Our Wishlist

During our support-raising trip in May, we had a number of supporters recommend that we do a Wishlist of things we need. This way, people that are not able to support us financially could still contribute to our ministry—possibly with things they already have in their own home! It took more months to put together than we anticipated, but without further ado, here is our Wishlist!

For our ministry...

These items will help us keep the ministry running efficiently and without added cost to our monthly budget.

• Button-down shirts for Elliott (size Medium)

• Nice pants for Elliott (size 32/32)

• Stamps (for mailing our newsletters and thank-you cards)

• Cards and stationary

• Business-sized envelopes (for mailing our newsletters)

• Gift cards to coffee shops (so we can take our students out more frequently!)

• Gift cards to book stores (so we can get books for our students)

o We particularly like to shop at Hearts and Minds Bookstores, since the owner is a partner of the CCO. http://heartsandmindsbooks.com/

• Board games (so we can have more game nights with our students)

• Printer paper (for our newsletters)

• Gas cards (for all that driving back-and-forth between home, school, and church that we do nearly every day, as well as for support-raising trips)

More personal...

Having these items will help us cut down on added expenses.

• Financial advising

• Baby stuff (for our expected arrival in June!)

• Sneakers for Elliott (size 11)

• Food items (canned vegetables, anything gluten- and corn-free for Rachel, chicken broth, spices, etc.)

• Soap, dish detergent, paper towels, etc.

Please contact us with any questions or clarifications.

Elliott can be reached at 215-756-3155 and elliottsimko@gmail.com.

Rachel can be reached at 215-756-3020 and chellysimko@gmail.com.

Over the "Break"

Our work in campus ministry follows a different sort of path. We are, in a sense, on the same schedule as our students. We take life in semesters and follow the ebb and flow of midterms, exams, and then a nice, long break. Of course, while the students are snuggled warm in their homes, we have a different sort of work to accomplish.

We kicked off the break with a massive push for support-raising. In our efforts to be faithful to God, we spent two full weeks in meetings (and traveling all the way to Richmond!), making phone calls, sending out cards, delivering Christmas yummies, and praying about meeting our support-raising goal. We have continued to hover around 40%-60% of our goal, and would sincerely appreciate the prayers as we ask God to see us through to full support.

Elliott spent a week in service with some other college-aged guys. Each day was spent serving these people in our area: Hope Works, Norristown Community House, Norristown Homeless Shelter, Broad Street Ministries, and City Team.

To see a little bit of the work the guys did that week, please go here. Trust me, the video is work a look!

We also had the opportunity to hear one of our students speak at her church service about the lessons she learned the past semester about the Lord. It was an incredible experience to hear how the Lord has used us, and I wrote a little bit about it in my personal blog.

That's it for now! More frequent updates coming soon!

-Rachel

"Shouldn't you be on a secular campus?"

As campus ministers, this is a question Elliott and I get a lot. And it’s a fair question. With so many colleges in our area, why are we on a campus that is known for its Youth Min department, its Christian activists (ie. Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne), and its commitment to the Christian faith?

We could give you a slew of different answers based on our own interactions with individual students on Eastern’s campus. We could tell you about how, as alumni of Eastern University, we understand the culture of this particular college. We could also tell you about the many ways God opened doors for us to do ministry specifically at Eastern.

But instead, I thought I would share with you a story.

A true story.

Knowing I needed to get some prep work done for tonight’s Bible study, I left our usual “office” (aka the “Jammin’ Java,” Eastern’s campus coffee shop) and ventured to a local coffee shop in the neighborhood. Tucked away in a corner, I was among other lone customers, clicking away on computers and sipping hot drinks.

In walked three college-aged girls. The coffee shop being so closely located to Cabrini, Eastern, Villanova, Rosemont, and Haverford (among others), this was no surprise. I didn’t think much about their entrance, nor their talk of classes and upcoming finals, until I heard some buzzwords to clue me in: “New Testament Class,” “Youth Min Major,” “Theology,” “church,” “Wednesday chapel.” It didn’t take me long to figure out they were from Eastern, studying for this week of finals.

I never saw these girls on campus, but I was happy for the connection. I mused to myself about how much I loved my job and college students, and continued pouring over the Bible for tonight’s study. My intention was not to listen to their conversation, but the coffee shop being small and quiet, it was impossible for me (and others) to overhear.

It began with them discussing pot—both their views on pot (which was mainly, “I don’t have a problem with it”) and their interactions with pot. It moved to their talk of drinking off campus (I didn’t hear much of this part of the conversation because I was engrossed in my own work at the time, but I vaguely recollect them saying something about how easy it was to have access to alcohol off campus). Then one girl confessed to “not being a strong Christian,” occasionally going to church, but not really seeing it as a big deal. Before finally breaking to study, they spent a good deal of time gossiping about a girl they disliked in one of their classes.

I don’t know if these revelations shock you or not. Personally, I was not shocked. Having gone to Eastern, I have long been aware that the same entrapments and temptations that are widely accessible on a secular campus are just as much prevalent on this Christian one. I also thought about the other patrons overhearing this conversation. These girls, whether or not they want to be, are witnesses of the kingdom. In the same conversation came their interactions with pot and with chapel. I was reminded of James’ warning about the taming of the tongue in chapter 4: “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?”

I do not condemn these women. I do not know their personal stories. And very unfortunately, I might never get to know these particular individuals. But I realize that they—and all of our students at Eastern—are up against a confusing world—especially confusing at a college where one would expect to find fervent Christians but instead find a lot of lukewarm beliefs.

Very recently, one of the students with whom I work closely confessed that she had been disappointed since coming to Eastern. She came expecting great Christian fellowship, but is walking away this semester experiencing a lot of complacency. “It doesn’t seem to make a difference in my friends’ lives, so I wonder why should it make a difference in mine?” This experience is one that I have heard directly from Elliott’s testimony. Facing a crowd of people who “confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord” and then do what they want the rest of time really causes one to struggle. Deeply. Where can one turn?

The students are trying to turn to their peers for answers, but are still coming up empty handed and tired. Can it really be only up to the students to lift one another up when they are struggling with the same things simultaneously?

These students need more. They need discipleship. They need a reawakening. They need challenges, encouragements, and someone to walk alongside their journey who can say, “I know. I’ve been there, but I’m not there any more. Let me tell you about how Jesus transformed my life, and how he can transform yours.”

And that, my friends, is a brief look into why Elliott and I minister on a Christian campus.

Transforming College Students to Transform the World

Praise the Lord!

Here are the students within our ministry that have already signed up for Jubilee:

Elizabeth "Bif" Cantinlina (a member of our small group)

Christopher Packard (the leader of Transformed!)

Ken Sawyer (a sophomore commuter with many connections to the CCO)

Kendra DiMicco (a member of Transformed!)

Nick Antonelli (a junior Youth Min major who helped out at Manoa's youth group)

Eva Hall (a member of Transformed!)

Eric Mayhew (a junior who comes to our church and is our personal Jubilee mascot)

James "Jim" Nielsen (a member of Transformed!)

Lauren Sell (a recent college graduate who goes to our church and small group)

Jim Chatterton (a junior who goes to our church and is co-leading a service trip with Elliott)

Jeff Sved (a junior who goes to our church)

Please pray that many more students will sign up to go to this life-changing conference. Pray also for funding, as many of these college students will have to support-raise to ensure they have the funds to go!

A word in light of Thanksgiving

Betsy and Kendra, students at Eastern University and members of Transformed!, a student-led drama ministry

Luke 18:27-30

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

During a recent Sunday night service, the above passage was read aloud as sort of an aside. It struck me so poignantly though, as one directly called into ministry. I drank in the promises of the Lord, and reflected on how much we have already received in this age.

It didn't take long to start piling on the many things God has given us, both personally and in ministry. I stood beside my husband in church, worshipping alongside my partner in ministry and in life. I looked up as the worship leader lead us through liturgy and song--Zack, a junior at Temple U who has been in our lives for the last two years. His wife, Jocelyn (a junior at Eastern U) kept beat on the drums. She has also been in our lives for two years, and I hope for many more.

The students filling the pews came from neighboring schools-- West Chester, Eastern, Haverford-- and each week we cherish the time we have driving them back and forth from college to church and back again. The pews are also filled with generations of believers-- the Mells, who have been attending the church since its near beginning, and the Chandlers, who recently moved here from Texas a few years ago but have taught us so much about the importance of genuine relationships with church members.

I think about the groups we are involved with on campus-- Precious Movements, the girls who pour heart, soul, and body into their dance-mime ministry; Transformed!, the eight college thespians who are committed to sharing the love of Christ through honest drama; our small group, a collection of people who gather on Monday nights to go deeper in their relationship with Christ-- and I think, "Yes. God has blessed us much in this life."

And when we finally return to our South Philly home at night, we are greeted by the joyful shouts of our 2-year-old nephews, and the kindness of my brother and sister-in-law.

We are surrounded by the church of Christ--by people who are transformed by the Living God and encourage the same transformation through their relationships. We are sustained by the financial sacrifices of the saints--by the prayers of so many people. In our every step of life, we are in relationships with believers, and this has blessed us abundantly.

At this time of Thanksgiving, we pray that you too can reflect on the many things God has given to you in this life.

Praise and Honor and Glory be unto Him!!

-Rachel

Calling out "calling"

Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Communication, Cultural Studies, Drama, Dance, Economics, Education, Environmentalism, Geology, Fashion, Horticulture...the list goes on and on.

The sum total of the academic experience leads to one question for most students: What am I supposed to do with my life?

As each field becomes more and more specialized--and subsequently births new fields--it seems the monolithic list of possible futures for students is only becoming more endless and foreboding by the minute. As several studies have shown, too many options actually are bad for us. In fact when given more than three options in any situation a human being is more likely to be indecisive for longer, and ultimately to be less happy with their decision after making it. An easy example is the cereal isle at your local grocery store; how many mom's spend over 5 minutes deliberating over which box of cereal to take home to make their kids happy? With students the stakes are a bit higher; whatever field they choose they will be stuck in for the rest of their life--in essence their choice of major is an identity claim of the highest order.

The problem is further complicated for Christian students, who not only need to make a life-changing (or rather life-making) decision, but are often under the added pressure to discern their "God-ordained" vocation, otherwise known as their "calling." This terminology is well-known in Christian circles, and it's popularity is perhaps only surpassed by its ambiguity. I can't count how many Christians I've met (students and non-students alike) who are absolutely convinced they have a calling before they fully understand what that calling is, or even what the word "calling" means.

For the longest time the overuse and misunderstanding around this term has nagged at me. Some Christians, it seems, can't make a decision of any significance before determining whether God has called them to do it. Forget majors for a moment, I'm talking about buying a car, taking a job, dating a person, even down to minuscule decisions like sending e-mails or setting up a facebook account. Please don't misinterpret me, I don't mean to be irreverent at all, and certainly desire to always find my choices in line with the will of God. But what happens for many people now when they seek to discern God's calling on their life is comparable to checking the horoscopes. Rather than seeking wisdom in decision-making, many of us end up seeking some external force to make decisions for us.

By now some of you must be wondering if I have any authority to back these claims up with; I'm going to pull a LeVar Burton here and tell you, "don't take my word for it," check out the bible. The term "calling" is never really used until the NT, at which point it is mostly used by Paul, and almost always used to refer to the Call we believers have received to follow Christ. Check out these verses to see for yourself: Rom 8:28, Rom 11:29, 1 Cor 1:26, Gal 5:13, Eph 1:18, Eph 4:1, etc...

From a biblical standpoint there are no grounds for interpreting a vocational path as a "call." So where did this idea come from? During medieval times clergy and "men of the cloth" were said to have recieved a call to do the work of the Lord. This "call" ended up creating a clear distinction between men in ministerial positions, and men of more earthly careers such as farming, masonry, or welding. Over time this distinction perpetuated the Hellenistic idea that earthly work was less important and less holy than ministerial work. During the reformation people such as John Calvin saw the awful dualism such thinking had caused in God's people, and sought to help workers in all varieties of professions recognize their labor as equally called upon by God, linking their earthly work to humanity's initial (pre-fall) function as cultivators of Creation (see Gen 1:28).

If you aren't confused or frustrated enough already, I'm going to admit that I agree with John Calvin in this instance. I do believe that the farmer is "called" to farm, the doctor is "called" to heal, and the writer is "called" to write. The difference is that the "call" we have received is a general one that applies to all of God's children, the same as Paul explains it, not necessarily a specific voice we are meant to discern through some Christian version of a Ouija Board. All of us have been called to be good stewards of creation, and since the proclamation of the gospel, we followers of Christ have been called to join Christ in the restoration of Creation. Within this call there is great liberty afforded to us, as Paul describes in Romans, "Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him...One person esteems one day better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." And then again in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "So whether you drink or eat, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

These verses seem to intimate that it is not what we do (assuming what we are doing is not in contradiction to God's character) but whether what we are doing is done unto the glory of God; that is the important part; that is what God has "called" us to do. If I am farming unto the glory of God, then I am fulfilling the call of a farmer; if I am doctoring unto the glory of God then I am fulfilling my call as a doctor; if I am writing unto the glory of God then I am fulfilling my call as a writer; and if I am ministering unto the glory of God then I am fulfilling my call as a minister. Likewise, if I pursue any of these fields, including ministering, while not seeking the glory of God, then I am not fulfilling my call in that profession.

To some people this sounds like bad news, because it can seem like there is less meaning and purpose in our work when it hasn't already been decided for us beforehand--let's not get into predestination today--on the other hand, I think it's actually "good news" because we never have to wonder whether we are fulfilling God's Call on our lives as long as we are indeed living according to his word, and seeking to glorify God. The liberty to choose what to do within those parameters is actually a beautiful gift, not a curse. Whether we are writing, farming, engineering, plumbing, coaching, or whatever, we can always be fulfilling God's call.

This is one of the messages Rachel and I seek to help our students understand: that if they are striving to be true stewards, and if they are truly seeking to glorify God with their work, then whatever major or career path they decide to pursue has value in God's kingdom. But being a true steward and glorifying God both need to be defined before we can begin attempting either. Namely, they both need to be understood in the light of the gospel, and in the light of the life Christ has called us to walk in.

Please pray for us, as Rachel and I challenge college students to understand the call God has made on their life, and in particular how their particular major is part of the ongoing work of "joining Christ in the restoration of Creation."

In His Arms,
Elliott

PS. Just to clarify, I do believe there are some people who receive a direct clear "call" from God to act or live in a specific way. However, as was the case with Jonah, John the Baptist, and Christ, I believe this type of "call" is unmistakable when it comes to us, and we should be proactive and functional as Christians, seeking with wisdom to use the gifts we have to participate in gospel work always, fulfilling the greater common Call with diligence as a default, so if perchance we should find ourselves to be one of those special few we will not be found idle and wanting in spiritual maturity when that unique "call" comes.

Does Love Suck?

Does real love exist, or do we create the meaning of love through our experiences?

This question is the central theme to the movie (500) Days of Summer; a film that is marketed as part of the chick-flick and romantic comedy vein, but actually contains many elements that decontruct the cliches usually prevelant in the genre.

I'm bringing up this film because after watching it I realized how extraordinarily relevant the main dilemma of the films two main characters is to this generation of young adults and college students.

Anyone who thinks students go to college just to learn or to get a degree is wrong, or at least only half right. The other half of the reason: relationships.

Students today, guy or gal, want to explore relationships. They want to have a vibrant social network of friends and acquaintances, and at the non-platonic end of the spectrum many of them want to find love and romance with that special "someone." Next to time in front of the computer or text messaging you can bet relationships comes in at a close second on how students spend their time...school work is usually in fourth or fifth...sleep is maybe at number eight.

This should come as no surprise. Ever since they were in diapers the media and culture have told this generation that not only is "true love" out there, but that it is something everyone deserves and eventually finds--you need only confer with the plot of the nearest Disney movie, Twilight novel, or superhero film to confirm this point. At the same time, this generation has also been told that truth is relative, and that abstract things, like love, hope, and faith are socially constructed. Herein lies the current existential dilemma: is love real, or is love just an illusion? Can love be found, or are we left to find our own way?

The answer is yes and no. Love isn't the googly-eyed infatuation we find in the Edward Cullen's of the world, or the commitment-free-evening-rendezvous-lifestyle we find in shows like Sex in the City or Desperate Housewives. Love is not just the gushing and fawning exasperation of our hormone-laden youth. Love is real. But the "love" many of us look for is not; it's plain fiction.

Real love is not found, it finds us...to put it better it has found us.

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." --1 John 4:9-11

To understand real love students need to encounter real love: the love of God. We're being fed a fictional tale of "real" love in the world because much of the world still lives with a "fictional" understanding of history. The real story of history--involving the manifestation of God in the person Jesus Christ, who died and was raised to save us from our sin, so that we might live with Him forever--is the only way through which any of us can come to know what love really is or what it really means. Because, at the end of the day, if love wasn't knit into the fabric of humanity purposefully, if it isn't a blessing endowed to us by a creator of the same nature, if love isn't necessary and vital to our identity, then what's the point? At some point even a bloodthirsty sex-crazed vampire teen would have to pause and ask what love is all about.

That's one of the reason's why Rachel and I are going through the "Transformed Student Document" with students. The TSD is a helpful tool that breaks down the fundamental attributes of a transformed disciple into five categories.

1. Loving Christ Intimately
2. Viewing the World Biblically
3. Living Obediently
   
4. Joining Christ in the Restoration of Creation
5. Inviting Others to do Likewise

Every Monday night Rachel I meet with 7-8 students at Eastern University to walk through these five marks and talk about what real love looks like. Please pray for us as we lead a discussion tonight on what it means to love Christ intimately.