Just  as  the  freshman  and  trans-­fer  students  have  been  transi-­tioning  into  life  at  Bloomsburg  University,  I  too  have  been  getting  oriented  since  begin-­ning  as  Protestant  Campus  Minister  on  August  15.    What  a  privilege  to  already  be  part  of  creating  spaces  here  for  faith  development  and  exploration  and  for  worship,  spiritual  care  and  service.    Here  are  just  a  few  highlights  so  far,  from  the  classroom,  our  campus  office,  a  local  church,  and  the  wilder-­ness! In  the  classroom...  In  October  I  had  the  opportunity  to  stand  in  front  of  an  anthropology  class  called  “Religion  and  Magic”  as  a  guest  lecturer.    I  did  so  at  the  

PCM - THE WELCOMING PLACE

Protestant Campus Ministry at Bloomsburg University

Fall 2013

Rev. Jill Young, Editor

As  student  president  of  Protestant  Campus  Ministry,  I  worked  as  a  bridge  between  the  student  members  and  those  on  the  board  during  our  search  process  for  a  new  campus  minister.    I  worked  closely  with  board  members  to  create  a  job  description  and  adver-­tisement  for  the  campus  minis-­ter  position.    When  the  inter-­viewing  process  began,  Zach  and  I  came  up  with  some  of  our  own  questions  and  sat  in.     We  knew  when  Jill  was  cho-­sen  as  our  campus  minister  that  we  were  ultimately  blessed  and  excited  to  have  her  join  our  PCM  family  here  at  Bloomsburg.

Towards  the  end  of  the  sum-­mer,  our  student  executive  board  met  and  discussed  our  vision  and  hopes  for  PCM  with  Jill.    In  order  to  make  her  transition  as  smooth  as  possi-­ble,  we  kept  in  contact  often  both  through  emails  and  phone  calls  to  plan  for  the  events  at  the  beginning  of  the  fall  semester.    It  was  really  quite  amazing  how  even  though  we  were  all  miles  away  from  each  other,  we  were  able  to  work  well  to-­gether  and  organize  for  our  Orientation  worship  service  and  for  signing  up  new  stu-­dents  at  the  Activities  Fair. It  has  been  wonderful  having  Jill  with  us.

As  I  prepare  to  move  on  to  grad-­uate  school  next  year,  I  will  be  sad  to  leave  the  PCM  family  I  have  been  with  since  freshmen  year.    However,  I  know  that  Jill  will  be  able  to  continue  to  foster  the  students  in  Christian  love  and  guide  them  because  of  the  successful  transition  process  that  we  all  achieved  under  God.

invitation  of  the  professor,  who  welcomed  me  to  share  openly  about  my  faith  and  journey.  The  students  asked  thoughtful  questions  and  re-­sponded  positively  to  my  authentic  sharing.   In  our  campus  office…  I  have  been  welcomed  gra-­ciously  by  students,  especial-­ly  by  our  leaders  Meghan,  Kasey  and  Zach.    They  have  made  me  feel  right  at  home  –  including  decorating  the  of-­fice  for  Husky  Pride  Day.      Every  other  week  our  Student  Executive  Board  meets  and  it  has  been  a  joy  to  affirm  them  in  their  leadership  as  we  re-­flect  on  Scripture  together,  pray  and  spend  time  in  plan-­

Plugging into Bloom as the New Campus Minister - Pastor Jill Young

ning  and  strategy  for  our  minis-­try  programming  and  outreach.   At  a  local  church….I  was  so  proud  of  our  students  as  they  served  refreshments  with  grace  

What Makes PCM Unique?

PCM is the only program at Bloomsburg University with an ordained Protestant minister on campus. We work di-rectly with students as well as other university departments and pro-grams to offer a pastoral and theological point of view. PCM supports the spiritual needs of stu-dents, faculty, and staff at Bloomsburg Uni-versity. But we need your help.

Please consider making a

donation to PCM...and

keeping us in your prayers!

“Grow  in  Faith  at  B.U.” Kasey  &  Zach  after  decorating  our  office  for  Husky  Pride  Day.

A Time for Transition - Meghan Ruland, Student President

Zach,  Meghan  &  Manny  at Activities  Fair

Ben,  Meghan  &  Mary  at  “Main  Event,”  PCM’s  weekly  fellowship  gathering.

Continued  on  p.  2

PCM  has  had  wonderfully  diverse  worship  opportunities  this  semes-­ter!  We  began  by  welcoming  new  students  and  greeting  returning  students  with  our  Orientation  Worship  Service  (Aug.  25).  Alt-­hough  we  were  not  too  familiar  at  first  with  everyone  who  attended,  we  shared  the  need  to  come  to-­gether  to  pray  for  our  upcoming  semester.  We  even  welcomed  a  few  new  faces  who  regularly  at-­tend  other  events  at  PCM! Later  on  in  September  we  had  an  opportunity  to  worship  God  with  another  new  beginning,  the  ordi-­nation  of  our  campus  minister,  

Rev.  Jill  Young.  Students  partici-­pated  in  her  service  by  singing  in  the  praise  band,  reading  scripture,  and  witnessing  the  start  of  a  great  vocation  for  Jill.  We  were  blessed  to  be  a  part  of  this  and  even  meet  Jill's  close  family  members  and  friends,  who  have  encouraged  her  in  this  calling. Our  third worship  service  this  semester  was  a  combined  service  with  the  On-Campus  Visitation  Praise  Band  along  with  the  BU  Gospel  Choir.  We  welcomed  Rev.   Martin  Harris  to  offer  the  message  during  this  Parent's  Weekend  Worship  Service.    We  shared  our  

Page 2

Protestant Campus Ministry at Bloomsburg University

Worshipping Together – Kasey Jones, Student Worship Service Coordinator

talents  by  providing  music,  read-­ing  scripture,  offering  commun-­ion,  and  collecting  the  offering  which  was  donated  to  AGAPE,  a  local  organization  that  helps  our   town  through  troubling  times.

Has your church included Protestant Campus Ministry in its benevolence budget? Your congregation can give needed ongoing support to PCM by including it in their annual benev-olence budget. Please check with your mission committee about supporting our mission on the university campus!

“PCM  is  a  place to get to know and develop relation-ships with each oth-er in God's love.” - Hasby Firdauz, Freshman

Plugging into Bloom, continued from p. 1

and  ease  at  the  Good  Shepherd  UMC  Mission  Meal  on  Oct  19,  helping  me  to  become  comforta-­ble  as  I  met  the  wonderful  com-­munity  of  people  who  are  served  there  each  month. In  the  wilderness…  Students  Me-­ghan,  Kasey,  Zach,  Mary,  Manny  and  Ben,  along  with  my  husband  and  daughter  (and  our  dog),  took  a  reflective  hike  together  through  the  autumnal  beauty  of  Rickett’s  Glen  State  Park.    I  am  discover-­ing  through  these  fellowship  times  (along  with  our  weekly  “Main  Event”  gathering)  that  we  have  such  a  beautiful  diversity  of  

personalities,  backgrounds  and  interests  among  our  student  group.  It  is  a  joy  to  see  the  students  appreciating  one  another  in  their  dif-­ferences.

Being  here  at  B.U.  is  for  me  an  answer  to  prayer,  a  culmination  of  diverse  life  experiences  and  a  fulfillment  of  a  long-time  sense  of  call  to  the  university  campus. I  grew  up  in  the  Los  Angeles  area  where  my  father  worked  as  art  director  for  the  Christian  humani-­tarian  organization  World  Vision.  My  family  was  part  of  a  small  congregational  church,  and  I  was  also  spiritually  nurtured  by  vaca-­tions  in  the  epic  grandeur  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  I  at-­tended  Azusa  Pacific  University  

About the New Campus Minister –

Pastor Jill Young

Rev.  Jill  Young  with  husband Matthew,  daughter  Grace  &  dog  Bingley  at  Rickett’s  Glen.

Zach,  Kasey  &  Rev.  Matthew  Young  at  Pastor  Jill’s  ordination.

Continued  on  p.  3

Continued  on  p.  3

Page 3

Volume 6, number 1

Operation Christmas Child

PCM collected an impressive 280 boxes this year to send to children around the world through Samari-tan’s Purse. Thanks to Zach & Ka-sey for their leadership in this pro-ject!

The  weather  agreed  with  us  on  Oct  5  for  this  year’s  Golf  Outing  at  The  Links  at  Hemlock  Creek  in  Bloomsburg.  Thanks  to  our  36  Tee  Sponsors,    24  golfers  and  9  prize  donors  (including  Tim  Wagner,  Buddy  Knoebel,  Tee-to-Green  and  B.U.’s  Athletic  Department),    we  raised  about  $1,800.     A  special  thanks  to  board  members  Tom  Davies,  Dave  Ford,  and  Gary  Weaver  and  to  Kim  Hill  for  all  of  their  support  with  calls  and  plan-­ning.  Thanks  also  to  Millard    Man-­ning  and  students  Meghan,  Zach  and  Kasey  for  their  help  with  post-­

in  California  where  I  earned  a  B.A.  in  English  and  a  teaching  creden-­tial  (1993).    I  taught  high  school   English  for  four  years,  then  worked  in  the  music  industry,  and  after  that  in  academia  (Seattle  Uni-­versity)  as  an  administrative  coor-­dinator  to  the  Provost.    During  that  time  –  and  as  a  foreshadowing  of  my  current  vocation  –  I  volun-­teered  in  campus  ministry  at  Seat-­tle  Pacific  University.    While  in  Seattle,  I  met  my  husband,  Mat-­thew,  who  began  his  call  to  or-­dained  Presbyterian  ministry  as  a  campus  minister  for  Intervarsity  at  Seattle  Central  Community  Col-­lege. Discerning  a  call  to  ministry  and  the  study  of  theology,  I  headed  for  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in  New  Jersey.  There  I  interned  with  the  Episcopal  campus  ministry  at  Princeton  University  and  earned  my  Master  of  Divinity  degree.  My  

Worshipping Together, continued from p. 2

About the new campus minister, continued from p. 2

husband  and  I  were  married  in  2007,  and  a  few  months  after  I  graduated  from  seminary  (2008),  he  took  a  position  as  pastor  at  Elysburg  Presbyterian  Church  and  our  daughter  Grace  was  born.  (We  are  currently  expecting  our  second  child  due  Christmas  Eve!) During  the  last  five  years  in  Elysburg,  PA,  I  focused  on  being  a  wife  and  mother,  partnering  in  min-­istry  with  my  husband,  leading  a  women’s  prayer  practices  group,  and  continuing  in  my  ordination  process  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  (USA).    This  process  was  completed  after  I  received  the  call  to  be  Protestant  Campus  Minister  here  at  B.U.    What  a  joy  to  have  PCM  student  leaders  participate  in  worship  leading  at  my  ordination  service  on  September  29!

Golf Outing Fundraiser

ing  and  taking  down  the  tee  sponsor-­ship  placards.   It  was  a  win-win  for  all!  

.

We  enjoyed  these  three  very  dif-­ferent  worship  services  this  se-­mester  and  we  look  forward  to  more  opportunities  this  coming  Spring  semester,  offering  our  time  and  talent  in  leading  Sunday  wor-­ship  services  at  local  churches.

Kasey  &  Zach  with  golfers  in   background  at  the  Links.

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR WINTERFEST BANQUET, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014!

Kasey,  Zach  &  Hasby  after  screening  boxes  at  Trinity  Reformed    UCC.

Did you know...

that Protestant Campus Ministry is not funded by the University? Support for PCM comes from local churches and some of their governing bod-ies, from par-ents, alumni, and c o m m u n i t y members. And right now, as some denomina-tions are experi-encing budget shortfalls, more help is needed. Bloomsburg Uni-versity generous-ly gives us office space and free use of meeting rooms for our campus events, but for every-th ing e lse—books, study materials, food, e q u i p m e n t , transportation, printing, and s a l a r i e s — w e are dependent on you!

Meghan  reading  Scripture  at  ordination  service

Protestant Campus Ministry (PCM) is a multi-denominational fellowship that offers members of the university community opportu-nities for exploration and growth in the Christian faith. PCM is staffed by the Reverend Jill Young, an ordained minister in the Pres-byterian Church (USA), and is also led by a group of students committed to their discipleship in Christ.

About PCM...

PCM - The Welcoming Place

Phone: 570-389-4950 E-mail: jyoung@bloomu.edu

420 KUB, Box 28 400 East Second Street

Bloomsburg, PA 17815

PCM is supported by:

x� The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

x� The United Methodist Church

x� The Presbyterian Church (USA)

x� Local Churches

x� Parents & Alumni

x� People Like You!

For more information about how you can support PCM, contact Pastor Jill Young by phone (570-389-4950) or email (jyoung@bloomu.edu).

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Visit our website: http://organizations.bloomu.edu/pcm/ Find us on Facebook: “Protestant Campus Ministry at Bloomsburg University”