May 7, 2024
Dear Friends of Campus Ministry,
I write to you today with a heavy heart. What is normally a season of celebration in campus ministry feels much more somber this year, as so many campuses have been in upheaval over these past weeks. As people who care deeply about our students and campus communities, I owe you an update. It has been difficult to keep up with student needs and the unfolding events on campuses, but I apologize for not sending a note sooner.
Quite a few thoughtful folks have reached out to ask how students are doing. For many of the students I know, the answer is, unfortunately, "not great." As so many of us are, our students have been grappling all year with the troubling situation in Gaza and trying to find nuanced, compassionate, and just ways to speak and act in response. As protests have grown on our NYC campuses, some students have been engaged in activism to different degrees, but all have been impacted by the events that have unfolded in past weeks. While the media has seemed to portray campuses as devolving into chaos, much of what has been unsettling for students has not been the student protests themselves, but the response to them. Witnessing university administrations call on police to arrests their peers has been deeply disturbing for many students. The constant presence of both the police and the news media near campuses has been incredibly overwhelming. Before the lockdown at Columbia, non-student protesters and doxxing trucks bombarded students daily as they simply attempted to walk home or to class. Now that Columbia has locked down its main campus, many students are unable to access basic services like dining halls, libraries, and community gathering spaces during finals. It has been a hard few weeks, during which change has been constant and the news has seldom been good. Especially for our graduating students, this is a very trying time. Please keep them and our campus communities in your prayers.
The other question that I have been asked recently is how The Vine is responding to the situation on campuses. While it has been difficult to know exactly how to be most helpful in this changing landscape, we have sought to show up not only for the students who are active in our ministry, but for the student communities more broadly. At our weekly ministry dinners, we have had intentional conversations, theological reflection, and prayer around these issues in the last few weeks. I have also been able to provide one on one pastoral care to struggling students. At Columbia, where these last weeks have been most intense and difficult, our LaMP ministry has mobilized to meet the needs of the wider student community. It feels like a lifetime ago now, but last Monday, LaMP hosted our annual Midnight Pancakes Study Break, inviting hundreds of stressed students into a space of rest, joy, and peace. By the end of the week, Columbia had limited access to main campus dining facilities, which has led to many students struggling to access and afford food. In response, our LaMP students quickly came together to organize a free student dinner. This past Sunday, May 5, we were able to host a free student meal at Broadway Presbyterian Church for over 100 Columbia students. This week, we have also partnered with the student councils on campus to host study halls in the church since many students cannot currently access libraries or study lounges during finals. Students have been filling the sanctuary at Broadway Presbyterian, books and laptops in tow, and we have done our best to make sure they have WIFI and snacks to carry them through. We will continue to respond to students requests and needs as they come.
The reality is that even as our campus communities experience crisis, the basic needs of the students have not gone away. They are stressed about school and work, experiencing the ups and downs of friendships and relationships, and are struggling with issues like anxiety and loneliness. They also still need opportunities for fun, joy, and celebration, especially as the year comes to an end. As a Christian, I cling to the promise that we have a God who shows up in the messy, lived realities of our world. And so I trust that Jesus is present in the Holy Land right now, and that he is showing up with students in the fear and sadness of these days, and that he is also present in their everyday struggles and the moments of hope and joy. As followers of Jesus, my colleagues in ministry and I are doing our best to show up for and with the students too. Not to fix everything, but to provide presence, love, care, and practical support however we can. And it’s not just the ministry professionals -- the students are showing up for each other too, by caring for one another, organizing meals and study spaces, raising funds for peers in need, and praying together, even across faith traditions. More than anything, they are what gives me hope in these troubled times.
Friends, this letter has ended up being longer than I intended it to be and if you have made it this far, thank you. Thank you for caring about our students and campus communities. Thank you for supporting our work with students. If there are ways you all can be of support in the weeks to come, I will certainly not hesitate to call on you. And while I hope not to have the occasion for another pastoral letter anytime soon, I will certainly keep you updated as best I can.
Thank you for your concern, your kindness, and your prayers. They matter tremendously.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Becca Seely
Pastor and Executive Director
Dear Friends of Campus Ministry,
I write to you today with a heavy heart. What is normally a season of celebration in campus ministry feels much more somber this year, as so many campuses have been in upheaval over these past weeks. As people who care deeply about our students and campus communities, I owe you an update. It has been difficult to keep up with student needs and the unfolding events on campuses, but I apologize for not sending a note sooner.
Quite a few thoughtful folks have reached out to ask how students are doing. For many of the students I know, the answer is, unfortunately, "not great." As so many of us are, our students have been grappling all year with the troubling situation in Gaza and trying to find nuanced, compassionate, and just ways to speak and act in response. As protests have grown on our NYC campuses, some students have been engaged in activism to different degrees, but all have been impacted by the events that have unfolded in past weeks. While the media has seemed to portray campuses as devolving into chaos, much of what has been unsettling for students has not been the student protests themselves, but the response to them. Witnessing university administrations call on police to arrests their peers has been deeply disturbing for many students. The constant presence of both the police and the news media near campuses has been incredibly overwhelming. Before the lockdown at Columbia, non-student protesters and doxxing trucks bombarded students daily as they simply attempted to walk home or to class. Now that Columbia has locked down its main campus, many students are unable to access basic services like dining halls, libraries, and community gathering spaces during finals. It has been a hard few weeks, during which change has been constant and the news has seldom been good. Especially for our graduating students, this is a very trying time. Please keep them and our campus communities in your prayers.
The other question that I have been asked recently is how The Vine is responding to the situation on campuses. While it has been difficult to know exactly how to be most helpful in this changing landscape, we have sought to show up not only for the students who are active in our ministry, but for the student communities more broadly. At our weekly ministry dinners, we have had intentional conversations, theological reflection, and prayer around these issues in the last few weeks. I have also been able to provide one on one pastoral care to struggling students. At Columbia, where these last weeks have been most intense and difficult, our LaMP ministry has mobilized to meet the needs of the wider student community. It feels like a lifetime ago now, but last Monday, LaMP hosted our annual Midnight Pancakes Study Break, inviting hundreds of stressed students into a space of rest, joy, and peace. By the end of the week, Columbia had limited access to main campus dining facilities, which has led to many students struggling to access and afford food. In response, our LaMP students quickly came together to organize a free student dinner. This past Sunday, May 5, we were able to host a free student meal at Broadway Presbyterian Church for over 100 Columbia students. This week, we have also partnered with the student councils on campus to host study halls in the church since many students cannot currently access libraries or study lounges during finals. Students have been filling the sanctuary at Broadway Presbyterian, books and laptops in tow, and we have done our best to make sure they have WIFI and snacks to carry them through. We will continue to respond to students requests and needs as they come.
The reality is that even as our campus communities experience crisis, the basic needs of the students have not gone away. They are stressed about school and work, experiencing the ups and downs of friendships and relationships, and are struggling with issues like anxiety and loneliness. They also still need opportunities for fun, joy, and celebration, especially as the year comes to an end. As a Christian, I cling to the promise that we have a God who shows up in the messy, lived realities of our world. And so I trust that Jesus is present in the Holy Land right now, and that he is showing up with students in the fear and sadness of these days, and that he is also present in their everyday struggles and the moments of hope and joy. As followers of Jesus, my colleagues in ministry and I are doing our best to show up for and with the students too. Not to fix everything, but to provide presence, love, care, and practical support however we can. And it’s not just the ministry professionals -- the students are showing up for each other too, by caring for one another, organizing meals and study spaces, raising funds for peers in need, and praying together, even across faith traditions. More than anything, they are what gives me hope in these troubled times.
Friends, this letter has ended up being longer than I intended it to be and if you have made it this far, thank you. Thank you for caring about our students and campus communities. Thank you for supporting our work with students. If there are ways you all can be of support in the weeks to come, I will certainly not hesitate to call on you. And while I hope not to have the occasion for another pastoral letter anytime soon, I will certainly keep you updated as best I can.
Thank you for your concern, your kindness, and your prayers. They matter tremendously.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Becca Seely
Pastor and Executive Director