June 2011 Wesley Foundation Update
Greetings,

In the midst of summer activities, Vacation Bible School, and everything else, we hope you will take some time to talk to your high school students about their future plans. Please mention the Wesley Foundations to them if they are attending Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa, or Drake University. Also please let us know where they will be going so we can also welcome them and be in contact with them. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa at lisa@cwames.org.

 
Drake University

 

     An unsigned note was left at the Wesley Foundation display booth at Annual Conference. It read; I am a Drake University graduate. I think that the image of the frozen doll is quite disturbing. Please consider a different image. The image was part of a series of photographs that were intended to give delegates and visitors an opportunity to see the variety of ministries from each of our four Wesley Foundations. Devoted fans of this monthly missive may recall seeing the same photograph posted in the March edition of the WF Update. And while I have doubts that the author of the note will stumble across these words, this column seems to be the most logical place to respond.

 

     Thanks for your note. I agree. The image is quite disturbing. I remember being similarly disturbed when I saw the doll lying on top of the snow under the ice just a few feet from the front door of the Wesley House. Whose doll? Was it left here or lost? Is there a girl or boy or parent looking for it? In some ways, the questions were more haunting than the image. Disturbing. Disrupting. It is unsettling to see the loss of innocence depicted so graphically. For that reason, I considered your request to remove the image from the slide show. Perhaps these images should be limited to the lighter side of this ministry we all share. I left it there because I thought it showed an important part of what we deal with in campus ministry. College life looks easy from the outside - lots of parties and a little bit of studying. Look closer and you'll see many students dealing with the loss of innocence. College is not high school. Some students are well equipped and they manage to navigate the choppy waters with relative ease. Others are not so fortunate. And they often turn to alcohol or drugs to ease the pain. The result is, in a word, disturbing. The loss of innocence is painful to see because it is painful to experience. Campus ministry aims to offer a mature, grounded presence to those who are passing through this liminal season. It is as difficult as it is deeply gratifying.

     So, thank you for stopping by to see our display, and again for your response. Your support of campus ministry has never been more important. We live in disturbing times, and it is crucial that our church continue to be vital presence on campus as we shape lives in a way that leads to life.

     Peace,

 

    ted lyddon hatten

 

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University of Iowa
Jane Driscoll, UI Alum, Honored with Francis Asbury Award at the Iowa Annual Conference

 

Jane Driscoll has given extraordinary leadership in campus ministry through her work with the Wesley Foundation Board of Directors at the University of Iowa, and will be honored with the Francis Asbury award for  'fostering the the church's ministries in higher education.'

 

Her commitment to this ministry is lived out on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. She has lead and worked on a multitude of projects for Wesley: designing bathroom renovations; spearheading fundraising; chairing the Board of Directors; replacing joists to stabilize the living room floor where Wesley students live; landscaping; Wesley work days. She could be seen giving up her Saturday to pour new concrete sidewalks or working late into the night on a hot summer day, ripping up old flooring to make way for new.

 

This involvement is not new. You could almost say Jane Driscoll was born a part of the Wesley Foundation at the University of Iowa. Almost. She was baptized as a baby in the chapel at Wesley.


Jane became reacquainted at the Wesley Foundation while an undergraduate student in engineering, and participated in almost every aspect of the program. Her faith deepened because of the experience, and she developed lifelong friendships.

 

After graduation she joined the Board of Directors, and has served as Chair for many years.  Under her leadership, the Wesley Foundation made almost $200,000 in improvements to the building, leveraging close to $75,000 in Community Development Block Grant money in support of those improvements. She helped stop a high-rise development from going up next to the Wesley building, persuading the City Council to change votes on a zoning variance which would have allowed the building.  In the process, she developed a relationship with the property owner, which led to the Wesley Foundation gaining an option on the property when it becomes available for purchase.


Her leadership has seen a shift in the board toward policy governance, which puts the Wesley Foundation in compliance with the best practices of non-profit organizations. She worked hard to strengthen the legal relationship with ministry partners, including the Free Lunch Program, which serves over 38,000 meals a year in the basement of the Wesley Foundation.


All the while, her heart is for the campus ministry with the students, staff and faculty at the University of Iowa.  She supports the Wesley staff and encourages them in their ministry.  As the ministry focuses more and more on outreach, changing many established programs for new ways of working with the University and its students, she provides steady leadership and helps keep the focus on the vision of witnessing to our faith.

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Iowa State University

This summer we are busy with several things at the Wesley Foundation at Iowa State University. During the month of June we spend a lot of time in the Memorial Union. We have something called Summer Orientation Resource Fair (SORF). The incoming freshmen have a two day orientation event and at the end of it they go to SORF, which is an opportunity for them to learn about some of the organizations, clubs, and other things. For years, we have had our own booth at this event and it has been a fun time to meet incoming students and parents. This year, things are a little different, but we are still there. We have information at the Religious Leaders Association booth and are sometimes staffing it. Almost every day during orientation we can be found at a table at the bottom of the spiral staircase on the west side of the Memorial Union, so if you know of any students that are attending Iowa State in the fall please tell them to be sure to stop and say hi. We are there everyday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. It's always fun to meet incoming students.

On Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. in the summer we have BBQ Bible Studies. Attendees bring what they want thrown on the grill and we provide the rest of the food. After we eat we share a Bible study. It is a time of food, fellowship and discussion.

We also have a newly forming young adult group for 20 & 30 year olds. It is for those that are in grad school, have finished college or are in their mid to late twenties or 30's. They meet once a month. Just last Monday, they had a BBQ.

In the midst of these things we are working on a schedule for the fall. At the end of the year we asked students to fill out surveys about what they liked last year and what they would like to do in the future in terms of studies, social events, and more. We are trying to incorporate those ideas as we look to the future.

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Worship, Workshops, and Frisbees at Student Forum

By Eddie Crise 

Student Forum was so many things. Some I have to mention briefly, but the flash of words will give you a feel for the variety of experiences that made the long weekend at the University of Evansville so rich. Laughter yoga, interfaith dialogue, "Hands and Feet," icebreaker games, "How to Go Green, Blue, and Yellow", Ultimate Frisbee, a photo scavenger hunt, campus ministry speed dating, and a marriage proposal at the talent show are the things that I only have time to list.

Eddie Crise is shown between fellow Steering Committee members Amanda Banker and Taylor Johnson.

Worship was a wonderful experience. Our first speaker, the Rev. Motoe Yamada from the Sacramento Japanese United Methodist Church, brought incredible joy and enthusiasm for God, the United Methodist Student Movement, and the subject of God's calling. She is an alum of the Steering Committee and knows firsthand the lasting impact of Student Forum. She said that while on a recent mission trip to Japan, she recognized a friend from her time at Forum.

Another dynamic speaker was the Rev. Joe Stobaugh from Argyle UMC in Argyle, Tex. He gave a powerful message where he said that God is doing a new thing again through the Student Movement. The transition to a new vision for the Movement will emphasize impacting more students throughout the year with jurisdictional and annual conference meetings and a biennial Student Forum. The aim of this change will be to put the movement back in United Methodist Student Movement.

During the Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors worship, the Rev. Connie Foster-Breaux, campus minister at Grambling State University, was introduced by one of her students, Steering Committee member Shelton Berry. However, this was not a typical introduction. We were blessed by a visit via Skype from Airman First Class Berry stationed in Kyrgyzstan alongside his military chaplain.

When it was time for the Rev. Foster-Breaux to speak, she reminded us that God can use all of us with our varied gifts. She described the mystery of God's calling in our lives when she said, "Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans."

I loved the music at Forum! Students combined with worship leader DeLyn Celec to create a vibrant worship experience. Songs crossed genres like Christian rock, hymns in Spanish and African languages, and modern praise music. The band found a way to get us on our feet in some moments and bring us back to a prayerful mood at other times. A variety of participants joined with DeLyn to give the music an eclectic feel over the weekend. Music played a big role outside of worship as well. The University of Evansville helped to provide instruments for a drum circle led by Steering Committee member Chris Dorr. This was widely popular among the students that I talked to.

Along with music, worship was dynamic in other ways as well. Worship was especially exciting in its use of many voices and artistic expressions. During Scripture readings at morning devotions, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Creek were represented. In addition music, drama, and dance were shared in worship of God. I think that the creativity in worship helped further the theme of calling as many people got on stage to show their God-given talents. The worship time was a fantastic opportunity for praise and contemplation about calling, while the workshops offered a wide array of learning opportunities.

Topics ranged from "Structure of The United Methodist Church" to a "Culture Club" where a panel discussed how different cultural perspectives influence issues in The United Methodist Church. I attended "Jesus' Meal," a workshop led by the Rev. Armando Alvarado from First UMC in Grapevine, Tex. First, we opened with a question about how often we believe we should take Holy Communion. We did so visually by writing our name on a sticky note and making a graph to see how many people felt we should take Communion every day, once a week, once a month, or once a year. It was a great visual to get the discussion started. Then we talked about reasons why we get together with friends or family for a meal in our daily lives and made a poster of these experiences. This discussion moved into a conversation specifically about Communion, how it is relevant in our own lives and yet has ancient roots. "Jesus' Meal" was the one workshop that I attended, but I heard great comments about workshops such as "Many Gifts and Many Ways to Serve" and "Political Action."

Plenty of time at Student Forum is reserved for fellowship and just having fun. Jurisdictional meetings were a time where we got to connect to people from our own region. I really enjoy the fellowship time, both to see old friends who I've met at previous Forums and to make new friends as well. We shared about our lives and about the life of our respective campus ministries. As for me, one of my favorite ways to fellowship is tossing a Frisbee around.  

While the United Methodist Student Movement will look different in the coming years, I believe this fellowship across campuses will remain a focus. I look forward to connecting with more students from Iowa, and I'm excited to hear how this grassroots effort will impact my friends in Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, and Delaware. Student Forum 2011 was a great learning experience, a weekend full of amazing worship, and a time to make new friends who are active in campus ministry.

Eddie Crise is a member of the United Methodist Student Movement Steering Committee, which organizes Student Forum and very active in the Wesley Foundation at the University of Iowa  

© 2011 General Board of Higher Education & Ministry