.

written from Toledo, OH

please pray for me as I speak to a conference of college ministers tonight!

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Road Trip 13: Day 36 recap
recap: finished my time in Ann Arbor, down to Toledo (see all explorations so far)
mileage: 6,773 miles so far
new state: Ohio (#16)
T-shirt: the Jumbos of Tufts University
monday: flying to Cedar Falls, IA, to speak at the Collegiate Ministries Conference for the Lakes & Prairies Synod of the PC(USA). I’ll be there ’til Wednesday.

Chi Alpha director Brad Lewis mentioned last night that NDSU and Minnesota State Moorhead have had plenty of students come down with the swine flu. And though that news is true for campuses nationwide, I sadly hadn’t connected that issue to potential college ministry activity.

My thickness bums me out. I (and we) should be really good at recognizing “reachable moments,” opportunities for ministry that connect with the present Zeitgeist. Serving others involves connecting with their felt needs when we can, and “dealing with swine flu” is certainly a felt need for many of our campuses.

So, better late than never, this week’s Fridea:

Minister in light of the swine flu.

I would love to hear any ways ministries have connected with their campus / with students around this issue. Please post a comment if you’ve done it or heard about it!

Obviously, our response will vary campus-to-campus, and maybe this isn’t something your campus needs. But here are some ways campus ministries just might minister in light of the present “swinegeist.”

  • Help with the campus’s swine flu prevention / awareness efforts
  • Passing on to your group any messages the campus wants them to know
  • Serve students who are quarantined or otherwise swinfluenza’d. (Cookies? Class notes? Tutoring afterward? Nice notes? Serenading?)
  • Pray for students with it
  • Pray for students not to get it
  • Help in similar ways with faculty and staff
  • Work with faculty to help out, as they face difficulties of irregular student attendance, etc.
  • Help in similar ways off-campus – in the community
  • Talk to administrators, staff, and faculty about other actions they’re taking – and consider any ways your ministry might be able to pitch in, complement, or just plain love

Truly integrating with our campuses means connecting on the things they find important sometimes, even if it’s not the brightest spot on our own radar screens. Ministering in light of swine flu might just be a simple, servant-y way to play helpful roles among the campus community.

Find synopses of all the Frideas – interesting little college ministry methods that might be worth a shot – over here.

written from Motel 6, Fargo, ND

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Road Trip 13: Day 26 recap
recap: finally made it up to Fargo; exploring some ministry at NDSU and Minnesota State Moorhead (see all explorations so far)
new campuses: Minnesota State Moorhead (#20), North Dakota State (#21)
new states: North Dakota (#10), Minnesota (#11)
T-shirt: the Wildcat tribe of Cal State Chico
friday: mostly a much-needed Sabbath, it looks like (I’d appreciate your prayers for rest and encouragement!)

For many of you, the school year begins this week (or has already begun). For those whose school calendar doesn’t start for another month (thanks to the Quarter System), enjoy the rest of your summer. But for many of us, this is the beginning!

So I’m praying for you guys, AND I want this blog to be as helpful as possible in these crazy, busy, important days. So, I want to clue you in on two things that you might find encouraging and useful – especially here at the start of school, both for you and for any leaders in your ministry.

(And if you missed it, yesterday’s blog was a list of seven “best ways to start the school year.”)

40 days, 40 prays

If you haven’t already seen it, I encourage you to tune into our United Methodist campus ministry friends, who have issued a nationwide call for 40 Days of Campus Ministry Prayer. They’re blogging a new intense, solid prayer for college ministers each day. I think you’ll find their prayers encouraging and refreshing – and perhaps taking time to pray through them each day might be a great spiritual discipline as you begin the year.

This could also be valuable for your student leaders, adult volunteers, and even your supporters to be reading/praying along with you.

You can find a good description of the project, a prayer guide, and all the prayers so far right here. As a reminder, I’ll also link to the prayers occasionally at the bottom of posts (see below). You can also find posts from the coinciding “40 Conversations” series here.

what I learned in my first year

Meanwhile, I plan to start a timely new series tomorrow: Each day, one major thing I learned in my very first year of college ministry that has had a BIG impact on my college ministry work ever since. (I learned a lot of interesting things that first year – you’ll hear a little about it in the posts to come.)

[The whole series can now be seen right here.]

These won’t be fancy posts – and they should be quite short, in honor of the busy season. But I figure that looking at some powerful, basic ideas and Best Practices isn’t a bad thing at the beginning of the school year. I would also love to help your student leaders or adult volunteers with these posts – I really think they will cover some strong practices that might “upgrade” anyone’s ministry, whether they’re longtime ministers or first-time volunteers.

For those of you who do have a little time to interact with the blogs, these may also be great posts for commenting and adding your thoughts, illustrations, contrasting ideas, connected ideas, or anything else. Sometimes little nuggets make the best springboards!

Enjoy your school year, whenever it starts. I’m praying for you.

It’s Day Eight of College Union’s 40 Days of Prayer for Campus Ministry

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