NOW IS THE TIME

NOW IS THE TIME

It has a reputation for being a thankless investment: the church pours money into a ministry with little to no return.  Many students don’t return tithe.  If they do, it isn’t much.  They consume.  They consume a lot–potluck food, church electricity, funds to attend retreats and conferences.  In the end, they graduate and leave to another city, state, or country.

This is one of the reasons Public Campus Ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been neglected by so many.

If only all would see what few are privileged to behold daily: faithful students successfully struggling to prioritize God above studies; dedicated Adventist young people sharing their faith with future leaders from around the world; Adventists sharing a timely message with the crumbling world around them.  This is what Adventist Campus Ministry should be and is on many public campuses around the world.

Students on public university campuses are not only reaching their friends, they are impacting local churches by faithfully attending services and participating in church outreach activities.  They are hosting weekly small group Bible studies: feeding their follow classmates with literal and spiritual food.  They are inviting their friends to take Christ seriously, search the Scriptures and align their lives with timeless principles from the Word of God.  They are missionaries preaching the Adventist message in concrete jungles where world mission comes to US soil.  They are yearning to fit in the Adventist church now and in the future.  Some of them will continue to go strong, but unnoticed.  Others may become presidential candidates.  Some will end up working for the church.  Most will have a huge temporal and eternal impact like Daniel, Joseph, and Esther.  The most important thing for our church to recognize is that it needs to invest in them now.

With regret, we talk about the missing young people.  What about the non-missing?  They are speaking to us.  If we are willing to listen, we will realize that they are all around, waiting for the church to see that they are packing out local churches, our few Adventist on-campus centers, and retreat centers and camps with their seeking friends.  I hope we will listen and act now.

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Public University Students and local members pack a church during a Collegiate Sabbath
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Pastor Justin Kim shares a powerful message on Ps. 139 and the God who sees and knows everything
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Student Missionary Jermaine Gayle shares his faith
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Pastor Andy Im teaches students how to conduct small group Bible studies — the CAMPUS House has been packed with dedicated students on a weekly basis
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Pastor Israel Ramos teaches missionaries the importance of meeting the needs of others – Christ’s method alone
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Student Missionary Nichole Dyjasek teaches the Bible to an international student

GC PCM RECOMMENDATIONS DOCUMENT

GC PCM RECOMMENDATIONS DOCUMENT

During the General Conference Public Campus Ministry Summit and Symposium, delegates were divided into 8 groups to discuss the building blocks of PCM as determined by the GC PCM Director, Dr. Jiwan Moon.

Each group brought forth recommendations to be approved by the larger body of delegates.

The following are the recommendations voted by the delegates. These recommendations will be sent to the AMiCUS Committee which oversees PCM and is composed of the Youth, Education, and Chaplaincy departments of the GC.

Through this committee, the most pressing recommendations will be submitted to GC Administration and a select few will proceed to the upcoming General Conference Session in San Antonio.

That the symposium produced so many recommendations is in itself a great accomplishment. That any of these get voted at the GC Session will also be a pretty good accomplishment. Congratulations to Dr. Moon and AMiCUS on a successful summit and symposium–this is a great accomplishment for less than a year in office.

Here is the unedited version of the document:

Group 1:

 

The role of the local church in Public Campus Ministry Recommended:

 

  • That every church appoint a PCM/student leader.

 

  • That the PCM leader should be on the church board.

 

  • That each church should implement a model of becoming a PCM/student friendly church. That every conference/mission is to have a PCM director who will work with the local churches in training, promoting, and implementing a model for PCM friendly churches. The values of PCM friendly church are to foster relationships, spiritual growth, mission, and empowerment.

 

We believe that it is the responsibility of every church to care for college/university students, whether studying locally or away from their home church, and to those students moving to study in close proximity to the church. There is a need to work with every church Pastor so as to get their commitment to build their church/es to be student friendly churches.

 

Group 2:

 

PCM on Campuses

 

  • We recommend that the GC PCM and AMICUS be responsible to share the VISION of the importance of PCM, and each Division and Union would then define how to start a ministry in that particular area taking the context into consideration.

 

  • We recommend that the GC PCM and AMICUS create an incentivizing program for starting chapters with few resources. Call a pool of creatives to create a platform that generates a grassroots clearing house of projects and resources for the purpose of awarding grants in the following categories: starting a group, service programs and resources creation.

 

 

 

 

Group 3:

 

Role of Communitieis/Mentors in Public Campus Ministry

 

  • Union PCM Directors will assist Conference PCM Directors to establish Mentor/Mentee programs at the local PCM level. They will establish and manage a database of potential mentor professionals to be accessed by local PCM Leader.

 

  • Every local PCM establish a Mentor/Mentee program of professional and non-professional mentors and work with the Conference PCM Director to train mentors and mentees how to effectively advantage students for their spiritual/counseling, educational and professional training.

 

 

Group 4:

 

PCM Chaplains Endorsement

 

  • Public Campus Ministry has specific training guidelines and a certification process of Chaplains and PCM practitioners (candidates/interns) recommended to the Division PCM/AMICUS committees and/or Adventist PCM Associations.

 

  • (GC Working Policy FA30 Ecclesiastical Endorsement.)
    • Hold a Ministerial license or Commissioned Ministerial credentials and in regular standing of the Seventh-day Adventist church.
    • With a recommended 2 years of pastoral experience, or a proven equivalency, as determined by the ACM committee.
    • Note – change “minimum” to “recommended.” Delete – post-graduation.

 

  • General Conference consider including under the categories of endorsement candidate chaplains or intern chaplains.

 

Group 6:

 

GC PCM Follow ME/Dialogue/Division PCM Manuals:

 

  • Recommend a brochure and a manual/handbook that is also available online to be prepared by PCM with the content suggested.

 

  • Recommend a further engaging dialogue about the roles of PCM website and the “updated Dialogue journal.”

 

 

 

Group 7:

 

PCM Adventist Identity Infusion

  • GC PCM to make available a curriculum in collaboration with the Division and other Departments for mission/service on Public Campuses.

 

  • Design a PCM leaders kit including condensed information about: ideas for on campus and community service directory of resources by category
calendar with worldwide events and cultural awareness tips.

 

  • GC PCM to develop a mission service model that includes a vision and rationale for systematic projects and a yearly theme.

 

  • Develop a multiplatform marketing and informational material for PCM chapters
  • (Print, video, podcast, social network profiles )

 

Group 8:

 

  • We recommend that the Youth Department and Public Campus Ministries collaborate to produce a leadership development programme specifically for students. This would focus on Adventist identity, heritage (particularly the founder’s young leadership) and apologetics.

 

  • We recommend that AVS and Public Campus Ministries collaborate to create a short term mission track where students can be involved in exchange programs between campuses in order to partner with them in engaging in evangelism and service.

 

  • We recommend that there is specific training for pastors and local churches to build confidence in University students regarding their Adventist identity.

 

To better achieve all these goals

 

Produce a handbook that is also available online that is prepared by the GC PCM office.(6.1)

 

Set up a GC PCM advisory consisting of a representative group of students and chaplains from the world field, to assist the PCM director in his leadership functions.

 

Request that 25% of the 2015 GC Session at San Antonio youth/children “Give Them the Keys” offering, be set aside  for the development PCM grass root mission projects.

PASTOR TAYLOR HINKLE

CAMPUS congratulates Pastor Taylor Hinkle on his first appointment as the pastor of Ithaca and Frost Churches in Michigan.  Pastor Hinkle was part of the first class of CAMPUS Residents in the 2013-14 year.  The CAMPUS Residency seeks to test the individual’s call to pastoral ministry through intensive hands-on opportunities that include modules in expository preaching, pastoral evangelism, leadership, and time management.  Taylor recently married Ariel (Hemple) in August.  Welcome to the Michigan Pastorate!

THE CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP

For CAMPUS LEADS, Israel Ramos preaches on the call to discipleship.  There are five things that Jesus does for us when He calls us.  And something that we must do in order to respond.  Watch this message and also receive an update on the state of public campus ministry in Michigan, North America, and the World Church.

CAMPUS LEADS DEVOTIONAL

This year, LEADS is focusing on implementing a new CAMPUS Cycle of Evangelism that infuses CAMPUS events with UCHURCH’s Master Plan of Evangelism.  Pastors and Chaplains representing six major universities in Michigan along with student leaders from our major campuses are in attendance of this by-invitaiton-only event.

Special guests include Dr. Jiwan Moon and Dr. Ron Pickell, campus ministry leaders of the General Conference and North American Division, respectively.

This is the morning devotional presented by Israel Ramos, Michigan Campus Ministry Director.