the published journalist...
well, don't get your hopes up too high. here's an article that appeared in the san diego episcopal diocese paper (from my word doc, not the version the editor actually published... i think all she did was add a semi colon where i PURPOSELY LEFT ONE OUT... you know, for the annie dillard effect. sigh, oh well). goodness knows what the circulation is, but i have a feeling that every poor soul that signed an episcopal church guest book at some point in their lives somehow found themselves on the mailing list.

oh yeah, i'm episcopalian.

"campus ministry" or, the inflicted title, "we are no longer the future of the church. we ARE the church"---
Just over two years ago, I graduated from college. As I drove away from campus for the last time, tossing my ratty parking permit into the back seat (i.e. trash can) in all its overpriced glory, I had a nagging feeling of regret. Regret?! I just graduated from college, with a pretty decent GPA (despite organic chemistry), and I had, as the many droning graduation speeches professed, “the future in my hands.” So where was this regret coming from?!
UCSD had a fledgling campus ministry program. I was one of 3 students, and I usually worked during the Wednesday Eucharists. Buoyed by an utterly devoted group of faculty and staff, the UCSD Episcopal Student Association survived the inconsistencies and evasiveness of college students. I regretted not fully participating and supporting the program. But at the same time, I felt a sense of community and unconditional support – the campus ministry program survived despite me.
Young adult and campus ministry can sometimes be seen as the black sheep of all religious organizations everywhere. Why should we put money and effort into a program for people who won’t appreciate it? Nobody will come, anyway. And why can’t they just go to church like other adults? In San Diego, we say, “Well, they have Vocare. What more do they need?”
Vocare in the Diocese of San Diego is one of the most successful in the nation. However, staffing the weekends and participating in monthly social and service-based reunions isn’t enough for me. I am being spiritually fed, but I am still going home hungry.
We “young adults” are now a rabid mix of Generation X and the new, younger generation, sometimes tagged “Generation Y.” Generation X includes people who are well into their 30s (I believe the bracket for this arbitrary classification is 1960-1979). Young adults are getting younger – this year’s college freshmen were born in 1985: the “Y” generation. However, with such vastly different ages of people in need of “young adult” ministry, there is one common denominator. Rodger Y. Nishoka, Associate Professor of Christian Education at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, spoke at this year’s Come to the Feast conference on young adult and campus ministry. Nishoka insisted that young adults need authenticity. He’s right. In politics, our relationships, our culture, our music – everything has to be genuine and relevant. We don’t let this requirement slide for our religious and spiritual lives, either. An astounding number of young adults insist that they are spiritual, but when asked if they attend church, the answer is rarely yes. In the eyes of many GenX-ers and GenY-ers, the institution of the church has somehow avoided the “authentic” nomen over the years. Our task now is to make ourselves authentic.
College is generally a time in someone’s life where the church is “forgotten.” Some of the most active youth group members run off to college and don’t look back. However, this is generally not a conscious decision. It’s a mixture of needing to sleep in on Sunday mornings and a general unavailability of authentic and relevant spiritual and theological guidance on the campus.
Over the years, Episcopal Campus Ministry in San Diego has taken some hard hits from budget cuts, lack of support from the Universities, and the “graduation” plague taking away the active students. Like UCSD’s group of faculty and staff, SDSU campus ministry has a constant: the Lutheran-Episcopal Campus Center. With an unknown future as SDSU plans a remodel for the religious centers, The Lutheran Episcopal Campus Center is still standing. A small but growing number of students seek a safe haven in the campus center. Young Adult and Campus ministry must address the needs of the “X” and “Y” generations – a safe haven, an escape from the busy, crazy, and faithless world; and relevancy and authenticity. If it has to be set somewhere other than a church parish hall, so be it. If it has to include Rite I Eucharist and ancient Hymns, so be it. If this has to include free food and beer, so be it.
We are no longer “the future of the Church.” We ARE the Church.