People Shopping

When I was in college, my life started to revolve around my campus ministry church. Not only for worship, but also for social events and random hangouts. They also had the cheapest pop machine on campus, and were close to some of my classes in the Performing Arts building. In all actuality, I attended both Crossroads Campus Ministry (ELCA) and the Campus Lutheran Chapel, or CLC (LCMS). I had friends in both, and I was in a time of my life where I thought that my traditionalist experience in the church was truth. I became a worship band member in the CLC church, then immediately after worship there I went to Crossroads to worship again with my other friends. I was kind of a church geek - okay, well not really kinda. I accept full fledged geekdom.

When you're a social church goer, the core values and differences in denominations don't matter as much. I find that true enough for many people today. We tend to find a place where we are most homogeneous and stay there until something either changes in one party or another, or somewhere else appears to fit better with who we are. I really didn't mind being a part of both churches, but I knew eventually I would end up sticking to one more than the other.

Over the summer following my freshman year, our pastor at Crossroads was finishing his interim term. The board started the call process and after a few interviews decided to call Pastor Anne to serve our church.  This was my first experience with having a female pastor. 

I recalled my LCMS upbringing and recent studying of the Bible I had been doing, and at the time, I truly believed that any woman who felt called to leading a church with men were misguided and falsely called. I had decided, along with a few others, to leave the ELCA church for the fall semester. I stuck around until the pastor got settled, mostly to poke my nose in where it probably didn't belong.

I was working in the campus dining hall that summer, and I would have a few hours for breaks between meals. During my downtime, it became routine to stop in at church rather than go back to my apartment. When Pastor Anne first arrived at my church, I decided to meet with her.

I sat down in the chair that was in the office (not “her” office), like I was used to doing with my last pastor. We introduced ourselves. She asked me what I think.

“What do you mean, ‘What do I think?’ What do I think of you, what do I think of Crossroads, what?”
“All of that.”
“Well, I don’t like you.”
“Let’s talk about that.”

It was her gentle approach, without putting up any barriers despite my behavior, that brought me into a conversation that changed my life. We continued to have many conversations about the ELCA church, and I found belonging there. When my best friend came out to me and I was questioning how God felt about my friend and whether there was a place for him in God's kingdom, she was there. When I was part of an unhealthy relationship, she was there urging me to seek help and be safe. I love this woman deeply and am thankful for the path that brought us together.

One of the things that I noticed when Pastor Anne first joined our community was she took a lot of long lunches. She was working really hard to make connections within the campus and build bridges between the church and the university. The following Sunday, our scripture reading was from Matthew 4:18-20.

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” And at once they left their nets and followed Him.

I could see the parallels between this story and my new pastor. Jesus was trying to build disciples to follow him. Pastor Anne was trying to network with her new community. When she told us she was off to her next lunch meeting, we told her to have fun with her people shopping. It's interesting how people go church shopping, and sometimes the pastors go people shopping. Pastor Anne made a big footprint on our campus. She was instrumental in bringing the Campus Kitchen ministry to MSU, Mankato. She really did excel at bringing Jesus to the MSU community, and in building relationships to work together in mission with them to make the Campus Kitchen project happen, not to mention her furthering the ministry at Crossroads.

Crossroads Campus Ministry sits on the corner of Maywood and Dillon Avenues. This is their updated signage from around 2014 when I helped them redesign their logo for a re-brand I initiated when serving as President of the Board. The heart logo and the lines is actually a street map view of their location.

Positivity for the Day

It's important to find a community where you belong. For some of us, we are having to create the community where we find this belonging. Continue to seek out places of welcome. Be the one who welcomes others. When we draw the circle wide, we fill it with diverse people with unique experiences, skills, and perspectives. We learn and force ourselves to grow. Be open to the possibility of another's perspective before you make up your mind about them. You could be fostering a lasting relationship that will change your life (and theirs!) for the better.

Make a friend. Be a friend. Bring that friend to Jesus.

Peace,

Positively Pastoral Jessica