Rev. Greg McGonigle
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UU Religious Life at Oberlin College
On September 11, 2009, Rev. Greg McGonigle, a UU minister, was installed as Director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at Oberlin College, with many UU ministers and laypeople in attendance. Greg has actually been serving as Oberlin's DORSL since July 1, 2008, and in that capacity his duties are to oversee all religious and spiritual life at Oberlin, to provide direct support to communities and individuals not served by Oberlin's other religious life professionals, and to foster opportunities for multifaith dialogue, understanding, and action. Greg loves this work and hopes that other UU ministers will consider a call to college and university chaplaincy. Many think UUs have a unique aptitude for these types of roles.
Greg naturally connects with the student spiritual communities that have connections to his own identities, even while making sure to support the whole campus's convictional life--from evangelicals to atheists. Oberlin is somewhat unusual in having a very high population of UU students--UU is the fourth highest student religious identity at Oberlin, and of course there are many more students, faculty, and staff that have UU leanings. Last fall Greg hosted a dinner at his home for UU students and some 15 students showed up with very little publicity.
This fall on Tuesday, September 15, he worked with the Oberlin UU Fellowship to host a Dessert Social for UU students on campus and a similar number of students participated. At the social, UU faculty spoke about how their UU values relate to the teaching and work that they do, and the students and their OC advisor (who is another UU staff member, not Greg) discussed re-registering the UU student group and planning events for the year. Such events may include monthly campus gatherings, rides to the fellowship, speakers or workshops, attendance at District Assembly and GA, and many opportunities to eat lots more ice cream.
In addition, the Oberlin UU student group and their advisor have some interest in convening a District-wide UU campus ministry retreat at Oberlin next February or March, once the OC Office of Religious and Spiritual Life rededicates and opens its new Multifaith Center. More news of that will follow as plans take shape.
YA and Campus Ministry at First UU in Columbus
by Rev. Eric Meter, Consulting Minister
When I was just out of college and active in the UU Young Adult Network back in the early 1990s, I heard of a study showed that most people who come to our faith first hear of Unitarian Universalism during their college years. This was, of course, before Belief.net.
Looking back through some of the materials in the First UU Church of Columbus archives, I’ve seen the same study quoted in the annual reports of the UU campus ministry group at Ohio State University in the early 1970s.
For a couple years back then the congregation and the OMD helped sponsor a minister who worked to promote liberal faith at Ohio State. (In fact, the Columbus church archives show an organized Unitarian presence at the university as early as 1942.)
In another example of how history rhymes, last spring Rev. Mark Belletini, senior minister of First Columbus, expressed his hope that the congregation will expand current young adult and campus ministry support in the coming years.
With that as the springboard, we are now beginning a review and planning process to see how we might build upon what is already in place. While there is no longer a UU Center building on or near campus, there is a thriving student-based UU campus ministry at Ohio State named FOCUUS. During the school year, between 15 and 25 students meet each Wednesday night. And while FOCUUS is independent of First UU Columbus, the congregation sponsors an ongoing Covenant Group for twentysomethings that meets on Sunday nights.
While both groups are vital, we realize that what was true before may still be true today, and that we have a responsibility to do all we can to help our young adults come into their own and get the word out to those who need our message and have no idea we are part of the religious landscape.
If you have an interest in campus and young adult ministry, I hope you’ll be in touch. I can be reached at the Columbus church at 614/267-4946, ext. 23.
The Young Adult Ministry Committee
by Evan Young, YA/CM Intern for OMD
This past summer I attended my third Summer Institute. And I’ve been amazed at the growth in young adult participation there--from (as I recall) less than twenty my first year to more than eighty this year. That phenomenal growth is, I believe, an indication of the great opportunities facing us in young adult ministry--and the great responsibility we have to anticipate the needs of this diverse group and to equip ourselves to serve them.
Both a joy and a challenge in beginning my year as your YA/CM intern has been finding out just what ministry is going on out there in the churches and on the college campuses. I’ve met and talked with some wonderful people who are doing some amazing stuff, and who have some great ideas about opportunities to do even more amazing stuff. That said, my information so far has been pretty spotty and anecdotal.
That’s why the focus of our district-level work on young adult and campus ministry this year is the formation of the Young Adult Ministry Committee and the completion by that committee of a detailed assessment of what we’re doing, what we want to be doing, and what is needed in this ministry field. Almost fully staffed at this writing, the committee comprises congregational ministers, directors of Lifespan Faith Development, young adults, and lay people from throughout the District. In short order we will have a plan in place to contact congregations, campus groups, and individuals to seek their input, and you’ll begin getting requests from committee members for your input--so get ready!
In the meantime, I want to know what you’re doing and how OMD can help. So if you have a question, or a story to share, or just want to introduce yourself, contact me (email eyoung@ohiomeadville.org). I want to get to know as many of you as possible, and to include as many of you as possible in the important work of shaping the future of young adult ministry in our district! |
