Join the El Pozo celebration!

Mexico campus ministry marks 10 years by building 10 houses

The Globalscope campus ministry in Puebla, Mexico, celebrates its 10th anniversary next spring. In typical El Pozo fashion they will mark the occasion by building 10 houses for Mexican families with longtime partner Casas Por Cristo. And what’s even better? You can join them!

The trip to Acuña, Mexico, is planned for Sunday, March 29 through Friday, April 3, 2015. The organizers hope to attract more than 100 people – including current and former Globalscope students and campus ministers from around the world — to join the team.

“We’ve been doing this mission trip with El Pozo students for the past seven years,” said campus minister Courtney Wilson. “At first we were talking about having a reunion party in Puebla, but it will be expensive for people to come down, so we thought, why not combine it with a Casas por Cristo trip? 

“We want to do it big in a way that matters, and give back to thank God for the 10 years of ministry He has allowed us to be part of,” she added. “We’ll have a reunion/party on Thursday to celebrate giving away 10 houses that represent each year El Pozo has been around.”

The plan
 

Trip participants will arrive on Sunday and get settled in, then build houses for the next three or four days.

“Ten separate groups will work in different locations around the city, and then we’ll all be back together in the evenings,” said Courtney. “A guide at each work site will lead the teams, so even if you know nothing about construction, you can still help.”

Courtney is serving as the main coordinator of the event, with the assistance of many El Pozo students and staff. If you’re interested in more information about the trip contact her here. 

“We need 100-plus people and $100,000 to make this dream a reality and change the lives of 10 families in Acuña forever,” said Courtney. “You can pray with us every day, join our trip, or give a donation toward our goal.”
 

Globalscope grows again!

Partnership planned with Nebraska ministry for Ireland

The CMF Globalscope campus ministries continue to grow and break new ground, with campus works planned for sites in South America, Europe and Australia over the next several years, reports Director Phil Tatum. But he’s always on the lookout for more possibilities.

Take, for example, his most recent research trip: a visit to Ireland in late October with Dan Walter, Director of Nebraska Campus Ministries.

“Many Nebraska schools have exchange student programs with universities in Ireland,” he said. “So this group came to me at ICOM in 2013 with the idea to work with us to plant a campus ministry in Ireland. It’s an exciting idea, and we’re going to help them run with it.”

Post-Christian culture

Although Ireland was the last country in Europe to reject the Church, it has definitely become a post-Christian culture in the last 10-15 years.

“A report from the Archdiocese of Dublin says that in 1990, 85% of its parishioners attended church at least once a month,” said Phil. “Now that figure is less than one percent who attend church monthly.

“Although it’s still a Catholic culture, there is no interest in spiritual things,” he added. “There are empty church buildings – both Catholic and Protestant – throughout the country.”

The group looked at four Irish universities, but is leaning toward University College in Cork, Ireland, where there is very little campus ministry of any kind, said Phil.

“There are four chaplains on staff there, but students don’t think they need any spiritual guidance, so they never go,” said Phil. “The need is very clear in Ireland, as it is in so many countries around the world. If you’ve felt a call to campus ministry in a particular city or country, send me an email and we’ll talk about it. I’d love to see 200 Globalscope campus ministries around the world!”
 

The power of ‘us’

Community grows through authentic friendships

Beth Silliman is the team leader of the Globalscope Tübingen campus ministry (called Unterwegs), so she knows a thing or two about meeting new people and developing relationships. Here she shares a story of making a new friend, and how God has been working in that relationship:

Last October I met Laura in the university cafeteria. She was there by herself so we invited her to our table, which had become an Unterwegs table. And so she met Unterwegs that day. We hung out the next week. The next month, she came to our Thanksgiving dinner. We kept hanging out. And suddenly, there’s “us” singing in the Unterwegs Christmas choir. Then there’s “us” making soup together for our Soup Party in March. There’s “us” hanging out on vacation with other Unterwegs students at a Christian retreat in August. 

In October Laura and I wanted to celebrate our friendship anniversary. We cooked dinner for another friend. That night Laura told me that earlier that day she had gone to that same cafeteria with other Unterwegs friends to meet new people. 

“I thought, ‘How did Beth do this last year?’ And then I did it just like you did with me,” she said. “I met new people and they were really cool. And I think they are going to come to Unterwegs.” 

And there’s the key: We don’t just try to meet new people because we’re all about numbers. We want to meet new people because we have experienced community. We know it to be good. And this encourages us to share it with others and to reproduce it every year in new and fun ways. 
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