When I was in uni back in some Jurassic age, one of the weekly events I looked forward to the most was the Campus Bible Study. Phillip Jensen, the UNSW Chaplain then, was a terrific teacher. His weekly lessons provided me with such a foundational instruction that I believe much of what I understand today can be traced back to those lessons. I believe I still have folders of handouts where I scribbled tiny notes to fill out each week’s edition.

Nearly 30 years hence, I had a chance – literally a front row seat opportunity – to listen to what campus ministry can mean for uni students. On Saturday arvo, Tress and I drove up to Hawthorn and met some folks in a park. We chatted with some people, and then took a walk to Swinburne Uni. We were there to have a taste of what the AFES ministry – one we have been coming alongside a fellow St Alf member for a little while – looks like. Lauren and Amy took us through what they did, and then Lauren lead a bunch of current and ex students in sharing about their experience of campus ministry.

I am a believer in campus ministry again. It has been such a long hiatus and even though I know it is important work (that was why we have decided to support it), that knowledge is more head knowledge than anything else. Saturday provided some very meaningful new dimensions and I believe this will be a meaningful ministry to invest more effort and resource into. I hope that works out.

Earlier that morning, after walking the little guys, Tress and I came home and worked on the gardens. I got some compost out of the compost bin, and prepped the little vege patch. We don’t know yet what we’d put in this year but that patch is now prepped and ready for new plants to go in. Tress had also bought a second hand single sofa seat to replace the tattered double-seater that the dogs have used as their day beds and lookout points for many years. It was one of the first pieces of furniture I picked up when we moved into our Mount Waverley rental nearly 20 years ago now. That piece now sits in the deck, waiting for a hard rubbish collection in the next 10 days or do. The “new” single seater now looks better in that spot the tattered piece used to be. It looks inviting for us humans to also go and sit and look out into the parklands across the road. Tress did well with this buy.

On Sunday, a new minister got commissioned. Mike had left fro a while now and we hadn’t had a replacement until now. Ben Clements and his lovely young family were introduced and I hope things work out just as well as Mike and his family did.

Over the weekend. Kiddo and Mic sent pics and video clips of Abby and Nicole and Jon. Nicole and Jon are visiting in Canberra and it looked like little Abby has taken to them really well. It is so rewarding to see that little girl warming up to, and engaging with people who, in my mind and not so long ago, were little people themselves. We also received a draft family tree together with a simple write up of my late grandfather’s stories, that were sent by Liza my cousin, to the wider family WhatsApp group. Abby, Nic and Jon, that family tree and write-up, all provided a context as well as an anchor, to create a joy that is very satisfying. I need to also engage with AFES/campus ministry work to add another dimension to that joy.