“Hey, Pastor Kate, can we meet for coffee?”
It is a joy and a privilege to accompany college students as they grow in faith. I get to be with them at a significant time in their lives when they can ask hard questions and grow into the people they want to be. I have to say, as wonderful as it is to sit around our Open Table meal and worship, Bible study, or to complete a service project together, it is in the one on one conversations where I understand how vital college ministry really is.
Whenever I get the, “Can we meet for coffee,” email, I never know how the conversation is going to go. Will this student share about a new major they are exploring? Or are they going to tell me they are struggling? Do they need to process a decision out loud, or are they needing to share something they are holding so they don’t have to hold it alone? The answer is usually all of the above.
Getting coffee, tea, etc., with students is a small act of love from UCCF. Not only are we telling them we are here to listen, but here’s a small act of love in this coffee and let’s share it together.
When you sign up to be a monthly donor, you are spreading these small acts of love and helping us have these conversations. Just $10 can provide comfort when a student needs it.
Thank you for supporting UCCF and caring for students in this way!
Rev. Kate Van Valkenburg
Director of Ministries for UCCF