UCM Connections ~ February 2017

United Campus Ministry Connections February 2017 Lilly Intern Spotlight:  Luke and the United Campus Ministry We are excited to add three new interns this semester, serving as part of our Leadership Initiative. Each will be featured in the coming months. Luke sought the Lilly internship with a focus on learning about the financial side of a non-profit organization, while making connections between his faith and a future career in finance. As the ministry continues to grow and expand our visibility in the community, this is an exciting time to work with Luke to move the ministry forward. Read more about Luke. Lilly Intern Leadership Retreat           (top left) Brain Break for a “One minute movie” presentation of Pirates of the Caribbean  ~ (top right) Team building by creating newspaper clothing. (bottom left) Mishann and Bax and the results of the team building activity ~ (bottom right) Spring Interns: Luke, Teila and Bax Julianna and Hartley will serve as Junior High Youthquake Co-Moderators Julianna and Hartley, two of our Lilly interns, have been invited to share their gifts of ministry with the Presbytery as they plan and lead this year’s Junior High Youthquake. This is an annual gathering of approximately 100 junior high youth, adult leaders and volunteers from churches throughout the Presbytery of Arkansas. The retreat will be in September at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center. We are excited to see the fruits of their planning and leadership. The Presbytery will have the opportunity to see them shine! UCM Lilly Intern Leadership Retreat All six of the current Lilly Interns spent the day together on January 13, just before the beginning of the new semester.  Carol Essen and Ryann Flippo led the group through leadership development learning. In the morning, the focus was on understanding how to lead yourself and the afternoon was focused on identifying strengths and developing skills for leading others.  Each participant participated in the DiSC profile assessment tool prior to the retreat. The DiSC model provides a common language that people can use to better understand themselves and adapt their behaviors with others. On the retreat, each of students was able to learn through analyzing the results. Understanding themselves better and how they function in groups provided the students with a great foundation for developing as leaders now and in the future. It was a productive day of learning, ministry and fellowship! Thank you. Your monthly support makes a difference!

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Lilly Intern Spotlight: Luke and the United Campus Ministry Center

From the February, 2017, UCM Ministry Connections Newsletter:

Luke sought the Lilly internship with a focus on learning about the financial side of a non-profit organization, while making connections between his faith and a future career in finance.  As the ministry continues to grow and expand our visibility in the community, this is an exciting time to work with Luke to move the ministry forward.

Welcoming this Opportunity:

• Luke welcomed this opportunity because he is really curious to see how his faith and future career in finance can connect. Luke sees working with UCM as a great opportunity to grow in his faith, connect with the UCM community, and have experience with a non-profit organization.  Luke shared these thoughts: “The banking and finance industry can be full of greed and selfishness. I hope that this internship will show me how I can be successful in Finance, but still hold onto the Christian values I have lived my entire life.”
• Whereas the other interns created their own job descriptions, Luke’s internship is in response to some specific needs at UCM.  The UCM financials are very “old school” and Luke will help bring them in to the 21^st century with things like online banking and direct deposit.

Highlights:

• Luke’s work with UCM is just getting started and an early highlight for him is the leadership workshop for all of the interns. He shared that he learned how he can become a better leader not only at UCM, but through all of the organizations in which he is involved. Luke noted: “The workshop showed how leadership is a skill that needs to be refined. I was able to take a step back and evaluate my strengths and weaknesses. I learned a lot about myself and saw some things I can change to improve my college career and my work as a Lilly Intern.”
• Susan shared that Luke is helping with tracking some of the metrics UCM needs to report to the Lilly Endowment annually, creating and updating reports.

Looking Forward:

• Luke is excited to improve some of the financial programs of the ministry. Seeing the finances and working behind the scenes of a non-profit is really interesting to him. He is also really looking forward to building a relationship with Susan, Mary, and his mentor, Carol. Luke sees the opportunity to really help UCM and at the same time gain real world experience.
• Susan loves working with Luke because he is an amazingly positive person to be around.  He’s curious and eager to learn.  He also works very quickly and efficiently. Susan can’t wait to see what we will be able to achieve this semester!

 

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United Campus Ministry Connections- January 2017

United Campus Ministry Connections   January 2017 Montreat College Conference Highlights January 2-5, 2017 were the dates for this year’s College Conference at Montreat, near Black Mountain, NC. Over 1,000 college students gathered for a wonderful time of fellowship, worship, study and renewal.   J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the PC(USA),was one of the keynote speakers who motivated the group with these words: “The church is not dying, it is reforming, because we are here!” Six current UCM students joined the Presbytery of Arkansas group attending the event.  Looking at all the social media pictures, quotes, comments and videos, it was an inspirational event for the current and upcoming leaders of the PC(USA). You can look at the highlights at  #CCM17 or @ccmontreat on Instagram and Twitter.  Also look at the highlights on the Montreat Facebook page. Lookout Mountain Hike during Montreat College Conference Excitement for 2017 Spring Semester is Building: Students are back on January 17 We created a short survey for all the students we currently reach. We are excited to have feedback from our students about what UCM means to them, what they like the most and what they most want to see happen in 2017. Friendships through social connections and personal spiritual growth are top among the reasons students keep coming back to UCM. The ability to learn new ideas and practice particular skills in leadership are also very important. One of the most common phrases used to describe UCM is “a safe place.” It helps them get away from the stress of campus life and is a place where they find people who care about each other. Pet-a-Pup and Scone Tuesdays are two new opportunities we tried in Fall 2016 and both were well received. Dogs from the Hounds-Around-Town program at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter were brought in several times in the fall. “Fur-therapy” was a big hit among the students. The students love this time to pet pups and have asked for even more in 2017.  Scone Tuesdays were a drop in time for coffee, pastries and conversation on a different day of the week than usual.  We are kicking off our Spring semester with this fellowship opportunity on Tuesday, January 17.  As students start classes, they have the opportunity to drop in for fellowship.  Many students appreciate the opportunities to stay connected with Presbytery events like Montreat College Connection and leadership at Youthquakes in the fall and spring. One student noted: “It keeps me plugged in to the Presbyterian Church!” and another said: “It keeps me connected to people that share my faith.” Share a Home-cooked meal on a Thursday for Dinner and Discussion A great way to support our students is to help feed them.  We have set up a meal train website. This allows you to see the schedule of available Thursdays and choose one that works for you. You can see notes about what others are bringing. Comfort foods and your family favorites are a great way to go. Sign up today! Scones and Pups:  Fall 2016 Austin enjoys a pastry at the first Scone Tuesday. Cate and Julianna enjoy bagels and Sunny D. Julianna would love to have a pup at UCM permanently.