Dusty Wilson,
Mathematics,
Highline Community College
[April 15, 2012] —
Do you ever feel isolated as a follower of Jesus on a college campus? The Ministry Minutes resonate with the challenges faced by faculty and staff. My co-workers frequently say, “That is just what I needed to hear today.” And, “It is good to remember that I am not alone.” I am thankful that we are taking steps to build and encourage our community of faith on our own campus.
However, we are but one community, and it is clear that we only represent a part of the Body of Christ. What if we could multiply the encouragement we find as academics by sharing it with our friends faithfully serving at other institutions? But how? Our schedules are filled to the point that coffee with a close friend must be planned well in advance!
Answered Prayer
With that in mind, my prayer for a recent regional professional conference was that I would meet believers who might be encouraged to join our community. After all, our vision is broad. We desire (1.) to be a community of thinking Christians and (2.) that everyone could identify someone on their campus who follows Jesus.
My specific prayer provided more courage than I might normally have and I quickly connected with three professors that I knew were Christ followers. Surprisingly, there were two other conversations that seemed a bit less likely.
Connecting
The first exchange in reality began a couple of years prior at a national conference in D.C. where I made friends with a professor from California. We were in similar places in life(family, career, faith, etc.). Since then, we corresponded once or twice, but imagine my delight to see his name in the program for a NW regional conference! I checked the name against his business card which had been in my wallet for two years. Hours later, we were able to connect and encourage each other to continue to run the race with endurance.
The second vignette took place over a dessert. I was in line when a friend came up chatting with a faculty member from another university. It quickly became apparent that he was also a believer. Asking if he was a member of any group of believing faculty, I was pleased to learn he meets weekly with four other department members! How sweet to remember that it doesn’t take a building or formal network to have fellowship of community!
With that vision in mind, let’s look beyond ourselves and our needs. Reach out to the believing undergrads and graduate students where you are. Consider including believing staff in your fellowship. And look for ways to reach beyond your institution through your personal and professional connections.
(c) 2012 Dusty Wilson
Have you tried connecting at www.facultylinc.com?