university mission in Cardiff, Wales!

In just two weeks, from November 15- 21, our whole OCCA crew is packing up and heading to Wales for a week of outreach! We will be spreading out in small teams across the major institutions of higher education in the capital city, Cardiff, working alongside the CU's there in a packed week of events. We will be engaging students with every medium we can get our hands on- from auditorium talks and Q & A panels, to conversation-sparking worldview surveys and one on one coffee follow-ups- all seeking to see Christ proclaimed and glorified. 

C A E R D Y D D !

(thats C A R D I F F in Welsh) 

Please be praying for this significant week of outreach- that the Lord would work in it as He pleases, that we would be joyful and physically sustained (I've heard these weeks are challenging with early mornings, long days, and late nights) and that we'd remain sensitive to His guidance as we speak and act boldly by the power of His Spirit. In addition, please pray that we would encourage, bless, and refresh our brothers and sisters in the CU's with whom we'll be partnered. 

text a toastie

Every week, each OCCA student is required to serve in a ministry placement. My assignment this term is to support the Text a Toastie outreach run by the Christian Union (CU) at Exeter college, another of Oxford University's colleges. These students reach out to their classmates by offering them an opportunity to ask their questions about God, Christianity, etc and engage meaningfully on these topics. As an incentive for questioners, submitting a question confers the delivery of a free toasted sandwich (like a grilled cheese, but with many more options) of their choice, to their dorm room. The CU student who delivers the toastie will be invited in to discuss the question while the questioner eats their toastie. 

The CU guys at Exeter have a deep desire to see their friends and classmates respond to Christ- its a privilege to serve with them. The few of us (3-6) meet briefly to pray in their gorgeous cathedral style chapel at 8:30PM on Monday evenings, before moving to the common room, our base of operations, and getting the toastie station set up. Some people text in their room number, toastie preference, and question. Others just come down to the common room themselves, put their info on the roster, and hang out on a couch until one of us brings their snack over and enters into discussion about whatever inquiry was on their mind. I love the way that this outreach concept encourages students to be thinking about what they believe, and offers a legitimate space to engage with their questions. 

My very first night I had two stand out conversations with two different young women. One of them had vehement objections to eternal judgement- asking over and over what gave God the right to judge or make demands. The other had been raised in a religious home and wanted to somehow retain the virtues of the Judeo-Christian value system while neither positing nor submitting to the God in whom they are inextricably rooted. It was a fascinating discussion. 

This past week I was in a conversation with several students and they wanted to know why you would live without sinning if you could just sin all you want and then decide to believe in God and repent before you die. Their argument exposed the real issue at stake: I find again and again its not so much lack of belief in God's existence, but the desire of the human heart not to have to submit to that Him. They already believed. They were unwilling to acknowledge; acknowledgement would necessitate obedience- the giving up of their perceived autonomy.

I'm really blessed to have been given this particular ministry placement- not only is it a wonderful way to engage students and share Christ with them, but it is excellent practice for me. It is a blend of conversational apologetics and Q & A... areas in which OCCA is definitely committed to seeing me grow during my time here. 

In other ministry news, please be praying for our upcoming OCCA mission week - we are going to be doing outreach in Cardiff, Wales. Details to follow soon!

OCCA students and staff

A few absentees notwithstanding, this is my OCCA community, outside the OCCA / RZIM offices :) 

Photo credit: John Cairns, John Cairns Photography - Oxford

Oxford University Matriculation!

Following completion of our first academic week of the term,  we had out University of Oxford matriculation ceremony! For this event, everyone participating is required to wear clothing called sub-fusc (black skirt/ trousers, black socks/stockings, black shoes, white collared shirt, white bow tie/black straight tie/velvet ribbon) over which one wears the appropriate academic dress for one's  level of study. For me and all the other undergraduates  (a lot of people with degrees are considered Oxford undergrads!) thats a commoner's gown- a hip length black sleeveless gown... with weir shoulders and streamers that no one can sort out.

You muster as a class at your college and walk through historic downtown together into the main entrance of the lovely old Sheldonian Theatre. Walking into the rotunda was a great moment, and the ceremony (partially in Latin!) was very short and memorable- an Oxford rite of passage, only after which you are considered a member of Oxford University. 

Afterwards, piled into the historic Queen's Lane coffee house for pastries and espresso...  and ran all over downtown taking pictures:) I wish I had time to write more about the whole matriculation experience, but it was a special day and I enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Me and Loretta (Australia)

 Loretta, Alli (UK), Cameron (USA) and me

 With classmates at the Radcliffe Camera- a beautiful part of the Bodleian Library which I was studying in on Friday!

 Most of my OCCA classmates- they are great:)

The guys, keeping it classy

very Oxford

I suppose Oxford has already got to my brains, for in spite of my full timetable, I went down to a rowing introduction yesterday at the Queen's College boathouse. Rowing is just so...Oxford. I was warned by a friend that doing competition rowing would dominate a students' schedule, so I am steering clear of that... however, it is possible to be on a novice crew and only go out once a week, so I decided try it out. Being on the water is good for the soul.

Wycliffe Hall doesn't have a boathouse, so we row in association with Queen's College. It was an interesting, challenging, and rewarding outing... my friend and I signed up to go again next weekend at 6:30am... to see if we can handle the early shift that would best fit in our week's schedule! Its at least a half hour walk to the boathouse... so it will be an early morning!

Today I did some preparatory reading we'd been assigned and then went with a friend on a long walk up out of the city center to South Park hill... known for having the best view of Oxford's dreaming spires within walking distance of downtown.

It was a great moment, just sitting on that bench looking out at the panorama of steeples, towers and spires... seeing the bustling city for a moment almost as a still life... taking it in with the ever more crisp autumn air... stirring with hopes and prayers for all that will transpire here in the coming season.

Bodleian induction

We had induction for Oxford's Bodleian Library this afternoon! Despite the dullness of the orientation, we were all excited because we now have access to one of the oldest libraries in Europe - and one of the most esteemed in the world.  The buildings (some from the Middle Ages) as well as the reading rooms they contain are simply beautiful... and good thing, because it isn't a lending library. One must read and reference works on the premises. It will definitely be inspiring and  atmospheric to study in a place that looks like a museum!

orientation galore

The amount of orientation materials I've received in recent days is staggering. First its in your mail slot (pigeonhole), then its handed out at sessions, then its on the online network (which there is a session about how to sign into/access...) And it goes on and on. 

Just when I wondered how much more I could cram into your memory for the day (this is mostly logistical and practical, not substance/content), the college presented our first Formal Hall- or formal college dinner. It was a great evening with low lights, taper candles, three courses, and drink receptions before and after. It was such a nice change of pace from all the practicalities to dine and fellowship; while many college formal dinners are opportunities to feel elite or posh, Wycliffe Hall is seeks to demonstrate and cultivate love and service through these meals. Our hilarious college principal  toasted "the un-snobbish community of Wycliffe Hall" and set the tone for a wonderful evening- a thorough reprieve from the slough of forms, manuals, handbooks, and other academic sensibilities.

  This is not a study bible. This is my personal copy of the Oxford University Exam Regulations. Lucky me!

Everyone loves a good timetable- or two or three. Welcome to my life. 

With some of my classmates- all of them in my Wycliffe Hall course and the OCCA program. There is such an amazing bunch of people  that God has called here to journey through this season together- i am really enjoying getting to know them as we pray for a defining year of growth and mutual encouragement.

I guess the photo doesn't do it justice- the candlelight, everyone jazzed up for the evening...it was really a great time. 

Punting the River Cherwell

Punting is a quintessential Oxford pastime where one uses a long pole to propel a shallow skiff through the water-  in this case, on the River Cherwell! After our first morning of OCCA introductions, we headed down the street to Cherwell Boathouse to go at this curious recreation and get to know one another in the process. It was a perfect autumn afternoon, too- altogether it made for a splendid outing.

first day OCCA orientation

A few of my classmates outside Wycliffe Hall- home sweet home! For our OCCA classes, we walk down the road about five minutes to the RZIM offices. 

Posing with a few of my fellow American classmates- we felt like school kids with our first stack of books, all tied with a ribbon!

Orientation today was mostly welcomes and many introductions. We laughed a lot. The morning  really set a wonderfully honest and welcoming tone for our OCCA community. 

After me and another guy (who turns out to be a pro surfer, who knew?) both claimed our favorite "food" was coffee during introductions, my new friend Adora informed me that it is International Coffee Day and that she is a coffee lover as well... so needless to say we found the closest coffee shop and celebrated!

We also had a social outing to end our introduction morning- we went punting on the River Cherwell. It was a sunny day- absolutely perfect for being on the water.  I loved it and plan to go more- all the better, since its apparently a quintessentially Oxford pastime.  But the pics of that will have to wait.

I have to go to bed and continue orientations tomorrow...