I had a recent connection to one of our college ministry alums of several years ago. In the midst of exchanging some messages with him, I remembered one of our connections. I was rooming with him and a couple of our other guys on a weekend trip for a conference. As we were getting ready one morning, he said he really didn't know how to shave well. He said his mom who was a single mother and had shown him the best she knew. She had not told him how to put soap lather on his face prior to the shaving cream. He was amazed at the difference it made. No big deal.
But, it was a big deal. He is a high level professional now and functions in a very white collar type world. Another example that came to my mind was the number of students I have helped do a resume. I even started keeping a folder of good....and some bad examples. Students often told me that we were better help than the university people who were supposedly helping them learn such life skills.
I wish I had a dollar for every time I have jumped someone's battery, helped them change a tire or taken them to the garage I know that will fix their car and charge them a fair price. That garage even would sometimes fix a student's car issue that another garage had fouled up....and then charge them nothing.
If we are not teaching life skills, we are not doing college ministry. Part of that comes from everyday involvement and connections with them. It means being available and it means being approachable.
There is a move these days toward some seeing the College Minister role as primarily a preacher. What I don't like about that as the basic understanding of college ministry is that it seems to take away from the one on one teaching of life skills. And, that is something we must never lose. College Ministers teach life skills.
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