A PASSION FOR OUTDOOR MINISTRY

 by Neil Zandbergen

 

Neil on top of the world.

Outdoor Leadership at Columbia has given my dreams a firm foundation. A passion for outdoor ministry resonated in my heart throughout high school. Having researched schools that offer outdoor programs, I found that most agencies that train outdoor leaders match industry standards but lack the ministry component. Likewise, I found that Christian agencies that train leaders lack the skills necessary to meet outdoor industry standards. The Outdoor Leadership program at Columbia effectively does both. Ministry skills are taught along with the tools necessary to safely lead groups in a wilderness setting. My passion and belief in this ministry is based on its incredible effectiveness. I personally have learned so much about God, creation, and people by spending time outside the confines of urban life. Consistently, strong relational bonds are built along with huge personal growth when people take part in outdoor adventures.

By completing my degree in Outdoor Leadership, I learned valuable skills that cross over into every aspects of life. The program taught mental toughness, organization, communication, problem solving, and so much more. I now have the skills necessary to follow my dreams; to lead and teach people about God and the wonderful world He has placed us in. I give credit to this program for shaping me into who I am today.

Neil graduated with a BA in Outdoor Leadership in 2005. In addition to working in the outdoor industry Neil works for his family roofing business. To learn more about Outdoor Leadership at Columbia visit www.columbiabc.edu/outdoorleadership.

COFFEE, MUSIC, AND APPLESAUCE

with Justine Davis

Question: Where does caffeine, a guitar, and sliced fruit come together on a regular basis? Why Columbia Bible College of course! According to Justine Davis, a first year Worship Arts student, these are three fundamental elements of the Columbia community.

Justine is an energetic, fun-loving person who is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face. When she's not busy studying for Uncle Ken's Old Testament Survey midterm, she can be found making beautiful music (a singer/songwriter in her own right) or posting ridiculous videos on YouTube describing proper procrastination methods (sorry Ken!) or tips for a good love life. Be sure to check out Justine's channel and subscribe!

Recently we asked Justine what she loved about Columbia Bible College. The following are her "3 Absolute Favourite Things about Columbia":

1. THE COMMUTER LOUNGE. This is certainly the best place to talk about road conditions and other commuter-ish type stuff, and also to talk about God. I cannot even begin to count how many meaningful conversations I’ve had in the commuter lounge between classes or at a commuter lunch. I love the atmosphere; you can walk in and instantly feel like you’re home. Definitely a great place to hang out, laugh, and make friends. And free coffee is never a bad thing.

2. MY PROGRAM. Worship Arts has taught me things that I never thought I’d learn in a music program. Now instead of just singing songs like I’ve done in the past, I’m able to analyze their theology and have a much greater understanding of what it truly means to worship. The people in my classes are hilarious and wonderful. We are definitely a Worship Arts family. I also love how it’s not solely focused on music courses because I still get to take the core Bible classes. Also, this year I started piano lessons at CBC and I couldn’t be happier with my development as a musician. Such a unique feature to the program.

3. FUN FUN FUN FUN EVENTS. That’s right, quadruple the fun. I’ve never been much of a sports fanatic, but now I can’t bear to miss a game. School spirit is through the roof! The talent show was unreal, I mean there was singing, dancing, juggling apples and knives while trying to make applesauce in the air! Where else are you going to find that? Other unique events were the Jingle Mingle, giant Dutch blitz, the student services auction, the Multicultural Potluck, and don’t forget Vespers! I can’t wait to see what Student Council is planning next. This marvelous sense of community truly puts Columbia in a field of their own.

 To learn more about Columbia Bible College visit www.columbiabc.edu.

OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP: 2nd Year Mountaineering Adventure

Training to guide in the outdoors can be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences. Integrated into the Outdoor Leadership program at Columbia Bible College are modular skill courses that allow students to acquire hands on experience and use the skills they have learned in a practical way. These courses offer valuable learning experience and give students a chance to develop their guiding resume to better prepare them for careers in the adventure industry after graduation. Each year students from the second year OL class embark on unique trips that take them across North America as they log hours and sharpen their outdoor guiding skill set. Here is video footage put together by a current OL student recorded from two mountaineering trips in Red Rock, Nevada and Banff National Park.

Aaron Johnson is in his 3rd year of the Outdoor Leadership program at Columbia. Interested in learning more about your career in OL? Visit www.columbiabc.edu/outdoorleadership.

THE HEART OF A CITY: A Reflection on Urban Ministry

By Dan O'Coin

It was not with humility and a mind ready to learn with which I walked into my Urban Mission Adventure weekend. My original attitude was one of arrogance and pride rather then one of submission and service. That attitude was rocked to the core when *Shane, a missionary serving with the Salvation Army on the streets, came and talked with us on Saturday morning. This short, two hour lecture was a critical event in my life. Shane found a way to strip my arrogance, pride and pity for the poor and use my new rawness to instill a truth that he pressed into my soul.

Shane is not what one would call a gentle personality. Sherry, one of the people renovating The River Church on East Hastings, even gave a chuckle when we told her we had just had a serious talking to by the passionate man. Shane came and immediately told us that his friend and long time balance, Mitchell, had passed away a few weeks before. He let us know that Mitchell was the one that wanted the groups from Columbia working downtown. Shane would say Mitchell made dealing with a bunch of idealistic college students bearable, and now with him gone, he wasn't so sure.

Hastings and Main St in Vancouver.
Photo by: Arlen Redekop, The Providence

It was at this point that Shane proceeded to lay into us. Quoting scriptures and historical examples of just how being a missionary was not merely coming to the downtown East Side for a weekend and handing out sandwiches. He enlightened us to the sense of awareness and community that is rarely attributed to the corner of East Hastings and Main. He said groups like us were in danger of doing more harm than good. And then he left, leaving us to ponder his loving yet harsh words. I would hazard the guess to say that no one was rocked quite as much as I was.

I had always blamed the poor for their ordeal. I would use my past with drugs as an example of how getting out of that life was easy if you just had a little will power. However, after hearing Shane speak, I got to take a step back and seriously consider the lives of the folk living on the downtown East Side. Shane opened my eyes to the vibrant and active community that thrived on just a few city blocks and I grew respect for those a part of it. Shane told us of how his wife and four kids not only served in missions down on the streets, but that they lived with the poor too. He asserted that to truly affect change on the streets, you need to live and experience life with those on the streets every day.

The rest of the day was a haze as I looked at these familiar streets with new eyes. I saw the friendships and the desire for more relationship radiate from the people living down there. As we cleaned up The River, our next event after hearing Shane, I got to see the authentic heart that some of the missionaries had to help clean up these streets. And through these people the sense of love and community spread to me. 

As our group walked around town after our time at The River, we came across a couple wide-eyed and scared church groups handing out soup on the side of the road. I was shocked at how darkly I regarded these young students my age that just wanted to help. The look of fear and pity on their faces mixed with the steeled faces of the homeless that they fed proclaimed the disconnect between them. They approached each other like a shoddy business deal; avoiding eye-contact, barely grunting pre-memorized lines, and then walking away unchanged. Seeing that presence of body, yet absence of mind on both parties showed me how much of Shane's speech was true and how much things needed to change.

My message to Christians and Churches as they move into a plan of missions in an urban environment is primarily this: please do not go in arrogantly. Please. I can not over-stress this enough. Too often self-righteous and arrogant church and social justice groups think that they will heroically swoop in to save the day of those miserable poor people on the downtown East Side. Little do these groups know, their arrogance and self-righteousness is almost as noticeable as a bright neon sign. Church and social justice groups often carry with them the very best of intentions, but they lack follow through. They hand out shirts, clothes, blankets, food, homes, jackets and Bibles with a smile but as soon as their supplies are out they pack it all in and leave to go home to their comfortable beds and warm houses. This is where the disconnect is painfully evident.

Like most ultra-urban areas, the downtown East Side does not need more food vendors, clothes merchants or Bible pushers. They need friends, community and a real sense of Jesus in those that they meet. They have heard loud and clear that there is a Jesus and he wants them to love him. What they have yet to see is Jesus reflected through a solid faithful servant. The best way for Christ to be proclaimed to these people is through services like Potter's Place and The Paper Cup which focus less on the charity and more on the

Downtown East Side alley between Hastings and Pender.
Source: http://boppin.com/photoblog

community. The actual Christians behind such ministries would much rather build friendships and relationships with those who walk through their doors then just focus on providing food and momentary entertainment. They sacrifice from their weeks, every week, and are doing an actual good work on the streets through the relationships built through these ministries.

So whether you are planting an urban church, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or just hanging out downtown with those living in the uniquely urban areas you need to remember that you are coming to their turf, on their time, into their lives. You have to realize that they make the rules. The marginalized will only entertain a fake servant as long as there is a reward in it for them but it is the true servant that will shock the poor into the realization of the changing power of Christ. Too often they see the forced smiles of self-consumed youth group kids who are just trying to get back in their own beds with a callous sense of self-enrichment. These kids would be catatonic if they had to walk a mile in the shoes of the same people they are 'helping'.

I consider what my thoughts and beliefs of urban life and ministry were like just a few short weeks ago. My callous, arrogant and self-servicing attitude coming into this trek prevented me from preparing for the change that happened. Through some hard talks and harder realizations I came to a place where I got to see things through the eyes of the dedicated few who are willing to give everything up to answer the call to help the poor. Not by just merely handing out sandwiches but by being with the poor and fostering a community in an environment that is borderline hostile to the Gospel. I saw where the church can go right and wrong and I can only pray that future groups get involved with people and truly start community in Jesus Christ.

Dan O'Coin is currently enrolled in a BA in Biblical Studies. Urban Mission Adventure is a required component in most programs at Columbia. UMA focuses on learning through service and experience. It is a three-day Urban Plunge in the city of Vancouver designed to expose students to the realities of urban missions, recognizing the needs of both rich and poor. Growing a heart for the city is our focus. To learn more about Columbia's programs please visit www.columbiabc.edu.

*Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved. 

SHAPING A LIFE OF SERVANTHOOD

with Becca Beusekom

Followers of Jesus understand that service is a way of life, so why should time at college be any different? In students' first year at Columbia they participate in a Service Practicum. Though volunteer work, these service learning opportunities enable students to get involved with the local community in a variety of contexts. The sky is the limit when it comes to areas of ministry. Becca, a current Caregiving and Counselling student, shares about her Service Practicum working with youth.

"I always thought that to make a difference I needed an education or some kind of training. However, through my service practicum working with youth, God has taught me that he can use me whichever way he sees fit and is not limited by my skills. I am learning to trust that God knows what he is doing and I am called to do what he asks me; he will use what I have for His glory. God has equipped me with what I need for my journey, all I need to do is continually draw from his word and be renewed in his strength daily.

Becca with some of her youth

I believe that to make a difference in peoples lives I need to have a servant's heart. Volunteering as a youth leader is teaching me to be humble and have the attitude of a servant. I try to mould myself after the greatest servant of all, Jesus Christ. I hope that, in striving to be more like Christ, I can somehow make a difference. The things I am learning during this practicum will carry with me throughout the rest of my life. The challenges and joys of this experience are shaping me into the person God wants me to be. When I leave this youth group I will take these lessons with me."

Becca Beusekom is currently enrolled in the Caregiving & Counselling program. To find out more about Service Practicum and other service learning opportunities visit www.columbiabc.edu/servicelearning.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT COLUMBIA: An Intercultural Studies Perspective

Recently, we held a video contest asking our students to complete the sentence, "What I love about Columbia is..." We received some great submissions including this one from Stefanie who is in the midst of her 3rd year Intercultural Studies internship.

To see the rest of our video contest submissions check out our Youtube channel. To learn more about Intercultural Studies at Columbia, visit www.columbiabc.edu/interculturalstudies.

MOVING OUTSIDE THE MONOCULTURE GHETTO

by Andrea de Vries

Imagine a program where every single student that has applied, been accepted, and is attending would rather be somewhere else.

The first instinct is to assume that it’s a lousy program, and that the students must not have done very much research prior to their choice. And yet, we have just such a program here at Columbia – a major full of students that live in constant tension between here and there, between school and their desire to be somewhere else.

 

Matt with some local childern

The Intercultural Studies (ICS) program at Columbia Bible College attracts visionary, passionate people. They are risk takers and adventurers. I spent a lunch hour milling about in the dining hall, asking ICS students what they thought about the word evangelism and where they would be if not for the program here at Columbia. Each one of them responded similarly; they knew with certainty that they would not be in North America and when pressed for a specific answer, there came stories of Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, you name it – they’ve dream it.

Bryan Born, the ICS program director, responded in the same way when asked where he would be if not for Columbia. “My heart is still in Botswana. I love southern Africa. I love the people, working with churches there was such a blast. My feeling now, as I’ve been getting somewhat older, is that I’m somewhat inclined to work with unreached people groups. I’ve had the experience of working with people who are already evangelized and I think it would be an adventure.”

Danielle on her Intercultural Studies
internship in west Africa

"...intercultural studies is just learning to build relationships with other people"

Of course, Bryan will be at Columbia for quite a long time if his students have anything to say about it. Each ICS student I talked to spoke adamantly about their love for Bryan – one student even announced that Bryan is the reason he is at the school. Bryan pours hours into the ICS program to prepare students for their third-year cross-cultural field placements. Currently, students have interned, or are planning to intern, in Brazil, Nepal, Mozambique, Morocco, Mongolia, Portugal, South Africa, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Ireland, Mexico and Haiti. Clearly, the world’s the limit when it comes to choosing a field placement! During the field placement, students have the opportunity to integrate experiential and theoretical learning. When students return for their final year they spend time debriefing and answering life application questions. 

Despite the wide variance in culture and location, Born never ceases to be amazed at the continuity of experience that students have during their year overseas. Bryan recalled one story specifically, “A student from Mongolia said something and I thought ‘that sounds just like something I wrote when I was in Botswana.’ I checked my journal from Botswana, and there it was, almost word for word – how impacted we are when we get out from our culture and how I’ve never experienced God like this – that I need God right now…"

These cross-cultural experiences are difficult for ICS students to explain to the rest of us. And yet, ICS students add a dynamic to the Columbia community that would instantly be felt and missed were it to be absent. Their social-justice, vision-focused mindset beckons all of us to take ourselves and our religion seriously. What is it that we believe? Is it worth traveling a continent, a language and a culture away in order to share? And if it is worth that much, what are we doing to instill it in ourselves?

Bryan Born recognizes that Columbia’s students have an important lifestyle decision before them, and he prays that we will all take the time to seriously evaluate our perspectives. “Missions in that sense is a relationship with God, and intercultural studies is just learning to build relationships with other people. Our world is becoming more multicultural and we have a choice - are we going to choose to retreat into our monoculture ghettos? Do we know everything? Or has God already been working in that other culture and do we have something to learn from them?”

Andrea de Vries is a graduate from Columbia Bible College's Outdoor Leadership program. She lives in Squamish, BC with her husband Alle Jan.

For more information about Intercultural Studies at Columbia visit www.columbiabc.edu/interculturalstudies