Saturday, May 19, 2012

Commencement


I think almost every college ministry has some marking of the graduation of the ministry’s seniors. Recognition during worship, dinners, gifts of mugs or books (which books do you give? Share, please) We do something to commemorate their life in our worshiping community and their commencement into a new life away from the campus.

What do we do to help them in transition? Have there been bible studies, discussion groups, or programs for graduating seniors that deal with finding community in a new location, job search or new job pressures, or living with your parents as an adult? Are we contacting congregations in the cities where they will be living, informing the staff of the arrival of one of our students?

How often do we complain that the youth pastors of local congregations don’t do a good job in preparing their high school seniors for college? How often do we wish that ministers would give us the contact information for their parishioners who are starting college at our institutions?  I’ve heard campus ministers talk about how congregations were “dropping the baton” and not passing on their high school graduates.

So now it’s the time of the year for collegiate ministers to be “passing the graduates” to the worshiping communities in the locations of the next phase in their lives.

College Placement Offices do a Senior Check-Up, where they invite seniors to come in and discuss their resumes, job search strategies, and reframe their undergraduate experiences in light of a potentially new career. Should we be doing Senior Faith Check-Ups, to help our seniors process their undergraduate faith journey and give them some tools to help them transition to the full-time work force?

Is there a FaceBook group for your college graduates to join for campus ministry alumni? How will you check to see that they are looking for and have found a worshiping community.

How are you helping your graduate commence the new chapters in their lives? Will you share those with us, please?

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