Wesley Campus Ministry at NMU has a new partner and ministry director.
PAUL REISSMANN
Michigan Area Communications
Marquette-Hope United Methodist Church in Marquette, Michigan is expanding its ministry with a new site– the Wesley Campus Ministry at Northern Michigan University.
Northern Michigan University began in 1899 as Northern State Normal School. The school taught 32 students on a 22-acre campus with the intention of being an institution dedicated to educating teachers. Now, over 100 years later, the school has an enrollment of almost 9,000 and offers 147 degree programs.
The NMU student population is unique in that many students are older and many commute to campus for classes. However, other students are in a more traditional mold, far from home in order to attend NMU. Those students who come from away and who experienced a youth group setting can feel especially alienated and isolated in the absence of a close knit community on campus. Campus ministries give students the opportunity to figure out their identities and gain a support system of fellow Christians, who are encountering similar personal and spiritual challenges.
The Methodist Church has had a presence on Northern Michigan University’s campus as the Wesley Foundation since the 1930’s.
In 2016, campus ministry became a part of Marquette- Hope UMC’s multi-site initiative at the request of District Superintendent Rev. Elbert Dulworth. The congregation was glad to embrace this important area of ministry under its umbrella. The ministry was grateful to receive a grant from the Detroit Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry. In early 2017 Erica Thomas was hired to be the Campus Ministry Director. She now works with the Board of Directors that guided previous efforts on campus.
Rev. Kristi Hintz, co-pastor at Marquette Hope UMC, is eager to serve students in new, fresh ways through the Wesley Campus Ministry. She is not alone in the desire to connect students with United Methodism. Marquette Hope UMC’s congregation supports many alumni and faculty of NMU who also wish to give students greater access to a community of faith. The city, the congregation and the campus all contribute to a climate of community-making.
Rev. Hintz is particularly energized by the prospects of campus ministry because she is a “product of the Wesley Foundation in Kalamazoo.” As a student, Hintz served as a peer minister and was a part of a pre-seminary group that had formed out a collection of students who felt the call to ministry and would visit seminaries. Hintz said, “I was able to lead in ways that I wasn’t able to in a small-town church.” Hintz now feels that she has come full-circle.
Thomas experienced Christian community in college and looks “to spread God’s love and peace” for students involved in higher education today. Thomas found community in friends with strong faith who supported her through her time in college. She feels that the new direction of the NMU Wesley Campus Ministry can help to foster a starting point for today’s students.
The immediate challenges for Wesley Campus Ministry at NMU are to begin understanding the administrative structure needed in Wesley’s future, as well as creating meaningful ministry opportunities for students from across Michigan. Thomas and the Marquette Hope congregation also plan to connect with other Wesley alumni and young adult ministries throughout the state.
Ultimately, the Wesley Campus Ministry at NMU will focus on the question, “How do we create a campus ministry that reflects the unique needs of students at Northern Michigan University?”
Last Updated on March 13, 2017