Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Multi Ethnic Fellowship as a Visible Sign of God's Kingdom

Part of the reason I am enjoying my ministry is that I am WAY in over my head in the deep end of the pool!

This doesn't speak so much to the church ministry (since I've been doing this sort of work for 20 years-- though there are days!) but is the truth about campus ministry. The good of it is that I am not merely repeating what United Methodists have traditionally done in college & university ministries. Instead, I've tried to listen to students and follow God. This has resulted in some of the most exciting work of my life as we have entered into all sorts of relationships with students at this critical stage in their life and faith journey.

A key component of our campus ministry is that we are a good reflection of the university and the community. Said another way, we are not merely a group of suburban white college students sponsored by a predominately white denomination. Instead, our group reflects the beautiful diversity of our area, of God's people, and of our world.

This is not to suggest there aren't challenges. We are still learning what it means to be together, to grow together, and to engage more students in our group. Truth be told, we probably can't even agree on music that the whole group would like! Yet, there is something special about such a multi ethnic bunch that surely must be a sign of heaven! This must be the way God wants us to do business as we prepare ourselves for heaven, and as we help our world become more like our anticipated destination.

See the link below about someone in Arkansas who is further along in facilitating a multi ethnic church:

http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/leaddocs/2008/081203_article.html

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