Campus Ministry Blessing
One thing that we say a lot here is that we aim to do church differently. We are an unusual church. There’s a conversation I’ve had quite a bit over the years, where folks come in and say, “Soooooo are you affiliated with a church?” and I say “We are a church!” And they say, “Where’s the church?” and I say “You’re standing in it!” and then they look at me, more confused than before.
We’re a different kind of church. So of course, we’re a different kind of campus ministry. And this is appreciated more by some than by others.
I spend time every week in the student center on UNO’s campus, meeting students, trying to engage them in conversation, or maybe a craft. I hand out stickers and buttons, and invite them to try one of the many activities we have here at the Abbey. I don’t typically start by inviting them to church. The students that are attracted to my table by the rainbows and glitter or often skittish when they find out we’re a church. They’re young people who have been hurt by people who call themselves Christians.
So I don’t invite them to church. I invite them to book club. And to chili cook offs. And to rallies at the state capitol. And maybe eventually they come to church. And maybe they never do. Either one is fine. The goal isn’t evangelism, it’s to make sure they know that we’re here. And we’re safe.
There were several weeks last year where I set up my spot in the student center. My table covered in buttons and stickers that say things like “trans rights are human rights” and “black lives matter” and “immigrants are welcome here.” And moments later, another group would set up directly next to mine. It was the UNO chapter of Turning Point USA. If you’re unfamiliar with this organization, it is a group that deals in both politics and faith. One of their stated missions is to “unite the Church around primary doctrine and to eliminate wokeism from the American pulpit.”
On Ash Wednesday, Rev. Jane joined me on campus to offer ashes on the go to anyone who wanted them. We were at one point approached by a group of young Christian men. One of them said, “I see here that you’re a church that’s in support of transgender people. How do you justify that?” I felt at a loss for words because my only response was, how do you not? They declined to take the ashes from us.
As the culture on campus changes, it is more important than ever to be there as we are. The former executive director at OutNebraska, Abbi Swatsworth, once said that “we cannot yield the faith perspective to one kind of christian.” And so we keep showing up. We keep making safe space. We keep loving and supporting one another.
One of the ways we make safe space is through our annual Emerging Leaders circle. This year will be our fifth year doing this program. This is work that we do in partnership with the Women’s Fund of Omaha. We spend 8 weeks meeting weekly with a cohort of folks 18-25 to talk about leadership, setting boundaries, healthy relationships, goal setting. We bring in nonprofit leaders from all over the city for students to connect with and learn from. And at the end of it we have a party with bowling or karaoke! It’s completely free to the students, and thanks to the generosity of our church community, we also get to provide dinner for them each week.
I want to demonstrate what it means that this is a safe space. This group meets every Wednesday evening here at the Abbey. Which means that it met the day after the 2024 election. We were supposed to talk about public policy and advocacy that week, but we scrapped that lesson plan. We asked a mental health professional we know if she’d be willing to join us, and she did. And everyone rolled in to the Abbey looking absolutely exhausted. And we said “What do you need tonight?” We did a guided meditation and then we spent 90 minutes talking about it. Some students cried. Others were angry. There was space for all of it. And being there was exactly what I needed too.
I want to thank you all for your support. Because I don’t do anything alone. Thank you for everyone who has given. Who has made a homecooked meal for our students. Who has supported me and supported this work.
We have a lot more work to do. Thanks.
For more on this topic, read Debra’s “Christian Nationalism or the Work of Abundant Life” article.