Memo
To: Meadowlark Elders
From: Student Center Committee, Mike
Von Gunten, Chairman
Re: July 6
Thank
you for taking the time to meet with us back on July 6. Attached is a recap of the
Elders to
assist with the reforming of the committee by providing names. We currently have Mike and
Devote energy,
time, prayers, and finances to give the
Commit to
Meadowlark raising a significant portion of the startup money for the
foundation.
Commit to
having a campus minister (necessary when we do statewide fundraising to assure
donors that the student center will have staff), hiring successors as needed in
a timely manner.
Make the campus
ministry a focal point for the congregation, supporting it in these following
areas:
1. Support our campus minister with his increased
amount of time spent in one on one Bible studies
2. Work with our preacher to enable him to have an
increased presence, involvement & spiritual influence on CSU students. This should include a Bible study with at
least one student (Christian or non-Christian) on regular basis
3. Provide engaging and challenging college age
classes by our best teachers
4. Help the Student Center Committee find at
least 5 permanent, committed members to further pursue the establishment of a
5. Support the additional commitments that will
come with the student center
There
can be no doubting that a huge opportunity exists for spreading the good news
to young men and women who are just beginning their adult journey in life. We on the committee certainly appreciate the
leaderships support of a great campus minister. We truly believe that:
1. with an increased commitment by all
of us here in CSUs mission field and
2. by
acquiring place near campus to be used as a tool in this effort
hearts will be touched, lives will be changed, and the mission field God has
placed right here under our noses will be fruitful.
We are
looking forward to proceeding with your support and approval.
Summary of
Time and Location:
Attendance:
Attending were Dan Jones,
Agenda for the meeting:
Introduction - Mike
The Meadowlark Campus Ministry - Russ
The
Research Done by the Committee - Dan
Proposal: A New Vision for the Meadowlark Campus
Ministry - Mike
Discussion
Introduction (Mike Von Gunten)
The new vision for the Meadowlark Church of
Christ Campus Ministry
Meadowlark gains an identity as a congregation that is
dedicated to a Campus Ministry at CSU
Multiple Bible studies ongoing with preachers and
students
Whole-hearted involvement by the Meadowlark congregation
Young men and women put their faith in Christ
The
5 part Campus Ministry:
Part 1: Rams for Christ the
students themselves
o
Reaching
out to their friends
o Planning events
o Helping the campus minister
Part 2: The Campus Minister
o
Increased
amount of time spent in one on one Bible studies
o
Every new
contact invited for Bible Study
o Delegate event planning and other jobs as appropriate to Rams for Christ
o Encouraging students involvement with Rams for Christ
Part 3: The Meadowlark
congregation
o
College
age classes by our best teachers, engaging and challenging
o Service to student events
o Involving students with church work
o Building relationships with students and setting good Christian examples
o Integration of our college mission in all that we do
o See the CSU campus as a true mission field
Part 4: The Preacher
o
Bible
study with at least one student (Christian or non-Christian) on regular basis
o Sermons that boldly proclaim Gods truth (straight talk about salvation)
o Visible, positive involvement with new prospects and new Christians, and Rams for Christ
Part 5: The
o
Providing
a place for Bible classes, refuge, outreach and Christian social gatherings on
campus
o
Having the
campus minister easily accessible with office on campus
The Campus Ministry (Russ Whitten)
The
Spiritual growth and development
Christian fellowship
Leadership training
Evangelism
A church home and a Christian family for college students
With over 27,000 college students in our city from all over the
world, we see it as an incredible opportunity to do mission work right here in
our backyard. A recent survey showed
that less than 15% of the student population here in
Why do we need a student center?
The student center committee feels that having a student center
near the CSU campus will help us meet the goals stated above, plus will greatly
increase our presence on the CSU campus, in
The
Many campus ministries sponsored by churches of Christ
have a facility near their universitys campus which provides a safe Christian
environment for students to meet, study, eat, play or just hang out. Ben became a Christian at
Research was done by contacting 8 campus ministries which have a student center. We asked questions about:
Q) Describe the property and how it was acquired and paid for?
A) Some bought a house or business and remodeled. Some built from scratch. One started with a small house and added adjacent properties as they grew and had opportunity. Most were paid for up front after fundraising.
Q) What location was chosen?
A) All were adjacent to the university campus
Q) What is the interior room layout?
A) Varied, but
most had a meeting room, kitchen and ministers office. Some had study rooms, lecture halls, game rooms,
TV rooms, and libraries. One other
approach that several took was to have apartments for rent at the
Q) Do you have rules and security policies?
A) Most had basic clean living and good neighbor type rules. The Student Centers were kept locked. All had regular staff hours, with many students also carrying keys for after hour use.
Q) Who does the routine and periodic building maintenance?
A) Most utilized the students themselves where they were capable, with the congregation chipping in for bigger things. Some did have paid staff for routine janitorial work. Major projects were usually contracted out.
Q) Who owns the facility and how are operating expenses paid?
A) Most were owned by the local church which initiated the idea, some formed separate non-profits. Operating expenses are paid for by the local and regional church budgets, some use students in periodic enterprises which raise money.
Q) What is the purpose for having the building and how is it used?
A) It is used for social and spiritual gatherings, for the ministers office, and for a place to go where other Christians will be around. Most believed it improved the contact between Christian and non-Christian students, and help the Campus Minister meet non-Christians.
Q) Is there other staff?
A) Most utilized interns, who are paid, short term assistants to the Campus Minister.
Q) Is it effective in evangelism and what are the pros and cons?
A) Most believed it was effective in evangelism and in helping keep the group together, but warned that it could give the group a tendency to hang out more just with each other and not have as many non-Christian friends.
The Proposal to Establish a
Ownership options:
Considered lease/rent
Considered Meadowlark owning
Committee believes a non-profit corporation ownership
would be best
- Other congregations will be more likely to contribute
- Higher level of buy-in by other congregations including sending highly
motivated, committed Christian students to CSU to be part of a great
evangelistic effort.
- Responsibility and accountability by a wide variety of congregations
- Ongoing operating expenses paid from foundation
Type of facility options:
Build new
Committee decision was to remodel existing
- less expensive than new construction
- less time involved
Purchase finance options:
Borrow
Committee decision was to do fund raising and purchase
with cash
- Avoid finance charges
- Increase the feeling of ownership among Colorado Churches
- Eliminate impact/risk of budget cuts
- Share burden beyond already strained Meadowlark budget
Operating expense finance
options
Have participating churches budget
Committee decision was to establish foundation and use
investment proceeds
- Fund of $200,000 to $300,000 desired
- Avoid impact/risk of budget cuts
- Simplifies ongoing management
One possible fund
raising/responsibility breakdown
Meadowlark, $250,000
Meadowlark, commitment to always staff the campus
minister position
Neighboring states and other congregations, $50,000
Meadowlark/CSU alumni, $50,000
Committee recommendations for
Campus Minister and Interns
Campus Minister will be under the supervision and
guidance of the Meadowlark elders / leadership
Interns, if hired, will be similarly supervised, even
if funded through the foundation
Committee recommendation
on management:
The Foundation will have a board of directors made up
of Christians from sponsoring congregations
The number and selection process is to be set in the
by-laws
By-laws and policies
Will specify the purpose of the foundation
Set directors qualifications
Set procedures for selection of officers
Outline rules for meeting, finances, & etc.
Satisfy all legal responsibilities
Implementation
Will need the Meadowlark congregation behind it for success
Church ministries will keep it a high priority, including missions, worship, and education
Church leaders will work to keep it a high priority for the church
To be truly successful Meadowlark most likely will need to re-examine our priorities which may include trimming back our many irons in the fire in order to reach the lost in our own vicinity.
A Request for a Commitment from the
The Campus Ministry is committing to its New
Vision for the Campus Ministry, including the establishment of a
Elders to assist
with the reforming of the committee by providing names. We currently have Mike and
Devote energy,
time, prayers, and finances to give the
Commit to
Meadowlark raising a significant portion of the startup money for the foundation.
Commit to having
a campus minister (necessary when we do statewide fundraising to assure donors
that the student center will have staff), hiring successors as needed in a
timely manner.
Make the campus
ministry a focal point for the congregation, supporting it in these following
areas:
1. Support our campus minister with his
increased amount of time spent in one on one Bible studies
2. Work with our preacher to enable him to have
an increased presence, involvement & spiritual influence on CSU
students. This should include a Bible
study with at least one student (Christian or non-Christian) on regular basis
3. Provide engaging and challenging college age
classes by our best teachers
4. Help the Student Center Committee find at
least 5 permanent, committed members to further pursue the establishment of a
5. Support the additional commitments that will
come with the student center
Discussion
A question was raised about liability, what about accusations of misconduct of staff or situations with legal implications which occur there. Would we need a female staff member to address the needs of women in Rams for Christ?
The
comment was made that at the
A comment was made that the elders are very supportive of building the campus ministry and they would concern themselves with the committee request to take the ministry to the next level.
A question was posed about the timeline for establishing the student center. Some schedule would be helpful. The Student Center Committee will need to address that soon after it is reformed with the personnel to work on the next phase.
Several questions were raised about the ability of Meadowlark to participate in the fund raising to the extent suggested by the committee. Perhaps the committee is overconfident. The committee believes that the congregation will be willing because the cause is worthy.
Doug Hall, who has worked with Habitat for Humanity, has experience with their operation as a non-profit organization and will provide information about their legal setup. Also suggested that the committee obtain status as a provisional board for its next phase.
Elders asked for the list of particular specialties that the committee anticipates needing to reform the committee.
Respectfully recorded,
Mike Von Gunten