Wesley students ready to 'Be the Change'

by Joyce McHenry, Wesley Historian

Wesley Campus Ministry sent five students from ASU and other Valley colleges to the United Methodist Student Movement's leadership forum in Washington, D.C. from May 21-25. We met with college students from across the United States to discuss legislation that UMSM would like to refine and propose to General Conference 2012; attend workshops based on our areas of interest such as leadership in worship, children's ministries, prayer, and music ministries; as well as taking advantage of being located in D.C. by participating in immersion field trips around Capitol Hill.

We slept very little (if at all) as we were all up late into the night having jam sessions with Nebraska, talking about past Forums with West Virginia and how the "Westvirzonia" group got formed (The students from Marshall and WVU and our students spent a lot of time together last Forum.), as well as eating all the dorm food we could (plus ordering pizza at 5 in the morning because we didn't sleep, had gotten hungry, and still had three hours before breakfast).

We had several very dynamic sermons throughout the weekend but my favorite was Reverend Dorothy who reminded us that God made the world from nothing, and then asked us - what can he do with something, with all of these young people gathered together who have a burning desire to do his work?

We had many great experiences with the diverse group of students that gathered at American University and left feeling spiritually fulfilled and enthusiastic to go back to our churches and campus ministries and "Be the Change" in the church to bring us all forward in our faith.