Jubilee- It Could Change Everything

Here is the first of several posts on the amazing Jubilee conference that CCO just put on for 2,500 college students. Check out this video by our most talented colleague, Phil Mollenkoff.


Update: Reposting after some glitch on Blogger. This is not in chronological order!




It Could Change Everything from Jubilee on Vimeo.

Jubilee- Standing on Shoulders of Giants

Here is the list of the many speakers that came to Jubilee this year (click here). From writers to scientists, teachers to architects, engineers to lawyers, Jubilee offered a chance for students to engage over sixty professionals who are working out their faith and calling in their professions. Inspiring and thought provoking. You can view videos of many of Jubilee speakers by clicking here. Thank you to Scott Calagaro, Katie Tarrara, and Chris Carson for putting together such an amazing line up of resources for our student.

Jubilee 2011- The student experience

A short highlights reel of students talking about their experience at Jubilee 2011. The wonderful soundtrack offered by Pittsburgh's very own Colonizing the Cosmos who performed at Jubilee. Props to the CCO Communications department for getting this out for everyone to enjoy.

Jubilee 2011 from CCO Campus Ministry on Vimeo.

The first ever CCO Experiential Designs catalogue

Here is the result of the work of the XD team this fall. It was handed to campus staff at our training event in January and is finally available online. Enjoy ...

Open publication - Free publishing - More cco

or you can read by clicking here.

Do the mountains speak? or the importance of experiential design

"Wilderness, in itself, makes nothing happen. Saul and David were both in the wilderness. Saul was running after David, obsessed with hunting him down, his life narrowed to a murderous squint. Meanwhile, David was running to God and finding himself in his God-refuge praying, wide eyed in wonder, taking in the glory, awake and ready for God's generous love, for the God who 'makes good on his word.'"- Eugene Peterson

I read this quote this morning (thanks to my friend Gideon for posting it) and I couldn't help be struck by its timing. There is an argument in outdoor education about the role of the instructor in learning. The minimalist believe the mountains speak for themselves and thus the role of the instructor is to take people places where they can hear the mountains. The other side of the spectrum could be called the translators. They believe the mountains might speak but student won't learn much from the experience itself without some guided translation/reflection/ application. This they believe is the role of the instructor.

The CCO's Outdoor Leadership Team has spent a good part of the summer and fall thinking about how to best serve the CCO in its mission to transform college students to transform the world. In the next few posts, I will share some of the changes that have come out of this research and reflection. The first change is our name. The group formerly known as the Outdoor Leadership Team has been renamed CCO Experiential Designs or CCO XD for short. While it doesn't quite roll off the tongue, it is much more accurate to what we do. It highlights that not all of our work is in the wilderness and it also gives a good idea about what we think the role of the instructor is when using experience as education.

New Arrival!

We thank God for the arrival of Annelise Sandra Josiane Guilleux. Annelise means "the grace of God's bounty" and indeed she is.

She has been a bit of a distraction from our work so if you haven't heard from us in awhile, here's the reason:

Joy is doing great in her new role and as expected suffering from severe sleep depravation. If you want more news about how Joy or Annelise are doing, drop us an email or a call.

How the CCO's outdoor ministry shapes students' lives

Here is the story of Jim Paul who was on the Leadership and Discipleship in the Wilderness (LDW) trip that Francois led to Wyoming in 1999. He does a great job describing how the different CCO ministry help students grow into men and women who practice their faith in all areas of life.

check Jim Paul's story here.

Jim is another example of God's faithfulness and why CCO plays an important role in the lives of college students.