PRESS RELEASE

Since 1995 Leadership and Discipleship in the Wilderness, the 4-6 week trip CCO takes to WY and Canada each summer, has also offered students the opportunity to become certified Outdoor Leaders through the Wilderness Education Association, the only organization in the country to offer this type of certification.

CCO receives Wilderness Education Association 2008 Affiliate Award

(Pittsburgh) March 17, 2008 — The CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach) has received the 2008 Affiliate Award from the Wilderness Education Association (WEA), a national outdoor education organization.

“I am pleased to report that your organization has set an example, in many regards, for what an outstanding WEA Affiliate should be,” writes Ivan Bartha, Coordinator for Experiential Programs at St. Cloud State University and Affiliate Representative of the WEA. (read more)

Alternative Spring Break

Spring Break Trips are typically a time for college students to travel with friends, let their hair down, and blow off steam that has built up under the heat and pressure of mid-terms and academic fatigue. It’s been a few years since I was actually on campus, so I looked up what MTV was promoting these days...here’s what MTV’s Spring Break website called “Must-have’s”:

Floating Party Table
Treading water is hard. Especially when you've got a bottle of ummm... juice in each hand. Unless you have four arms. But come on. Nobody has that. So get this floating bar thing. It's a bar that goes in the water. A bar where you can drink your juice without drowning.

Essential Foreign Swear Words by Emma Burgess
Not much explanation needed here. If you're headed to some exotic spring break destination, chances are at some point you're gonna need to know how to tell the locals to &#$@ off.

D’ya think students need an alternative?

I had the privilege of taking 8 students to Joshua Tree National Park last week for an alternative spring break trip that offers a different atmosphere from Miami Beach and Cancun. We still had sun, but rather than substance abuse, there was substance to our conversations and friendships. Rather than tying one on each night, we tied into climbing ropes each morning!

In addition to providing an alternative spring break, I had the privilege of mentoring two student leaders -Jeremy and Lauren. They are part of Ohio Wesleyan University’s Outdoor Ministry Team (OWU’s OMT!) They began planning for the trip in November with their campus minister beginning in November. Once on the trip, OLT staff Steve N. and I took the role of mentor/leader-developers for Jeremy and Lauren. We met with them each day and helped them lead the group effectively.

The director of OWU’s OMT said this of Jeremy and Lauren after he spoke with them about their spring break experience: “Their lives are on a new trajectory as a result of this past week.” They are thinking differently about how their gifts of leadership can be used in God’s Kingdom.

Thank you for your prayers and support that make it possible for me to be part of the story in which students like Lauren and Jeremy get a glimpse of their role in the redemption of God’s Kingdom.

~ Joy

Two weekends ago was Jubilee, the CCO's annual conference. Two thousand college students came to the Pittsburgh convention center to connect with students and speakers about living out their faith in their work and studies. It was a fantastic weekend with great keynote speakers (I especially like Blue Like Jazz author Don Miller, Joy really enjoyed Anthony Bradley on Friday night), great break out sessions and amazing concerts. We had many opportunities also to meet with students to talk about going on summer leadership and discipleship trips to Canada or Wyoming.


Here some other people's reaction to the conference.

• Washington Post writer and former President Bush speech writer, Michael Gerson writes:

“I have seen the future of evangelical Christianity, and it is pierced. And sometimes tattooed. And often has one of those annoying, wispy chin beards…”
To read the rest of the article click here.

• Friday night speaker Anthony Bradley blogged about his first Jubilee experience, click here to check it out.

• Here are more picture from the CCO's website, here.
  

Comment Magazine

Comment is an online and paper magazine for college students. Edited by Gideon Strauss and the Work Research Foundation, it offers thought provoking articles for Christian students. Francois has a little piece published in their last issue with suggestions for making experience part of college education.

Christmas Newsletter

I’m constantly reminded that one of the great things about being married to Francois is that we see things totally oppositely, and that he balances me out. You see, I am much more pragmatic and logical while he is more… well, relational. I hate to admit it. This issue most recently surfaced when I was intent on writing our next one-page-snapshot-of-ministry-with-enough-white-space-so-people-will-read-it newsletter . Then yesterday I received a friend’s two page, small font, verbose but exciting and interesting update on her life as a whole and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! I know you love and care for Francois and I, so here is more of a “panoramic shot” of our lives. (This is the blog version of a newsletter that went in the mail....)

The big question is often, “so how is the house coming along?” We bought a major fixer upper in April and we are slowly making it our home while living in it. We have heat in some rooms, and enough living space to have people over for dinner or stay in our guest room. We even had a progressive Thanksgiving, hosting appetizers and then moving to Francois’ sister’s home for dinner. The most recent beautification projects were tiling a tub surround (thanks to Francois’ dad for so much help) and replacing our broken picture window in the front. The next big things are finishing the ductwork to put heat in various rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors and installing the tile in the 2nd floor bathroom.

Francois is taking a few classes this semester towards a PhD in Education. He is doing well in his classes and spends a lot of time researching, reading, writing and philosophizing. In search of a dissertation topic, Francois posed an idea to one of his professors, who thought his questions were great and is helping him form his thoughts into a “juicy problematic.” He has another year of classwork before he officially starts the dissertation, which could then take another 3-4 years. Like sea kayaking this summer, Francois is practicing the discipline of long obedience in the same direction.

I tend to carry stress inadvertently; and now that I say it like that, I bet I’m not alone. But, I intentionally let things go from my mind and heart, but somehow my body doesn't get the message. I get headaches and my back pain gets worse. So, I recently took a few yoga classes at a local church and loved it! I thought I’d be bored out of my gourd, but the sole focus on breathing and stretching is a great release of the stress I tend to carry without knowing it. It is a great way for me to empty myself—but not to BE empty. I empty myself to be filled with the power of God in my life –and the stressors fade in comparison to the love the Creator of the Universe has for me.

I love our families. We are really blessed. We saw Francois’ mom for Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to spending the holidays in the Carolinas –NC with the Barron clan for Christmas and SC with JF and Trish Guilleux. My Aunt gets our extended family together now every October. Here’s a picture from that fun day of eating too much, apple picking, and catching up with cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.

I am so thankful for friends, too. There are just so many people who love and care for us in so many different ways. Francois and I went to his 20th High School Reunion last weekend. Not only did it make me want to know where my high school buddies are these days, but it made me appreciate the friends we have gained along the way—many of them are you. We are amply blessed with friends here in Pittsburgh, the day to day kind of have-you-over-for-birthday-brownies-and-ice-cream-friends that will be in our lives for a long time.

I heard Lauren Winner speak and she was reflecting on consumerism and the abundance of God. It stuck with me when she said that there are many things that we can have an abundance of that won’t leave others without. So, we are thankful for you and wish you the richest of holidays in the ways we can all have abundance and there’s still more to go around—in peace and joy and hope and love.

Conferencing this Fall

Little Rock, Arkansas
Assoc. of Experiential Education International Conference

The AEE is the largest professional conference in our field. It is an international association where all worldviews and ideas converge on the umbrella subject of “experiential” education, of which adventure programming is a part.

Francois, and colleague Sean Purcell presented on “Rethinking judgment”. Judgment is central to leadership. Good judgment allows us to take students safely into dangerous terrain. It allows us to know when loving means pushing a group or student on an issue, having a hard conversation, or standing by as they make mistakes.

Good judgment is what we try to teach staff in trainings. In their presentation, Sean and Francois shared how Christian philosophers and a Biblical worldview can add a richness and Truth to the way we teach leaders about judgment. They practiced being salt and light in the field of adventure education.

Orlando, Florida
Ivy Jungle Network, Annual Conference

The Ivy Jungle Conference is campus ministry central. It is where people who work with college students gather to share ideas, encourage one another and learn how to best serve and reach the ever-changing campus climate and student culture.

Joy presented on “Adventure Programming: engaging students: heart, mind, body and soul.” It was a chance to talk about how God changed her life through adventure programming, and how He continues to do so today for thousands of students through the ministry of the CCO’s Outdoor Leadership Team.

She described for the attendees how we are whole people who live interconnected lives and whose leadership comes out of our character and our character is discovered in community.

Kayak-a-thon 2007

Last Saturday Francois and 18 others took to the rivers for the 7th Annual Kayak-a-thon, a fund raiser for the outdoor ministries of the CCO. I was logistical support, collecting all the boats to use, distributing the gear, making hot chocolate, picking up the donated Panera Bread sandwiches, and cheering on the weary-muscled paddlers. Here is a video from the start of our morning.

Thanks to all who prayed, pledged or found sponsors toward the sustainability of the Outdoor Ministries of the CCO! We are thankful to be supported by such a wonderful community of people.

From Crackle: Kayak-a-thon 07