NCMA conference

The next National Campus Ministry Conference will be held in Kansas City in mid-July, 2008 KConnections 2008 will be held on the beautiful campus of the University of Saint Mary (www.stmary.edu) in Leavenworth, Kansas, on the edge of metropolitan Kansas City.
Go to http://www.ncmaconference.org for more details as they are posted.

As an experiment with a different kind of annual meeting, our 2008 event at USM will be a workshop-based conference focused on providing practical application learning experiences in one of three ministry tracks: 1) Campus Ministry 101 for persons with fewer than three years of experience, 2) Campus Ministry 202 for veterans, or 3) Congregationally-Based Collegiate Ministry.

The three primary goals of this gathering are to provide pragmatic tools for campus ministry practitioners, foster relationships and encourage a greater exchange of ideas between those persons engaged in campus-based ministries and those working out of a local congregation, and, conduct our annual NCMA business meeting.

Located just twenty-five minutes from the Kansas City International Airport and close to Interstates 29, 35 and 70, the University of Saint Mary is situated among 200 acres of gently rolling hills and will provide easy access for both those who fly and those who drive. In an effort to keep the event affordable and encourage as many folks to attend as possible, we will move to a four-day, Thursday-Sunday format in 2008. Pending confirmation from our hosts at USM, our event will be held on one of the last two weekends next July. Watch future newsletters and e-mails for confirmation of the dates.

All current and prospective NCMA members engaged (or thinking about being engaged!) in campus-based or congregationally-based collegiate ministries are urged to consider attending this meeting. Watch ncmaconference.org for details as they are put on the website. You can always email ncma@suso.org with comments and questions.

Reflection on Student Forum

University of Toledo student reflects on Student Forum

College Students Bike 4,500 Miles to Break Silence on Suicide

The Christian Post reports on college students biking to raise awareness of suicide

UMSM steering committee member plaintiff in mascots lawsuit

Story here.

Campus ministers and chaplains at Student Forum

GBHEM reports on campus ministers who met during Student Forum:

“Campus ministry is the linchpin for sustainable renewal of The United Methodist Church,” Del Pino said. “So many of our annual conferences have blind spots regarding the need to continue financial support of these specialized ministries in difficult economic times.”

read more

Campus Ministry: Joyfully and Passionately Claiming God’s Call

Jen Heald, chair of the United Methodist Student Movement Steering Committee, writes about campus ministers and her experience at the 2008 Student Forum.

Student Forum takes advantage of Washington to wrestle with political system

Some 438 students, campus ministers, and young adult seminarians scattered across the nation’s capitol during Student Forum 2008 to learn how they could use their voices to fight for just public policies. read more

Rebel Virgins on College Campuses

Christianity Today has an interesting editorial based on a article that appeared in the New York Times Magazine.