Augusta State University Wesley Foundation

We've got a very exciting year ahead as next week is already the 3rd week of fall semester at ASU.

EVERY WEEK:
Most Tuesdays of semester- LUNCH at Trinity on the Hill UMC Dining Room from 12:15-1:30. Features music, food, & friends. Only $3 for lunch feeds a hungry student!

Tuesday After Lunch—Freshman Group- 1:30-2:30 PM at Trinity on the Hill

Wednesday- Faith & Life Group- 4:00-5:00 PM – at Trinity on the Hill

Other fun adventures that develop! Evening Bible Study and other options may arise based on your interests and availability. We’ll help you network for any location from ASU to your neighborhood or town as we help ASU students and young adults grow in faith.

POSSIBILITIES:
-ASU Intramurals- we’d be glad to sponsor a flag football, basketball, softball, etc. Look for sign-ups and help us recruit.
- Church Outreach Teams—Would you be available to go to a local church and speak, or play music, or lead a youth or children’s ministry for a one time event?
-Local Mission- We offer MANY ongoing opportunities for you to be part of a local service including feeding ministries, mentoring children, recreation, neighborhood cleanup, construction for the poor and elderly, etc. Join us one time and see what a difference it makes in your life and for someone else.

SOME EVENTS THIS YEAR:
December 17-19 Southeast Student Retreat at Lake Junaluska NC

Passion Atlanta – a day or two during Jan 1-4

We have some excellent cultural immersion experiences which also require specific skills including construction, children’s ministry, cooking for the team, music, etc. Our exciting mission teams for the next year includes:

April 2-9 Choctaw Mission, Philadelphia, MS- The team will partner with the historic Methodist work with the Choctaw Nation, enjoy worship with in a Choctaw UM church, and through the week participate in construction and children's ministries.

May 19-25 Georgia Wesley Foundations Island Mission (either Haiti or Bahamas- TBD fall 2010)- ASU WF will join all the other Wesley Foundations throughout GA in this high impact mission. Construction and children's ministry options for work.

June 19-25 Urban Immersion Mission-- we'll take a team of students into an urban setting in the northeast or upper midwest U.S. and take an urban plunge into ministry. (Late breaking news from July 26—possible TOTH teams going to Honduras and Togo likely in June 2011).

The ASU WF is sponsored by The United Methodist Church and is a campus ministry open to ALL ASU students. Find both ASU WF & Scott on Facebook or call the Trinity on the Hill church office at 706-738-8822 or sparrish@trinityonthehill.net for more information.

"For the Good of the World"

In my last 3 years of church service I've been privileged to work as a mission pastor and as a campus minister. I've realized through this service that campus ministry is a key missional outpost that is necessary for the young adult generation and the health, ministry, and conversation of the Church. I love the challenging, dynamic, incredible place of campus ministry and all the relationships that are found at the university. With that in mind what a joy to find Dr. Russ Richey's writing related to campus ministry.

In a recent GBHEM publication Dr. Richey offers a historic overview of Methodist campus ministry from 1820 to the present, and includes some insights worthy of conversation at all levels in the life and ministry of the Church.

Here are two excerpts to whet your appetite and fuel our thinking & conversation:
"Campus ministries have been, and perhaps ideally should be, related (1) to the congregations near the institution and particularly to what has been termed the near-campus church; (2) to the district and the district superintendent
within whose purview the campus and its ministries lie; (3) to the annual conference whose extension ministry structures support and oversee United Methodist religious activities and to whom the ordained campus ministers belong; and (4) to the general agency (now GBHEM) that also provides resources for campus ministry. The
metaphors as proposed suggest a dynamic but unraveling marital saga."

"The vision of the entire connection at every level engaged with higher education and of the ministries on campus forming and equipping new generations of denominational leaders seemingly guided Shockley, Neinast, and Burry in their rebuilding efforts."

See the entire article at “For the Good of the World”:
Methodism’s Ministry to the Campus by Russell E. Richey

Augusta State University Wesley Foundation

Welcome to the ASU Wesley Foundation. We're sponsored by The United Methodist Church and open to ALL ASU students. I hope that beyond classes and work you'll take time and create some college experiences which will grow your relationships with God and with those around you. We offer a variety of opportunities to be a blessing to you during your college days in hopes you'll be a blessing to others!

See Rev. Scott Parrish for more information—in person, on Facebook, or sparrish@trinityonthehill.net, or @ Trinity on the Hill UMC, 1330 Monte Sano Ave.

Find below a variety of options for you. If you have a particular interest we are always glad to create new events and opportunities! Experience one event or all...

Tuesday Lunch- $3 every Tuesday during a semester & usually at Trinity on the Hill dining room 12:15-1:30. Open to all ASU students- Great food at a reduced price.

After Lunch Discussion Group- 11-12 minute video and then discussion on a topic related to real life and faith. Tuesday 1:30- 2:15 or so. Topics include:
• What does it mean to live how God created you to live?
• Does God love people with different beliefs than you?
• Do you think it’s possible to keep something secret and never get busted for it?
• What’s up with the word LOVE? (NOTE: This will be a dangerous conversation dealing with EVERY aspect of love!)
• How can God stand by and watch us suffer?

Wednesday Night Supper- $6 @ Trinity on the Hill dining room—5:00-6:00 PM. Make reservations by Tuesday 1 PM at www.trinityonthehill.net or by calling the church office at 706-738-8822.

Wednesday Night College and Career Group, 6:00-7:00 PM, “Your Spiritual Gifts” or “Living Beyond Yourself” discussion. Find Scott & group in dining room.

Serious Volleyball League- Wednesday Night 7 PM Trinity gym. Augusta/CSRA teams formed with some of best talent in the region.

Sunday Morning- If you don’t have a church or group and are looking for a place come experience our Young Adult class & then stay and enjoy worship!

Service & Mission Projects- we always have a number of options for weekday or weekend to serve local people in need. Options range from student mentoring, to construction, to neighborhood clean-up, to feeding hungry people. We also offer national (FL, MS, LA) and international (Togo, Honduras, Jamaica, Bahamas, etc.) missions! See Scott for current details.

Upcoming BIG Events
Children’s Consignment Sale—Friday, September 18, 9AM-7PM, & Saturday 8AM-2PM @ Trinity gym. 70,000 items!! Consignors register until Sept. 7 @ www.trinityonthehill.net

What are you doing winter break?? Need some adventure??! Dream up a plan with Scott!

Back to School, Camp Meeting Fervor, and a Prayer

These busy days of "back to the routine" with the start of school and the return of the regular church schedule offer more opportunity to work than time allows! There is a LOT going on for almost everyone this time of the year. Overlap some of the anxiety, tension, anger, and uncertainty in the world and the emotion on top of the busyness creates a strange dynamic.

With all this I am finding even more reason to enjoy time in a community of faith, and in particular in worship which inspires, renews, and challenges.

August is our time for summer camp meeting during our Sunday morning services at the church. That usually means we dress more casually, & enjoy the old standard hymns and very upbeat music. Today the congregation sang "I Stand Amazed in the Presence," "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," and "I Need Thee Every Hour." An African American soloist got our attention with "His Eye is on the Sparrow" and then with the sanctuary choir joining her reminded us that "He Never Failed Me Yet." The preacher then tackled James 1:22-25 with an emphasis on "Doing Faith." All in all, a memorable day!

I offered the morning prayer in both worship services. I generally look over the worship service the night before, think about the direction of sermon and music, consider the needs of people on the prayer list, and jot down a few thoughts. And that scrap of paper gets scribbled on a good bit Sunday morning before and even during worship. Of course, in the moment I ad lib rather freely so I can seldom duplicate verbatim what I say in either service! With the preacher's sermon in James today I was praying about active, everyday faith. Here 's part of the prayer that I offer as we all launch into new endeavors here in late summer/early fall:


Holy God We seek You on this day. We need You God- we need Your grace, Your mercy, Your forgiveness. We need Your presence in our world today more desperately than ever before.

God we need You! We can not do what we most need. We try to create but it looks and sounds like Babylon all over again, like Sodom and Gomorrah.

We confess we are a guilty people- guilty of seeking our own self pleasure, guilty of disobedience, guilty of putting ourselves before You and Your will and way, guilty of idolatry as we center our lives around so many things & relationships other than You. Guilty of trying to hold onto everything in the world even as we try to hold on to You!

But deep in our heart we know there is more. Deep in our soul we know we have need of something more. The heart sickness, the faint whisper, the unfulfilled dreams, the holy yearning is still there. We have run to the pigsty, and now bankrupt, and with little hope, a distant memory of You awakens us again to the truth.

We recall that You know us in the deepest ways. We remember that You know every detail of who we are… and who we are called to be. And we remember that You are waiting for us, anticipating our return, eager to run and meet us and welcome us back into your embrace.

In these moments we are reminded of our need for You, our yearning for You. We are empty—please fill us! We offer ourselves to You once again at Your altar. We are inspired to live a life beyond the ordinary and routine. We are not content with what has been and eager for what You will do. We hear the call again to follow the Living Christ- we hear the message of loving our neighbor as ourselves, and to care for widows, and orphans, and strangers. We remember the sick and the grieving, the prisoner, and those without hope.

Unleash Your Holy Spirit in our lives, in our families, in our church, in our community and world. Move us forward in perfection so we reveal a real holiness, a true redemption, a deep and abiding faith that changes everything. We ask this so the Living Christ would be honored, and we would be conformed to His image. Amen.

Golf Tournament to Benefit Augusta State University Wesley Foundation May 14

Golf Tournament
Thursday, May 14
Bartram Trail Golf Course

Lunch @ 11:30, Shotgun Start 1:00 PM
Fundraiser to benefit the Augusta State University Wesley Foundation

Thursday, May 14 at Bartram Golf Club on Columbia Road in Evans near Lewiston Road.
Lunch 11:30, putting competition 11:30-12:30, and a 1:00 PM Shotgun start.

Cost per golfer is $100 which covers green fee, cart, and lunch & remainder to ASU WF.

Bartram Trail GC is located on Columbia Road between Patriot's Park and Lewis Memorial UMC at 470 Bartram Trail Club Drive, Evans, GA 30809. Phone: 706-210-4681. Website: http://www.bartramtrailgolfclub.org/.

The Augusta State University Wesley Foundation is a campus ministry sponsored by The United Methodist Church. ASU WF is active on our local campus of over 6000 students offering a $3 lunch each Tuesday at Trinity on the Hill dining room, developing relationships with students each semester to encourage their life and faith, and by offering mission opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally. Your support of this golf fundraiser will help us continue to build on this work as we help students to meet Christ and to grow in that relationship.

Here are some ways you can help us:
1) Sign Up to play & Recruit Team members for the Tournament- $100/ Golfer , $400/ Team

2) Sponsor a Hole- $250/ hole with a sign and company logo placed at the hole.

3) Non-golfing Volunteers-- 15-16 needed to help with registration, play host at a hole, & to visit with & thank the golfers.

4) Prizes needed for putting contest, closest to pin, etc– golf items, restaurant coupons, & various prizes.

David Newton is the overall director for tournament.

Rev. Scott Parrish, ASU WF director and mission pastor at Trinity on the Hill UMC, will serve as the everyday point of contact & may be reached at the church office at 706-738-8822 or sparrish@trinityonthehill.net if you have questions, desire to sign up early, or desire to make a donation. We'll collect forms and fees the day of the tournament, but my office will be glad to assist you by receiving any funding, forms, or prizes which come in early, receiving volunteer names who will assist, or receiving confirmation of your church or group sign up as we plan for the event. Thank you for your support of these efforts to be in ministry with our students at ASU.

Burned Out

One of the students I spend some time with at Augusta State University shared some lyrics that got my attention. It is December, the last day of class (when he shared this on 12/4), projects and papers have been due the last few days, and final exams are this week. Plus you add all the mess with the economy and the struggles of everyday life and most people seem beat down! The students are teaching me a lot about creativity, sharing deep thoughts and emotions, and finding one's voice. They are teaching me about listening to music while I read, think, feel! They remind me how challenging many people have it as there isn't enough money to cover the basics of a month, there are no jobs, and life is hard even as they give their best. I'm also becoming aware that there is an honesty, power, and reality that too often more recent traditional or "Christian" styles of music in the United States totally miss! Daniel has a complexity and reality to these lyrics that remind me of some of the Old Testament writings that struggle with current realities (check out some of the Psalms, Lamentations, Job, etc.). I know he is expressing what MANY people are experiencing in these tough days before Christmas. My comments are merely introduction to a creation from T. Daniel Barber. Just be sure to turn on the music and feel the power and emotion of the thoughts.

Lyrics: Burned Out
by T, Daniel Barber, 2007

beat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFeWW6gUpjs

Burned Out

I’m just so burned out, all that’s churned out, I’m hearing, is so uninspired
I let my soul glow, my eyes closed, in that never ending journey to find fire
It’s crazy; it’s hazy, moving through the fog
Man it’s almost daily, breathing in the smog
The proud can’t reach out, the weak can’t reach in
It’s the world they doubt and the faith they have in
Themselves, living in a personal hell
Trapped in a jail and they ain’t making bail
Turing ambitionless, wandering missionless
Warped to be hideous and pitiless, I hate it
Because you become deluded, end up just like them
Jaded and tainted and you reek of sin
Or you end up all alone, drove crazed by your thoughts
Not seeing no stars, so all hope is lost
Gotta make it past this, don’t like this turn out
But I’m stuck, just straight burned out
That’s what they want, so you can’t resist
So they beat you down, put shackles on your wrist

Hook:
I’m just so burned out; everything I deal with these days is getting me crazed
But I gotta get past it, gotta outlast it, have to break out of this daze (2 x)

It’s so rough to try to make it, to that good life
Because I don’t want to be thinking how I should’ve been right
It’s like boxing with fate and you’re in the 10th round
Everything’s blurred and you’re dizzy, spinning all round
When you were the underdog, they ain’t want you to lose
But when you’re on top, they want you lifted out you’re shoes
Now you’re doing things that’s drastic
But in only take you closer to a casket
When all you really want is to get some rest
Get a couple of minutes away to forget all the stress
And it’s just a mess; you can’t get any real joy
Like when you were a little kid in the room with your toys
Reaching your limits, you just can’t go on
But if you have limits then you just don’t know strong
Now I’m saying things that I barely believe
So many try, few rarely succeed
And achieve what they want, to be building up their power
And the ones that do, in up trapped in a tower
Then the lightning strikes and it all falls down
And then it’s that painful crash to the ground
Is this just how it is, when you go against the grain?
When every other day becomes just another pain
And you’re so burned out; you can hardly fight it
It’s just the price you pay for enlightenment
HookIt’s hard to believe in god and believe benevolence
When you only see malevolence, pride and prejudice
Taking your own path might make you lost
There’s a price for everything and this is just the cost
You wanna get away but you’re not thinking clear
There’s a bottle in your hand and you’re reeking of beer
If life’s supposed to be a painting, then it just got smeared
Becoming what you hated, that’s your worst fear
Another heartless monster, your eye’s freezing cold
You’re so hard now, can’t nothing touch your soul
Tryna drift away, wonder if there’s a heaven
If all of this is a test, well then tell me what’s the lesson?
So maybe the pain will lessen
And I can stop stressing bout reaching perfection
In this failed paradise that we call life
Hiding from the truth like a thief in the night
Nobody’s proactive, all we do is react
All we do is wait to get hit by hot wax
Letting the words of others be affecting what we do
And we’re turn on ourselves and looking like fools
While they’re flashing a smile, emptier than their deeds
Thinking that they can do whatever they please
Getting everyone involved in the evil they conceive
They’ve long been consumed by their greed
No more hero cause now he’s turning villain
Cause when he was hero, they were plotting to kill him
Either be starving or obese in a hearse
Man it’s so perverse, it’s just the reverse
In Africa and America, facing the terror of
Slow extinction, this is just the era of
Disaster, hypocrisy, shadiness and lies
The wool always over your eyes
Plotting for demise, it’s just a matter of time
Won’t let me climb out of this hole in my mind
Maybe they’ll hear my voice on day, my thoughts learn about
But not now, cause I’m just burned out

by T. Daniel Barber (Augusta, GA) 2007

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

Surprises in Mission and Campus Ministry

The nature of my work in the church and in the community means there are surprises every day. When I took my current church position in July 2007 it was to be a missions pastor. Quickly after that we realized there was a great need and a good opportunity with campus ministry next door at Augusta State University as director of the Wesley Foundation. One thing lead to another and I found myself as part time director of a group that had fallen on hard times.
That means there wasn't a program and there weren't any students!

A year later we have a faithful number of students who connect with us, with each other, and with God. And this crew is a real inspiration to me! They are diverse, they reflect different life experiences as well as a variety of religious (or not!) experiences. Every time we gather I find some of the best conversations, sometimes insightful and typically funny stuff, and usually some surprises along the way. This last week there was one conversation that reminded me of my struggles in college to take some of my own steps into young adult life. She is making choices about life and faith that are intense, profound, and transformational. I was deeply touched by her openness, and she has been the center of my prayers since that impromptu holy moment during lunch with all the student noise as background.

Early in the lunch this past Tuesday I was surprised to see one table of students get up and form a prayer circle. Our informal lunch has lots of noise and movement as some students are arriving from class and others are wolfing down their food and running to class. This particular table didn't know each other to start the semester, found one another at the weekly lunch, and now have deepening relationships so that they refer to themselves as a family! The witness and the growth of these college students is an exciting thing to see growing.

In these days leading to Thanksgiving my college student friends are one of the elements of my life and ministry that I'm very thankful for.

Depends Which Seat You Are In

It's amazing how often humanity falls for easy answers, or perhaps better said, easy scapegoats to blame our problems on. Often we blame those neighbors we don't know. Of course, all this heats up when life gets more challenging or sides are taken. In a contested election year we all see what is going on, but what a challenge to live a stable, normal life!

As a mission pastor and campus minister I'm fortunate in that I spend time each day and week with a great variety of people. I'm reminded everyday that we tend to think and talk based rather exclusively on our limited experiences from our particular seat on the plane. And we just as quickly cast blame on someone else, who we don't know but have suspicions about, who are not like us.

With that in mind, check out a Methodist campus minister who is of middle eastern heritage. You may find Omar has more in common with you than you expect!

http://www.firstbornstories.com/2008/05/alien-unintelligence.html

Augusta State University Wesley Foundation

ASU is a great commuter campus nestled in the heart of Augusta and drawing students from the CSRA (Central Savannah River area) and many students from across Georgia. I've also been amazed at how many students I meet from other states and countries! ASU had around 7500 students last fall. They also made it to the championship round of their division in basketball this last season.

The United Methodist Church sponsors Wesley Foundations on campuses across the U.S. and world. Our ASU WF does things a little differently since we only have one residential dorm. We offer a Tuesday lunch on campus as our weekly big event, offer the Wesley House at the edge of campus as a hospitality house for the students Monday through Friday, offer small groups and recreation, plus the normal state and national options WF students enjoy. Another element we emphasize is local, national, and international community service.

See more information at http://www.trinityonthehill.net/common/content.asp?PAGE=379