What's in a name?

Hey All!


So, you may or may not be wondering about the name of our blog and I'd thought I would take a moment to share my thoughts in picking the name - some came before I suggested it and others came afterwards.


The first - and most literal - reason stems from the fact that our ministry is at UMASS Dartmouth, a school made almost completely of concrete. 


The second comes from the intent of the blog. Some of you have asked and/or are wondering about what happens in our lives on a more day-to-day basis. For others, the idea of what we're doing is a new or very different idea. Some of you just like hearing stories.  Regardless of the reason, we can fit only a small window of what God is doing in our letters and we want to show you more, if you're looking for it. So, here we will offer more concrete information and day-to-day stories that never make it to the letters.


As I reflected further on the name, however, I realized that it also reads as a highly tongue-in-cheek name since we know that there's so much about our ministry that isn't "concrete". First, Spirit-filled ministry of any variety must always be growing, stretching, reaching, going - hence the Bible often uses plant/trees imagery for our spiritual walk, and that is the very opposite of concrete. Second, college ministry must always shift and change so that it can reach students where they are. There was a time where "one size fits all" was the motto of organizations like Cru, but now we have developed an athlete ministry, a Greek (fraternity/sorority) ministry, and others reaching students through arts, academia/intellectual, and even the internet! Jesus challenges us to go to all nations, not expect them to come to us, and achieving that on the university campus involves consistent flexibility and a willingness to change modes to keep the Gospel in contact with the students - meaning our ministry must be anything but concrete in how we go about it.


My prayer is that through this blog you'll see our ministry go from practicing widespread tactics of college outreach to a ministry designed specifically to transform UMASS Dartmouth into a Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching, Jesus-following, Spirit-led body of believers. May what is - out of newness and inexperience - somewhat patterned and modeled continue to become more dynamic, powerful, and compelling.


Thanks for joining us on this wild ride - you're a vital part of this journey and a valued companion for the road.


Blessings!