Creative Ministry in an Unexpected Time
Creative Ministry in an Unexpected Time
By David Comeau & Tee Feyrer
When university presidents at both VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) and U of R (University of Richmond) announced the transition to remote learning we were shocked. This virus was moving so quickly. Something that not long ago had barely been on our radars was now drastically affecting our lives and the lives of people we love. Each of us felt like we were beginning to see momentum in these new ministries. Our living rooms were beginning to fill up. Relationships were being built. The gospel was being shared. Some students were learning of the love of Jesus for the first time, others were joyfully discovering the richness of the scriptures they had read in church or with their families since childhood. Students were trusting us with their pain, opening themselves up to prayer. We were looking forward to returning from spring break fresh and ready to finish our semester strong. Now what?
As we write this - one week after schools announced closure - we recognize the tragedy and the gravity of this situation (which of course goes far beyond college ministry). Yet we are also very hopeful. We know this is not the first time the church has faced a challenge like this, and we remind ourselves as the psalmist does (Psalm 42) that we serve a Lord who “commands his steadfast love by day” and whose “song is with us [and those we love] by night.” We believe we serve a good and loving God who longs for his children - in our case, these particular college students - to know him and trust him as Father. We also believe that, though we will not be together physically, our ministries will continue to reach students and even grow in this season.
This week, with the wise counsel of our church staff, we are making a hard pivot and looking ahead to a spring and summer of what we will in this article call “creative ministry in an unexpected time.” Our discipleship meetings will continue virtually by phone or video-call, weekly large groups with teaching, prayer, and fellowship will be held at our normal times on Zoom, and we will see the very few who have remained in town in safe socially distant ways (i.e going on a run or walk six feet apart). We are hearing exciting reports from other ministries moving to this platform who are reaching more and more students and believe this is a time ripe for the gospel to be shared. Recognizing however, the massive shift in which most of our lives are going online, mediated by a screen, we are sending our students handwritten letters through the mail, a guide for silent retreat, personally bound books with devotional resources steeped in our rich tradition yet contextualized for today, good stories (think Wendell Berry, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien), and discipleship resources (think A Common Rule, Liturgy of the Ordinary, Drama of Scripture). Tee is even curating Spotify playlists for his students to accompany them while they work.
We believe this is a unique time in which the Lord may use us to enter into the soft places of students' hearts with the hope of the gospel. Their security is compromised. Their plans, for the most part, have gone by the wayside. Many of them have a growing amount of material need. Many of them are afraid.
Would you join us in prayer for our ministries and our students?
The Rev. David Comeau & Tee Feyrer are college ministers with Redeemer Anglican Church in Richmond, VA. David is a college minister at VCU and Tee is a college minister at U of R.