This past September, Bishop Melissa Skelton appointed me as Anglican Chaplain of College and University Students in the Diocese of New Westminster. It is a great privilege and I feel extremely honoured.
Throughout the years, colleagues involved with campus ministry, especially at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, have initiated many evangelistic endeavors on and off campus. I will try to continue their work in engaging Anglican students in conversations of faith and opportunities for service.
In the short term, I am planning to meet with a group of students at UBC and encourage them to create their own association. My role will consist of listening, supporting, and advising them. Together, we will set goals and priorities based on their needs. In the long term, I would like to provide them with a forum for interaction, opportunities for fellowship and spiritual growth, as well as individual pastoral counselling. I wish to promote students’ faith development by their engagement in Christian worship, discipleship, and service; to empower them for a lifetime of participation in the church, including their call to corporate ministry and reconciliation; and to create opportunities for inter-faith activities.Finally, my ministry as Honorary Assistant Priest at St. Helen’s (Vancouver) will not change drastically. I will continue to meet with parishioners for pastoral care, and to serve as celebrant and preacher on Sundays. However, my involvement as Anglican Chaplain of College and University Students will form the main focus of my work as a non-stipendiary priest in the Diocese.
PHOTO by Brandy Svendsen