College Union

If you’re like me, you find yourself overwhelmed and busy at the end of the semester. The to-do list continues growing longer and the time available to get everything accomplished shrinks twice as fast. I find myself cutting out the non-essentials so that I might put first things first! If your campus is like my campus, the end of the school year brings “The Last Blast” parties and activities with inflatable toys and live music and free food that students have to attend in order to finish out the school year. But sometimes, the more studious (or perhaps overwhelmed) among your campus ministry may choose to opt out of the end of year celebrations. While I’m always an advocate for students making good choices about how they spend their time, I think that it’s important to celebrate the ending of an old year and the anticipation of a new year to come.

More than just a “warm fuzzy”

It is important to honor the labors of graduating seniors and students who have served in a leadership role throughout the year. More than just being a “warm fuzzy” practice, I believe that it is a spiritual practice. Richard Foster writes in his spiritual classic, Celebration of Discipline, “Celebration is at the heart of the way of Christ.” Do you agree with that? Or rather, have you ever thought about that? You may be thinking, I would say that love is at the heart of the way of Christ.  Or grace.  Or redemption.

However, Foster points out that Christ “entered the world on a high note of jubilation: ‘I bring you good news of a great joy,’ cried the angel, ‘which shall come to all the people’ (Luke 2:10).  He left the world bequeathing his joy to the disciples: ‘These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full’ (John 15:11).”  While we may not immediately recognize the recurrent theme of celebration in the life of Christ, it is there: Jesus’ first miracle changing the water to wine at a wedding celebration (John 2:1-11), Jesus’ proclamation of forgiven sins and peace to the woman who anointed his feet (Luke 7:36-50), and the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son (Luke 15) speak to the kind of celebration that is at the heart of Jesus’ life.  It is a celebration centered on freeing the heart to be joyful with others and to be freed up from guilt and shame, recovering what is truly important!

A Rite of Passage

Thus, while it may be easy for us or our students to dismiss celebration as simply being another “fun” activity, it is important for us to think of it as a spiritual discipline. It, like Sabbath, is something for which we break our normal patterns. We celebrate the good work that God has accomplished through the lives of individuals. We celebrate how God has been present in the life of the ministry. We give thanks to God, in the presence of the community, for the specific contributions of the leaders. And we send forth those leaving our network to find their place in another one. The celebrations honor the students and exalt the One who has gifted and created them.

As we reach the end of the year, we have specific rituals for our campus ministry.  We look forward to our BBQ at the end of the year where seniors receive a gift, the leadership team is recognized and we have the “Year in Review” slideshow!  We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll tell stories, and we’ll celebrate!  It’s in moments like this that we recognize that Celebration is a spiritual practice.  Let us not become too busy doing all that we’re required to do that we forget this important spiritual discipline of Celebration!

Questions to think about

• How can we honor and equip graduating seniors as they transition from our campus ministry into “life after college”?
• How do we celebrate the hard work of the outgoing leadership team, as well as make room for the incoming team?
• What “spiritual markers” can the end of the year bring for students in your ministry?
• Is there a way to provide a “rite of passage” for students who are taking a step of leadership?

Other Ideas…

• Our campus ministry is starting a new tradition this year.  We are giving a Servant Leadership award to the graduating senior who has best demonstrated the attitude of Christ in serving others. As a group we want to honor the student who may not have “official” leadership, but has been a role model and example of Christ to others.

• If you have small groups or Bible Studies that have been together throughout the year, provide a time for them to share examples of when they have seen Christ in the lives of one another. Have each of them share about all the others in the group.

• Turn the tables: if you have a group that is used to setting up, tearing down, or cleaning up after your regular campus ministry gathering, have the Staff or other volunteers take their place for one evening. Then honor the “behind the scenes” workers at a special time during your service.

• Have a special night where the purpose is for everyone to feel like a contributing member. If you have a small number of people that you know fairly well, come up with an award for everyone, recognizing a gift they have that serves the body of Christ. Print up a certificate of achievement for each person or give them a special (inexpensive) gift that is symbolic of their contribution. Then, have a photographer take a picture (like at Graduation) that you can email them later.

Ashlee Alley is Director of Discipleship and Coordinator of Campus Ministry at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS. Her email address is aallee@sckans.edu.

Categories: Nurturing the Soul of the College Student
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