Alberta Bound...

In November, I appreciated the opportunity to visity the U of C and our intrepid chaplain, Kelly Johnson. I call the way Kelly  does chaplaincy as “chaplaincy on steroids”. In fact, our team in Alberta ( Kelly, Matt and Glenn) has a lot to teach the rest of us.They are each leveraging their strengths to develop new paradigms of campus chaplaincy ministry. In many ways, they have redefined and upgraded the position for a new millennium.



I had the privilege of sitting in on one of the chaplaincy Wednesday noon presentations for the U of C community. With Kelly's leadership, the chaplaincy provided a luncheon and an opportunity to hear an Iranian Christian Pastor , Afshin Latifzadeh,  speak on “Identity Issues in a Pluralistic Land” . Afshin was an academic who once lived in London, England and who could discuss his topic with an international perspective as well as with an inter-faith and inter-human appeal. His approach and personality was appealing with self-deprecating humour combined with solid content.

Afshin Latifzadeh

This is exactly the kind of event that we need to see more of. Kelly can pull it off because he has built credibility not only for himself but for the entire chaplaincy association. It is done on neutral turf and it has an appeal well beyond the Christian community.

Chaplains Hangin... Kelly (r)  Paul (2r)

 I spent some time with Kelly talking about the successes and struggles of being the de facto leader of an inter-faith chaplaincy at a major university. While I don’t have the privilege of telling you what they are, it is worth knowing that he very much appreciates the involvement of Paul Verhoef, the Christian Reformed chaplain, who happened to be the captain of the soccer team that my son David played for the previous summer while he was in Calgary.


There are several things to note. First, not only has the Muslim Student Association ( MSA) arisen as a force to be reckoned with across the country but there are various forms of Islam struggling for control and ascendency. Some of these forms are alarming.

Further, we talked about Pluralism. We are at variance with some of our mainline colleagues who tend to approach ecumenical or inter-faith discussions with the conviction that we are all either equally wrong or equally right. We cannot discuss our various faith positions without the caveat that we cannot really say we are "right". While it sounds equitable, this stance actually dishonors not only our own position but the position of those we are trying to hear. It puts all religions and truth claims through its own grid ( which, by the way, is seen to be the "right" one).

It is just so, well, "Canadian". Speaking as one who is Canuck to the core...we are  afraid of the possibility of strong disagreement( parliamentary conduct aside ) . So,in the interest of Tolerance - which once meant that we could disagree intensely, with charity and goodwill, about issues of ultimate importance , the rules are changed so that what remains is a neutered "common ground" which ought to offend no one. No one, that is, except believers of whatever tradition who are unhappy at finding that some of the very things they find most compelling about their beliefs are left on the cutting room floor.

To quote G.K. Chesterton  The point is ( speaking of those who promote the new curriculum of “tolerance”) is to propagandize acceptance of different ways, and indifference to their real content is as good a means as any.

More on this another time

Back to EPIC U of Alberta

At the University of Alberta ( my alma mater) it was a pleasure hanging out with Matt Glombick and his excellent interns Aaron and Juliana. As I said to Aaron ( referring to a conversation I had with him a year ago), he could have simply taken an internship in a regular church. It would have been nowhere near as exciting as this one. The name of the church/club/ministry ( it is a project even for them to define it) is EPIC : referring to the grand story God is unfolding into which we are invited to be a part. It is more than a cool name. It defines the vision and the philosophy of ministry of this group. Check it out HERE



Here is the idea. It would be a ‘regular life’ church that sought to integrate church with the way people actually live their lives in the classroom and in the market place. The idea would be that it would intersect people where they actually live, rather than expecting people to extract themselves from their lives and live a parallel but unconnected spiritual life alongside of their regular life.

 They had a time of debriefing. Matt was concerned that this term they did not have the same type of interesting seekers that made last term so enjoyable. Aaron referred to cycles and seasons and suggested that it may be a time to go deeper with the students.


We then met with the student leadership team, which also included a seasoned ministry couple who play the important role of spiritual parents to these young people. Having taken a year out of regular ministry, they found Epic a refreshing change . Part of the discussion revolved around whether they were a church or not. That flowed from another discussion regarding “What is a church”. My own take on the subject, when asked for my input, was that in campus ministry I tend to see church as a Verb. Rather than seeing it in static categories, I tend to ask whether we are “doing church” or “churching” on campus. Are we being church to this campus? The details will follow.



Their Tuesday night main gathering is at Deweys Pub, in the billiard and meeting room attached to it. It is a great venue for the relaxed conversational EPIC style of gathering.


They repeat the Epic Creed. This was to be a Wiki service which means that everyone has the opportunity to add something to it. Sort of the model of 1 Cor 14 where everyone came prepared to bring something. The idea is that church is a place to gather and to connect with the Big Story , the Meta Narrative which is in the process of being written. There were some songs which were led by someone with a guitar that helped focus people and create a context of worship. Several people shared. There was a guest presenter, who represented IJM ( Internation Justice Mission) which is a leading organization in setting people ( mostly young women) free from slavery. IJM is a natural partner for CMC in that it puts feet to many of our convictions. When she was done, I was offered the opportunity to share the message Dave gave me to share with his generation before he departed.


The service ended with people hanging out and visiting. There is obviously a good sense of community about EPIC , even with the enormous pressures of school that militates against it. There is a lot more that I could say about it. I always appreciate the way Matt empowers his staff and students, while giving them appropriate leadership.

Matt is very strong on building bridges. In addition to being the pastoral advisor to the EPIC Student Club he is the Pentecostal Chaplain to the University of Alberta. He builds bridges wherever he goes.



He takes his role as the head of the U of A Chaplaincy Association seriously. They are in the middle of developing a MOU ( memorandum of understanding) with the U of A Administration that lays out the parameters of their responsibilities and privileges. For the Administration the chaplains provide an accountable and stabilizing influence to interface with the various “spiritual” campus clubs and organizations. They also provide services to the broader community in matters of pastoral concern. That would include functions like funerals, crisis intervention and grief recovery.

Pemilu Raya Calon Ketua HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip Periode 2011

Himpunan Mahasiswa Jurusan (HMJ) Ilmu Komunikasi merupakan organisasi mahasiswa di tingkat jurusan. HMJ sebagai media bagi mahasiswa Ilmu Komunikasi untuk menyalurkan aspirasi dan kreasi, yang berkaitan dengan perkembangan intelekual di tingkat jurusan khususnya dan Fakultas secara menyeluruh. HMJ juga merupakan media aktualisasi diri bagi mahasiswa Ilmu Komunikasi dan mengaplikasikan disiplin ilmu yang diperoleh serta tanggung jawab sosial yang diemban kepada masyarakat dan lingkungan.

Sehubungan dengan sangat esensialnya eksistensi HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi, maka akan diadakan serangkaian kegiatan Pemilu Raya HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip periode 2011. Kegiatan ini diharapkan mampu menjaring SDM yang berkualitas di antara mahasiswa Ilmu komunikasi guna mewujudkan visi dan misi Jurusan Ilmu Komunikasi yang lebih baik di masa mendatang.

Rangkaian acara Pemilu Raya HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip ini adalah dimulai dengan sosialisasi dan pendaftaran calon ketua pada tanggal 1-9 Desember 2010. Kemudian dilanjutkan dengan verifikasi dan pengumuman verifikasi pada tanggal 10-11 Desember 2010. Adapun calon ketua yang berhasil lolos verifikasi adalah Eka Oktaviani dan Nugraheni Yunda Nuraga.

Pada tanggal 13-19 Desember 2010 para calon ketua HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi tersebut melakukan kampanye tertulis, sedangkan kampanye lisan dilaksanakan pada tanggal 20 Desember 2010 di Taman Gedung B-C FISIP Undip Tembalang pukul 10.00-11.30 WIB.

Senin, 20 Desember 2010 pukul 09.30 WIB para calon ketua beserta tim suksesnya sudah mulai memadati lokasi kampanye lisan, penonton pun juga sudah terlihat memenuhi lokasi. Kampanye lisan ini dibuka dengan sambutan dari Turnomo Raharjo selaku Kepala Jurusan Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip Tembalang pada pukul 10.00 WIB. Turnomo mengatakan bahwa ia sangat puas dengan kinerja HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip periode 2010 yang diketuai oleh Ika Rizki Yustisia, ia berharap kedepannya HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi periode 2011 dapat terus berkembang menjadi semakin baik dan lebih baik lagi. Seusai sambutan dari Turnomo Raharjo, acara kemudian dilanjutkan dengan penjabaran visi dan misi serta sekilas mengenai program kerja yang akan dilaksanakan oleh masing-masing calon Ketua HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip Periode 2011. Pertanyaan mulai bermunculan setelah para calon ketua menguraikan mengenai visi dan misi mereka, mulai dari pertanyaan yang ringan sampai kepada pertanyaan yang berat dan sulit untuk dijawab. Namun, para calon tetap dapat menjawab dengan begitu lancarnya. Antusiasme penonton pun seakan tak pernah surut hingga akhir acara. Setelah sesi tanya-jawab selesai, acara ditutup dengan penampilan spesial dari para calon Ketua HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi Periode 2011 yaitu Eka Oktaviani dan Nugraheni Yunda Nuraga. Mereka telah mempersiapkan 2 lagu untuk dinyanyikan bersama-sama di akhir acara. Diiringi dengan permainan gitar oleh Ginanjar Saputra dan Gandhi Syarifudin, para calon ketua terlihat sangat menikmati detik-detik mereka menyanyikan lagu ... dan ... . Penonton dan para tim sukses juga ikut bernyanyi bersama. Kebersamaan dan rasa kekeluargaan sangat terasa di sana.

Puncak acara adalah pada hari Rabu, 22 Desember 2010 yaitu acara pemungutan suara/ pemilihan ketua HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip yang mengambil lokasi di Gedung B FISIP Undip Tembalang pukul 09.00-18.00WIB. Dalam kegiatan ini terdapat 510 kertas suara yang dicetak dan 188 kertas suara yang terisi. Seusai pemungutan suara, acara selanjutnya adalah perhitungan suara yang dilakukan pada pukul 19.00 WIB. Acara perhitungan suara dipimpin oleh ketua OC Pemira, dan dihadiri oleh para anggota kepengurusan HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip Periode 2010, para tim sukses masing-masing calon ketua, saksi- saksi, dan mahasiswa ilmu komunikasi FISIP Undip lainnya. Dalam hasil pemungutan suara terdapat 169 kertas suara yang sah, 19 kertas suara yang tidak sah. Kertas suara yang sah berisikan 90 suara yang memilih Eka Oktaviani, 79 suara yang memilih Nugraheni Yunda Nuraga, dan 1 suara yang abstain. Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan suara tersebut, maka Eka Oktaviani adalah Ketua HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi terpilih periode 2011 berdasarkan jumlah suara mayoritas.

Keseluruhan acara ini kemudian ditutup oleh Ika Rizki Yustisia selaku Ketua HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi Periode 2010. Ika menuturkan agar kelak HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi dibawah kepemimpinan Eka Oktaviani dapat tetap menjadi suatu wadah untuk menyalurkan aspirasi dan kreasi para mahasiswa Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip, dan tetap menjunjung tinggi rasa kekeluargaan di dalamnya.

Pemira HMJ 2010

Himpunan Mahasiswa Jurusan (HMJ) Komunikasi merupakan organisasi mahasiswa di tingkat jurusan. HMJ sebagai media bagi mahasiswa Ilmu Komunikasi untuk menyalurkan aspirasi dan kreasi, yang berkaitan dengan perkembangan intelekual di tingkat jurusan khususnya dan Fakultas secara menyeluruh. HMJ juga merupakan media aktualisasi diri bagi mahasiswa Ilmu Komunikasi dan mengaplikasikan disiplin ilmu yang diperoleh serta tanggung jawab sosial yang diemban kepada masyarakat dan lingkungan.

Sehubungan dengan sangat esensialnya eksistensi HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi, maka akan diadakan kegiatan Pemilihan Raya. Kegiatan ini diharapkan mampu menjaring SDM yang berkualitas di antara mahasiswa Ilmu komunikasi guna mewujudkan visi dan misi Jurusan Ilmu Komunikasi yang lebih baik di masa mendatang.

AGENDA PELAKSANAAN

Sosialisasi dan Pendaftaran 1 Desember – 9 Desember 2010

Verifikasi 10 Desember 2010

Pengumuman Hasil Verifikasi 11 Desember 2010

Kampanye Tertulis 12 Desember - 19 Desember 2010

Kampanye Lisan 20 Desember 2010

Hari Tenang 21 Desember 2010

Pemilihan Ketua HMJ/Pemungutan Suara 22 Desember 2010

TEMPAT PELAKSANAAN

Kampanye Lisan : Junction Gedung B-C FISIP Undip Tembalang, pukul 09.00-11.00 WIB

Pemungutan Suara : Junction Gedung B-C FISIP Undip Tembalang, pukul 09.00-17.00 WIB

Kurang lebih setahun sudah, Himpunan Mahasiswa Jurusan Ilmu Komunikasi Fisip Undip periode 2009-2010 menjalankan tanggung jawab bersama. Sebagai sebuah keluarga, banyak kegiatan yang kita garap bersama demi membesarkan nama HMJ Komunikasi dan yang pasti untuk menghibur dan mengedukasi banyak orang.

Berbagai acara yang bersifat edukatif digarap dengan harapan mampu menambah wawasan teman-teman mahasiswa ilmu komunikasi Undip dan masyarakat umum. Mulai dari seminar-seminar, diskusi, dan workshop. Selain itu, HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi Undip selama periode ini kerap berpartisipasi aktif dalam berbagai aksi sosial. Mulai dari aksi donor darah, aksi peduli anak jalanan, sampai aksi pengumpulan dana dan bantuan untuk korban merapi dan mentawai. Tidak hanya itu, Kegiatan-kegiatan yang bersifat menghibur pun ikut diselenggarakan oleh HMJ Komunikasi. Berbagai pentas musik yang digarap berhasil mendatangkan artis lokal sampai artis ibu kota. Hal yang cukup membanggakan, di tahun ini, HMJ Komunikasi berhasil mengadakan kembali pentas Komusikasi yang telah sangat dirindukan oleh para mahasiswa Ilmu Komunikasi Undip.

Kerjasama yang menyenangkan, yang mengubah tiap butir keringat menjadi perasaan bangga dan bahagia selama. Di ujung tahun ini, menjadi akhir dari periode kepengurusan HMJ Komunikasi 2009-2010. Inilah potret wajah-wajah yang selama setahun ini berjuang bersama dalam semangat kekeluargaan meneruskan dan membesarkan nama HMJ KOMUNIKASI Undip. Salam Komunikasi!

Peduli Merapi 2

Sabtu, 6 November 2010, Himpunan Mahasiswa Jurusan (HMJ) Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip kembali menyalurkan bantuan secara langsung kepada korban bencana Merapi. Tim yang terdiri dari 9 orang ini berangkat dari Semarang sekitar pukul 09.00 WIB dan tiba di Posko Jalin Merapi II yang berada di Mungkid pada pukul 13.00 WIB. Di Posko Jalin Merapi II ini, tim HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip berkoordinasi terlebih dahulu dengan tim Jalin Merapi II untuk mengetahui daerah yang tepat dan patut untuk diberikan bantuan.

Sebelum memberikan bantuan ke Posko yang disarankan oleh tim Jalin Merapi II, tim HMJ Ilmu Komunikasi FISIP Undip berkunjung ke Desa Sawangan. Di sana terdapat beberapa penduduk yang tidak ikut mengungsi tetapi perekonomiannya terisolasi. Desa ini berjarak 17-18 kilometer dari puncak Merapi. Kami mengunjungi desa tersebut, berbagi cerita dengan penduduk sekitar, dan mendengarkan mereka berkeluh kesah.
Setelah selesai berkunjung di Desa Sawangan, kami segera beranjak ke barak pengungsian di PDAM Mungkid yang jumlah pengungsinya adalah sekitar 500 orang. Kami memberikan bantuan kepada pengungsi yang berada di barak tersebut berupa pakaian layak pakai, baju dalam pria dan wanita, masker, mie instan, susu, beras, alat mandi, selimut, mainan anak-anak, dan popok bayi. Total bantuan yang diberikan adalah Rp 975.750,00. Ada pun sisa dana bantuan yang hingga tanggal 22 November 2010 terkumpul adalah sejumlah Rp 2.660.000,00, dana tersebut akan kami sumbangkan kepada korban tsunami di Kepulauan Mentawai, Sumatera Barat.
Kami mengucapkan terima kasih banyak kepada para dermawan yang telah ikut menyumbang dan berpartisipasi dalam penggalangan dana bantuan korban Merapi dan Mentawai. Semoga bantuan yang diberikan dapat bermanfaat bagi para korban bencana tersebut.

A bit of history..

I arrived with James Perraux at Langley Christian Life Assembly for the BC/Yukon district’s conference entitled Live Out Loud, at the beginning of October. It was great to see familiar faces, albeit with a few more lines and grey ( if any )hairs. Travelling to BC is a bit of a pilgrimage for me. Especially due to the fact that I spent eighteen years of my life in Vancouver,including fifteen years of full time ministry. All but a few of those years involved campus ministry.  There is a big part of me on the West Coast and it is hard to describe what it is like to reencounter myself back in my familiar haunts. I got to hang out with some people who have played a large part in my life.

Halos?

Let me share a picture of interest In the middle is my previous associate pastor at Point Grey Community Church, Greg Laing. He was also the associate of Lawrence Rae (left) , who succeeded me as pastor. Greg is now the lead pastor. I planted the church and pastored it from 1989 to 1997. This is the first time that we have been able to get a picture of the three of us in the same place at the same time. How about that halo effect

Greg  Lawrence Jeff Robb Rod

The second picture includes a couple more generations. First, there is Rod Bitterman ( right), who took a chance on hiring me , in 1982, out of Regent College at  Vancouver Christian Life Centre (downtown -West End) as its Young Adults pastor ( continuing ministry I had already been involved in for the three years I was involved in the church while going to Regent)  and who released me part-time to begin campus ministry in 1985 and plant Point Grey Community Church four years later. As well as Lawrence and Greg, there is Jeff Wong, who has been on staff at PGCC and is planting an innovative urban church called More Than 12  . As Jeff was sharing notes with one of his team who was part of VCLC in the old days, he says that it is more than clear to him that we share the same DNA, even though the look and structure are different.

 This actually has a tie into campus ministry. Rod Bitterman believed in university ministry. He was willing to put himself behind me, and Reid Johnson before me, to cover and support ministry on and to the UBC campus and beyond. He did it without any expectation of being able to see the benefit of this investment within the walls of his church. However, the way the Kingdom works, God honored VCLC for its support of campus ministry and subsequently the planting of Point Grey Community Church. Further, Lawrence and Greg have taken the same missional , Kingdom ( Big Picture) view of campus ministry. PGCC has supported campus ministry in a way that is both sacrificial and inspiring.

In the future, I would like to write about this in some depth. The lineage you see in this photo represents a glimpse of a Vision that God started. Thirty years later I can see the ongoing fruit of it in the way it has produced and reproduced disciples and spread the Kingdom far beyond the borders of the local church. On a personal note, I simply cannot understand pastors who feel that campus ministry needs to be about them ,or their church, and who cannot see the bigger picture of what God can do when we lay our agendas down and work for the greater good.