Students working with Campus Ministry began the year with a mountain getaway to put faith into action.
BRIAN REED
Staff Writer
Campus Ministry kicked off the year by starting an “uprising” this weekend. More than 150 students packed their cars and drove two hours north to Camp St. Nicolas, a few hours drive north from campus, to participate in the spring Campus Ministry Retreat.
Starting Friday night and lasting until Sunday morning, the retreat was the first of two that Campus Ministry hosts every year.
The camp featured speaker Russell Heil a preacher and senior minister from the Mansfield Church of Christ in Dallas who spoke upon this year’s Campus Ministry theme of “Uprising.”
“Uprising is now,” said sophomore Abby Hassell. “It’s about social action and sharing the message.”
Students participated in small group discussions following Russell’s talks, as well as prayer time and recreational activities.
“We wanted to develop the idea of our love for God and how we show it,” said Campus Minister Linda Truschke. “We respond in action.”
Throughout the weekend Heil encouraged students to take action in their faith, expanding upon the theme of “Uprising” by focusing on Luke 4, the chapter in which Jesus is tempted in the wilderness and rebuked in his hometown.
“[Uprising] is one of the most demanding themes or concepts that you could conjure up,” Heil said. “Jesus calls for an Uprising that takes them [the students] to the margins of society.”
Truschke emphasized that taking action is not easy, and said it is not a process or method as much as an attitude of service.
“There is no 5-step plan” Truschke said about the theme of uprising. “It’s about being willing to sacrifice.”
For a full 24-hours, starting Friday night, the students ran a non-stop prayer room. The candle-lit room was adorned with scripture and featured a prayer-request book. Students could come to the room to pray day or night for 24 hours.
“People were encouraged to pray for the world, leaders, Campus Ministry, Pepperdine and individuals,” said junior Nathan Rix.
Heil used many personal life stories in his talks as well as multimedia presentations. A common favorite clip among students featured two caricature Christians talking about stereotypical evangelism techniques.
“It was funny but serious,” said junior Paul Hignight. “People really do that and it’s ridiculous to think about.”
Rix commented that Heil’s talks reminded him that “the number one is the need for community.”
Heil has been a minister and preacher since 1999 in Missouri and Texas and serves as a full time senior minister at the Mansfield Church of Christ in Dallas.
“As an outsider,” Heil said, “my initial reaction was: this is one of the most engaging weekends that I’ve seen in student ministries.”
Continuing in the theme of “uprising” Campus Ministry will be volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and in San Felipe, Mexico, in October. On slate for next semester for the fall retreat is Tim Spivey, a Pepperdine alumnus and preacher from Dallas.
“You can’t make a full-blown uprising in a weekend,” said Heil. “But there was something that I saw in their eyes, and that’s all it takes.”
09-21-2006
