PLU Campus Ministry is off and running for fall semester, reconnecting with continuing students and meeting new Lutes. There is good energy. Every new year and season brings its changes, and this fall we’ve made a few changes in Campus Ministry programming and the ways Campus Ministry is contributing to PLU’s mission and care for the spiritual development of students and community. It’s a time of ongoing reformation, ministry, and hopefully transformation, too!
In particular, we’ve been in discernment since 2015 about University Congregation, the Sunday student worshiping community, in light of the changing needs of students and the campus community. We’ve been prayerfully considering our energy, resources, values, and opportunities. This process has included both loss and possibility. As a result of this process we have decided to sunset University Congregation.
Though we will no longer have a Sunday service on campus, we will still gather in community for three chapel services each week. We will still support students’ faith and spirituality. We will still live out our values to be LGBTQIA+ affirming, committed to anti-racism work, and celebrating and supporting religious and spiritual diversity.
This has not been a quick or isolated decision. Discernment partners in this process have included Southwestern Washington Synod Bishop Rick Jaech, VP for Student Life Joanna Royce-Davis, the student Campus Ministry staff team, and others.
Some of the Why behind this change:
● Our students are changing - fewer students are choosing to attend a worshiping community (similar to trends nationwide).
● Our student body is more hyper-local, meaning students who are engaged in congregations in the community stay connected to those communities throughout their time at PLU.
● Demographics of PLU students are changing - University Congregation has continued to be almost exclusively white while our student body is 40% students of color.
● We have fewer financial and human resources to sustain a Sunday worship community.
● We are not wanting to duplicate - there is a worshiping community across the street from PLU at Trinity Lutheran. Also, there are many other local congregations who do worship well and would love to have students! This is an opportunity for PLU students to be more community engaged, to bless local church communities with their presence, and to benefit from the intergenerational nature of these congregations.
● Letting University Congregation sunset gives us space and resources to focus on our strengths as a college Campus Ministry and what is unique about our context. For example, gatherings like our Anti-Racism and Whiteness conversation connected to faith, Queer Faith series, decolonizing scripture bible study, etc.
In terms of worship and spiritual gathering, we continue Chapel three times a week, creatively engaging in spiritual practices, prayer, reflection, communion, and community. And through Campus Ministry we also continue various topical series, discussion groups, retreats, hikes, pastoral care, education around religious and spiritual diversity and more. There is a lot of creative energy and like many of you we continue to be in a season of experimenting as we seek to love God, love neighbor, and love ourselves in this ever-evolving context. I continue to be grateful and energized in this work.
Thank you for your partnership.
With gratitude,
Pastor Jen Rude
University Pastor, PLU