Weeks 11 & 12

Last night Chi Alpha hosted its first Thanksgiving Renaissance. Franklin United Church donated yummy desserts, drinks, Vermont pickles, and a salad for the occasion. Church of the Rock let us borrow their food warmers to keep everything hot. It was quite the process for Joe and I to bring everything to campus in our small Scion, but we were able to pull it off within two trips. Our guest speaker for the night was Jean Luc Dushime, who currently attends Champlain College in Burlington. We met Jean Luc about a year and a half ago when we first moved to Burlington. He is originally from Rwanda and experienced the genocide of 1994. During that time, his dad was murdered, leaving his mother, brother, and baby brother to make the long journey out of Rwanda, across the Congo, ultimately leaving Africa and moving to Burlington, VT.

Students were enthralled as Jean Luc shared his experiences of God’s sustaining grace and salvation in the midst of tremendous hardship. He was able to move to Burlington with his family as a part of the Vermont Resettlement Program, began studying English, and is currently studying towards a second degree. We closed the night by talking about Jean Luc’s experiences of exclusion and embrace as a newcomer to the US, and how Chi Alpha is meant to be a community that is always willing to embrace one more.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped to make this event possible! Joe and I both believe that Chi Alpha is ending its first semester at UVM on a very good note.

Renaissance Thanksgiving

Week #10: What a Week!

On Nov. 4, once the election results were in, about a thousand UVM students spontaneously rallied together and marched downtown to Church Street and back to the Davis student center, cheering and chanting in celebration over Barack Obama’s win. Once back in their residence halls, students continued the festivities, hitting pots and pans and running around naked. Many students described the mood as “Pure Joy.” Personally speaking, I’ve not seen that many college students spontaneously rally together in “Pure Joy” since my alma mater UL Lafayette’s football victory over Texas A&M in the late 90’s, when hyped up ULL students spontaneously flooded the Ragin Cajun field and pulled one of the field goals down, throwing it over the stadium boundary. What else would you expect from college football fans in the South?

But I consider this most recent outburst of celebration by UVM college students over President Elect Obama’s win to be a bit different from your typical collegiate rally of sports pride. Compared to most Division 1 campuses, collegiate sports at UVM doesn’t create a campus wide sense of pride. While many students at Division 1 institutions like University of Florida choose their University based school colors and mascot, UVM students rarely cite collegiate sports loyalty as their primary motivation for becoming Catamounts. Some might say that because of this, there’s no campus-wide cause that brings students together on a routine basis. So students are left with a campus culture that is primarily tribal, with no real overall sense of unity. Joe and I have often wondered what would indeed cause these students to unite in “Pure Joy?” And on the night of Nov. 4th, we obviously got our answer.

Whatever your political leanings have been during this past election season, we all must agree that with the election of Barack Obama, restorative justice has occurred. Especially for us as believers, we must acknowledge that a kind of national restitution has taken place. A nation which once thrived on the back of slavery, notions of “separate but equal,” and white bigotry has paid restitution in the election of the highly capable Barack Obama. This is a cause for “Pure Joy.” It is not a time for sadness and despair. God works through history in mysterious ways. As we long for that time when God’s restorative justice and peace will completely fill the earth, we must celebrate the glimmers of that future reality in the present. It would be a tragedy not to.

Week #9: Getting Schooled in Higher Ed

It’s hard to believe, but in my History of Higher Education class we’re turning to the last page of the syllabus. The class has been both personally and professionally rewarding. We’ve covered the affects of such things as Colonialism, Nationalism, Revivalism, Jacksonianism, the Vietnam Era, Racism, Desegregation, McCarthyism, Sexism, and Feminism on the American college and University Institution. I’ve read two history books on Higher Education in the US, as well as two autobiographies, and written two papers. There’s still more work to be done before the end of the semester, but I’ve been pleased so far with all I’ve learned, both in and out of the classroom.

Class discussions have opened my eyes to some of the dynamics of faculty politics and current hot topics within student affairs. The majority of my classmates work within student affairs at UVM and have studied and worked at Universities and colleges around the US prior to UVM. I enjoy the intellectual challenge of listening to their ideas and opinions on such topics as gender and sexuality, equity and tolerance, and academic freedom. I’m gaining an understanding of UVM’s student affairs culture that’s well worth the tuition paid for the class. By more fully understanding our institutional context, Chi Alpha will be better able to have a cohesive approach in serving the campus.

All Church Ministries Conference

Tomorrow (Friday) Joe and I are driving to Sanford, ME in order to teach a few workshops on college ministry at our District’s Church Ministries Conference. We look forward to seeing some of the pastors and lay people that we met primarily in 2007 during the first several months after moving to Vermont as we traveled around NH, ME, and VT. Of course, we’re also excited to meet some new folks! Please pray for safe travels and a productive conference.

Week #8: A Corn Maze & Snowflakes

The leaves in Northwest Vermont have officially changed colors and started their slow decent to the ground. Leaf peeping season is pretty much over, and the snow has begun to fall. Today there were some really small snow flurries in Burlington, but some of the surrounding areas even got a dusting of snow!

Last Friday we brought a group of students to the local corn maze. Many of us had never experienced this cultural phenomenon of walking through rows and rows of corn for fun. We had high hopes for the experience, especially with the added promise of some pumpkin fudge afterwards! Honestly, the Maze wasn’t as much fun as we had hoped for. Walking around in corn is just what it sounds like. Also, there was no pumpkin fudge- it was all sold out. But, now we can all say we’ve been through a corn maze!

Week #7: Staying Tech Savvy

A lot can happen in 2 years! During the 2 years that we were raising money to start Chi Alpha at UVM, we really didn’t interact with college students at all. Now that we’re back in campus life, we’ve definitely been playing a little catch up on some things. We were especially feeling the learning curve a couple nights back when we had a birthday dinner at our place. At one point during dinner, all of the students were texting under the table, while simultaneously eating and participating in conversation. It was sort of strange. Joe, who had never texted before in his life, asked one of the students if she’d teach him. She eagerly showed him how easy it was, and confessed that back in high school, she would text herself so that her friends would think she was really popular. Since learning how to text, Joe has started texting some students that he normally has a hard time catching with a phone call, email, or facebook. Texting has had amazing results! Ear buds and ipods are still prevalent among students walking to and from classes, but their initial hype has died down some. But, ever once in a while I still experience that awkward moment when I call out to a student walking by who doesn’t respond but continues on their way, lost in their own personal soundtrack.

“Ask God a Question- Eat a Cookie!”

Week #6: Mid-Semster Fatigue

Joe and I are both feeling a little worn out! Joe has been dealing with some lower back trouble for the last three weeks that causes him to not sleep well at night. I’m just feeling big and pregnant. And, we’re still trying to figure out a rhythm of work, play, and rest in the midst of a busy semester with Chi Alpha. Last weekend we traveled to Old Orchard Beach, ME and Exeter, NH to speak at church services on Sunday. It was a good time of meeting some new folks as well as catching up with pastors and church members whom we’d met during our first year of fund raising in Northern New England. We drove back to Burlington Sunday night and arrived home Monday at 1am. Let me tell you that my ankles were pretty swollen!

A goal of ours is to spend one Sunday a month speaking at churches in Northern New England. We need to stay visible with churches so that they know how to pray for us, and the offerings that are given are a tremendous help in our on-going work budget needs. We also plan to visit supporters in the the Northeast, the Northwest as well as in Louisiana so that we aren’t forgotten!

But, in the forefront of our minds these days is the task of forming a solid core of students in Chi Alpha who’d be ready and able to reach next year’s freshmen, the class of 2013. We’ve made a good start, and we pray for the endurance to both maintain and grow momentum for Chi Alpha. The UVM campus is composed of a vast number of social tribes and networks. So far, we’ve been able to make connections with three campus niches: first time students, graduate students, and the student life offices. Join with us in praying that these connections would strengthen and stabilize.

Week #5: What Will Chi Alpha Become?

It’s Fall here in the frozen North and last night marked our 4th Renaissance meeting of the semester. The fourth to fifth week of a school year tends to be the perfect time to begin fostering some group identity and inviting a sense of ownership. So, I (Rachel) spoke on the topic of our group and some of my hopes and dreams for what we want to become. Afterwards, I facilitated a time of discussion with the students concerning their own desires for our group. Some of their ideas included becoming a community or family that’s known as a place to grow, have fun, worship with both mind and emotions, and where any student is accepted/welcomed no matter what their level of belief. Most students participated in the discussion and even gave some really helpful practical ideas. Afterwards students were initiating in talking with one another and exchanging contact information. Something really happened during that hour and a half that we were together, and it was beautiful to witness!