Student chaplains start the year strong
The student chaplains begin the year with a Barbecue Club partnership and big plans for the future
From serving on the Student Government Association (SGA) to being a Community Assistant (CA), there are many ways for Bethel students to take a leadership role on campus, and provide their skills, services, and passions to the greater campus community. One of these groups, the Student Chaplains, have taken on some new roles to make such an impact much more noticeable.
The team of five student chaplains headed under campus pastor Michael Unruh come from a variety of backgrounds. Jordan Twenter, a senior from Independence, Mo., stated, “I had seen in church before students going to ministries and had never pictured myself doing it… But when this came up, I felt the NEED to do it.” Twenter has served on the chaplain team for three years and has focused on wanting to build the relationship between campus ministries and the student body, an idea shared by fellow chaplain and three year member of the team, Tobin Wise, a senior from Pleasant Hill, Mo., who said, “We want to make the campus life more fun for the students and get them involved in different ways.”
Some students may have attended the Bethel Barbecue Club’s (BBC) event that was in partnership with the student chaplains on August 25. A new goal of the campus ministries team to try out new ways to give campus life a new unified look. Sophomore newcomer Taryn Paulino from Bennington, expressed that “the goal is to make campus feel more welcoming, and show people who are on their faith journey that they are not alone.” Sophomore and fellow newcomer Emma Graber from Divide, Colo. shared this sentiment, saying, “we wanted to have more outreach for relationships to be built between the chaplains and the students.” This new and exciting partnership between campus clubs and the campus ministries team already shows massive potential, and the aforementioned first partnership with BBC was a massive success.
Outside of the activities and events, the student chaplains all shared the same sentiment when it comes to one of their most important duties: listening to the students. Wise stated, “we can be resources if someone wants to talk about faith or any other struggle they may be facing.” Graber added that “the student chaplains can help connect students to various resources as well,” and Paulino expressing the importance of “bring[ing] safe spaces, a listening ear, resources for faith journeys, relaxation methods, and… advice on what routes to take when they are unsure of getting the help they need.” With this new and more campus-involved chaplain team, the future is looking bright for campus ministries. Twenter summed it up best: “Our new goals are focused on branching to the younger generations and connecting with students to help them dive into their faith before moving one and becoming an independent adult.” Also serving on the student chaplain team is sophomore Lilith Jackson.