Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2013 Issue | Page 22

Growing in Campus Ministry
Emily Cherry
Effective campus ministry is gaining fast and furious interest
in the Diocese of Virginia. In 2012, the Diocese allocated over
$140,000 in grants for Episcopal campus ministries. Bishop
Johnston has made clear that hiring more full-time campus
missioners is a top priority. And in his 2012 report to Council,
Bishop Gulick noted that “We need to claim that what we are
doing on our campuses is the most important evangelism
that we are trusted with.”

Suffice it to say, outreach to young adults on college
campuses in the Diocese of Virginia is an outreach fueled by
growing interest, prayer and passion. The Diocese supports
thriving ministries at George Mason University, James
Madison University, the University of Mary Washington, the
University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth Ministry,
each of which also receives support from local congregations.

St. Stephen’s, Richmond and St. James the Less, Ashland
are two congregations taking on new campus ministries.
St. James the Less has hired a part-time employee, Patricia
Brock, to handle communications and campus outreach at
the nearby Randolph-Macon College. When the Rev. David
Anderson joined the church as priest-in-charge almost a year
ago, a lay committee had already been formed to investigate
how to reignite the ministry, which had been active in the
congregation some years ago. Randolph-Macon is a United
Methodist institution, with a Campus Ministry Council that
has representation from several denominations.

“These ministries are not in competition with each
other,” explained Anderson. The group gathers together to
discuss shared ministry projects, in addition to hosting their
own events and programming. One challenge the Episcopal
ministry is encountering, though, is that their initial vision
and the reality of the situation aren’t a perfect match. So

they’re focusing on building one-on-one relationships, and
exploring the possibility of partnering with other campus
organizations for service projects. “We’re just establishing
our presence,” said Anderson.

The approach that St. Stephen’s, Richmond has taken
to campus ministry is to start with the students, and to see
what they want out of such a ministry. The University of
Richmond provided St. Stephen’s with a list of students who
identified themselves as Episcopalian. From there, the church
was able to reach out to the group of students, sending them
packets with meal tickets and event info.

In 2011, the first group of seven or eight University of
Richmond students who showed interested wanted to take
part in a Bible study. In 2012, there wasn’t as much interest in
a Bible study – but students did express interest in coming
to church on Sundays. So, St. Stephen’s helped arrange
transportation, explained the Rev. Matthew Johnson, associate
rector. They’re asking themselves, “What do we have to offer
that the students might want and need?” explained Johnson.
“And that probably is going to be ever-changing.”

St. Stephen’s also piggybacks their campus ministry on
an existing young adult ministry, inviting the college students
to take part in such events as a recent rafting trip.
Both congregations are still in something of an exploratory
phase, working to find the best fit for their resources and the
students they serve. They’re finding that campus ministry is
one that requires a good deal of adaptability and flexibility.
With that lesson in mind, we asked two existing campus
ministries to share with us their programming success
stories. Read on for stories from the campuses of George
Mason University and the University of Mary Washington.

ARISE Ministry, George Mason University
The Rev. Mark Montgomery
Just outside of D.C., George Mason University is culturally,
politically and spiritually diverse. With over 32,000 students
enrolled and over 6,000 students living on campus, Mason
has shifted from a commuter-driven student population to a
large, on-campus community that is now the largest four-year
university in Virginia. United College Ministries in Northern
Virginia is just one of the 22 different faith based organizations
on campus within the Campus Ministry Association at George
Mason. As United College Ministries, we represent the
combined efforts of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
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Virginia Episcopalian / Winter 2013

Episcopal, Presbyterian (USA), United Church of Christ, United
Methodist and interested individuals of many traditions. On
Mason’s campus we are known as ARISE. 

ARISE is a Christian ministry that encourages students
to explore faith and discover grace through worship, mission
projects, social events and small groups. Our goal is to invite
students to ask questions about faith, connect with others
and find ways to live out of God’s unconditional love.
Campus Ministry continued on page 21