Hannah grew up in church. An active leader in her high school youth ministry, she was seen by her community as “solid in her faith.” No one could have anticipated that the universalist thinking of liberal academia would draw her in as it did (nor that she’d find it at a Christian college). But when she moved home after freshman year, she wanted nothing to do with Christianity, saying she was considering various religions, since, after all, “all roads lead up the mountain.”
Alix had been a Christian since she was 5. She was a popular girl in high school and looked forward to pledging a sorority with her friends in college. Her single mom worried about the tales of drunkenness and casual sex at the large public university. At Christmas break, Alix came home depressed. Her happy affect had changed; she hardly left her room, and she didn’t want to hang out with her friends. She finally told her mom, “I’m not me anymore. I party too much, I don’t study, and guys are so mean.”
Why Campus Ministry?
These are almost slightly fictionalized stories of two female college students. They are on my mind today because earlier this week, I had the privilege of representing one of my daughters, an RUF campus ministry intern, at a church function. My job was simple — to read a letter from her describing her work. The women in the church were collecting an offering to support female RUF staff.
It’s the season of high school graduation. It’s a good time to reflect on the joys and struggles of college students. It’s also the season when RUF interns are doing the hard work of writing and calling folks to ask for your support — prayer, and yes, dollars!
As the mother of one who has already done a two year stint and another who is about to begin, along with her soon-to-be husband, I want my readers to see what they do. I’m a little weary of people thinking campus ministry offers college graduates the opportunity to play for a couple more years before they move on to a “real job.” This is real, down and dirty work, front line stuff in the battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil for students’ hearts. This is the hard labor of faith, hope, and love.
When doubts assail, RUF interns are there to listen.But before we look at what interns do, let’s consider the college experience, a mixed bag of the “best of times, the worst of times.” College can be…
- an exciting global culture where students interact with diverse cultures, meeting people who speak different languages (“southern” or Japanese:-), states, nations, and religions.
- an opportunity to mature and discover who they’re called to be.
- a treacherous classroom where Christian students are sometimes called narrow-minded by so-called open-minded professors and students who are in fact tolerant of everything except Christianity.
- a fun football-filled Saturday. (In some cases, followed by a drunken Saturday night and a head-hung Sunday morning).
- a place and time to meet forever friends.
- a place where they may know the deepest shame, isolation, and doubt.
RUF campus interns come alongside students wherever they are on the continuum of college life and offer true hope. Stay tuned for the next post to get a close-up view into a week in an intern’s life. Meanwhile, if you want to read more, here are the letters of three of my favorite interns: Jackie Turnage, Mary Elizabeth Turnage and Caleb Blake: clemson support
4 thoughts on “How Campus Ministry Helps Struggling College Students”
I’m glad some campus ministries have changed for the better since I went to college. I was a serious seeker but at the time, the campus ministry model was “find the leaders, then others will follow.” So they dropped a New Testament off with me and went on to the next dorm room.
I spent the next several years wandering in and out of various faith and cult communities until God finally planted me in a solid church. I didn’t get to know any campus ministry staff member until more than a decade after I graduated. In the last six months, I’ve edited a book for a senior campus ministry leader, scheduled for publication on a major religious press later this year. Still, I wonder why God kept me from the campus fellowships during my entire college career.
Thanks for your response, Carlene. You are so right that not only is campus ministry important, but the RIGHT KIND is crucial. My experience with one ministry when I was in college and floundering, kind of like Alix, was that I only felt more guilty for not living up to the standards. What I love about RUF, as I’ll explain further in the next post, is the emphasis on developing relationships with students. They emphasize creating community where questions are welcome and the gospel is preached (by ordained pastors). They truly come alongside students right where they are.
All that being said, God is kind to use so many different people and ministries to bring the message of the gospel!