Exploring Campus Mission Oppotunities - Workshop

The Pacific Southwest District College Ministry is thrilled to be welcoming Rev. Greg Fairow to Southern California for a two day workshop that will explore campus mission opportunities. Rev. Fairow serves LCMS World Mission in partnership with the Lutheran Campus Mission Association as a catalyst for Christ on campus, and a part of the Ablaze movement. Specifically, Rev. Fairow helps LCMS congregations near colleges and universities start intentional campus mission ministries, transform dormant ministries, and expand plateaued ones.

The workshop will be held at the District office from 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 10, 2008 through 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 11.

Anyone and everyone who might be interested in starting or expanding their missional outreach on campus is invited. This includes pastors, DCEs, DCOs, and all other church workers (rostered or not) at all district ministries with campus outreach opportunities. This also includes part-time and volunteer staff.

The cost will be $70 for one or $110 for a team of up to three from a single congregation.

Early registration deadline is December 21, 2007

Walk up registrations can be done at a cost of $90 per person (no team discount).

A special hotel rate has been secured through Concordia University at the Best Western Airport North. When you call (714)-432-8888 to make your reservation simply ask for the Concordia rate and tell them that you are attending a conference at the University and you will get the $84/night.person rate.

A group dinner will be organized Thursday night to further discussion and networking. This dinner is not included in the cost of the workshop.

Continental breakfast will be provided on Friday morning at the District office.

Rev. Fairow plans to return, in Spring 2008, to provide individual congregational follow-ups to further your campus ministry efforts for those congregations who desire that additional
assistance.

For additional information please contact Dave Rueter (drueter@soth.org).
For registration forms click here.

Staying Connected While @ School

For those of you working your way through your first semester of college far away from home, you might be feeling a certain loss of community. Back home, only a few months ago, you might have had a great group of friends, a solid church youth group, and adults in your congregation who you could turn to in times of trouble. Though you can still stay in contact with all those people through wonderful social networking sites like myspace and facebook, there is still a need for face time with an actual person. That is the way God created us. After God created Adam, He noticed that Adam just did not seem to be complete. He had access to all of God's creation, but he was still lacking something. Adam had God's complete attention and he still needed more. Adam needed a helper, someone like him who he could relate to. That is why God create Eve. God created Adam with a need for Eve. We too are all created with a need for social connections. The purpose of the church is not just to pool our resources to build spiffy buildings. Rather the purpose of the Church is to be the Body of Christ, that is the community of believers, formed by Christ, for the expressed purpose of building one another up in faith.

Just as God new this need in His creation, so to do we, the PSD College Ministry, understand that need. That is why the right hand column on this blog has links to congregations and ministries of the Lutheran Church that seek to connect College students to a local congregation while they are at school. That is also why we are pleased to provide you with this link to Lutheran Student Fellowship. Here you will find a search engine that will provide you contact information for a student ministry in your area that you can connect with to help restore some of those feelings of community that you left behind only a few months ago. We hope that you will find a point of connection that will help to uplift your faith life and restore your soul through worship and fellowship. If you ever need help connecting to a ministry in your area please feel free to contact Lutheran Student Fellowship or the PSD College Ministry.