Thursday, April 19, 2007

United Methodist Presence on VT Campus

The Wesley Foundation on the campus of Virginia Tech has offered a safe place for prayer, comfort, and conversation in recent days. Here's the article.

Hold dear the connection, Methodist friends! Because there is a Wesley Foundation on campus, the United Methodist Church is there. Because I belong to a truly connectional denomination, I am in Blacksburg, praying, crying, offering comfort. Moments such as these bring the beauty and power of the Methodist connection into its fullness.

I am so happy to know that the first response of the United Methodist Church at "ground zero" of this horrific event is one of prayer, community, and support. Thinking about the Methodist students at Virginia Tech grieving, hugging one another, mourning close friends and fellow students, and bringing it all to God through a campus ministry reminds us all of how truly important the connection is. What a powerful witness for us all to see a truly healthy, vital ministry at work for the sake of Christ Jesus.

As we pray, I hope we all remember to offer thanks for the connectional presence that is on the VT campus through the Wesley Foundation and their pastor Rev. Glenn Tyndall, and especially for the living presence of Christ in that place, bringing the hope of resurrection into the midst of the pain and grief of this moment.

(Here's another article about UM responses.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unfortunatley, I am afraid that the UM presence on our Missouri campuses may become further diminished with the changes made by our conference a few weeks ago. On some college campuses the Wesley Foundations will cease to exist. What happens on those campuses when such a tragedy strikes?

Anonymous said...

Nick said what I was going to say.
I have thought about this all week since the Wesley Houses that would be safe for college students in Missouri and where the students family is away from home will be gone.

So sad to me tonight

Kurt M. Boemler said...

{sarcasm}
Duh...that's what the BSU and LSC are for.
{/sarcasm}

John said...

I explored their website. It looks like the UMC has quite an infrustructure already on campus that can be used to respond to this disaster.

Anonymous said...

No comment about Missouri Wesley Foundations, Andy?