Post Secondary
A letter from Val:
Dear Students, Welcome to St. James’! Some people call us “the church on the campus”, but many of us like to think of ourselves as “the church with the campus in our backyard”. Let me tell you a bit of our history so you will see why.
In 1841, with a charter from Queen Victoria, Queen’s became the first degree granting institution in Canada. Four years later, God saw fit to place St. James’ here at the corner of Union and Barrie. For the past 160 years, the University has quite literally grown up around us. In 1912, Queen’s officially became a “secular institution”, but regardless, 17 years later, in 1929, the first meeting of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in all of North America took place here at St. James’. In 1975, 34 years ago, the Wednesday morning communion and breakfast was started (before many of you were born…) It is good to be reminded of the rich story God is writing here at St. James’; a story of which all of us are a part.
The mission of the University may well have changed over 160 years, but at its deepest levels, the mission of St. James’ has not. Certainly, it is not accidental or coincidental that God placed this parish here with a unique opportunity and responsibility to engage the university in its search for truth and to equip students for ministry in the church and in the world. Each year, students enrich the life of our community – they are involved in our choir, Sunday School, nursery, youth groups, bible studies and they become readers, singers, greeters, preachers, bakers and soup makers. But we don’t just want you here because of your potential to help out. Many students come here needing a place to heal, wanting a place to be quiet and to pray, or a place to seek God or to figure out what they believe, who they are and time to imagine how they might live their lives. And the church is a wonderful place to do all of these things.
But there is another reason we welcome you here to St. James’, and I confess it is strategic. If we think it is important to have Christian educators, homemakers, politicians, artists, doctors and people in every other vocation making an impact on their communities and on the world, some serious equipping is in order. One of the goals in our student ministry is to encourage you students to be intentional about integrating your faith and your academic studies, and to equip and encourage you to live out your Christian faith, integrating it with every area of your life.
We also want to challenge you to use the same gifted mind that got you into Queen’s to develop skills at bible study leadership, theological reflection and preaching. We’re not trying to make you all into clergy – we want to participate with God in raising up a generation of lawyers, teachers, parents, doctors and bankers who reflect theologically on everything they are and do. Charles Habib Mail, former president of the United Nations General Assembly, once observed: “Change the university, and you change the world.”
The university campus is a hinge upon which history swings. It shapes Western civilization more than any other institution in the world. Through your thesis research, the fallen structures that you challenge, the ethical questions you raise, your personal integrity and loving God with the gift of your minds, the face of the university truly can be changed. And through this, God uses each of you to participate with Him in transforming the world.
We look forward to journeying with each of you this coming year, to hearing your stories, to serving God together, and to helping and encouraging you as you grow in Christ. My door is always open to you (though it’s sometimes best to e-mail for an appointment to make sure I am around and not meeting with someone else) and I would love to have you drop by for a chat. I’m usually in my office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays between 9 and 2:00, and I can be available other times as well.
May your time at Queen’s be challenging, encouraging and full of community and joy.
Together in Christ,
Val
The Reverend Valerie Michaelson
Anglican Chaplain to Queen’s
Wednesday morning services and breakfasts -
During the academic year we gather every Wednesday morning at 7:30 for a brief eucharist service. Sermons are on a wide variety of topics that are particularly relevant to university students and are often given by lay people. At 8:00 we move to the parish hall where we enjoy fellowship together over breakfast. If you eat quickly, you can even make it to a 8:30 class on time!
Sunday bible studies -
Every 2nd Sunday from 9am – 10am students gather in Val’s office for a discussion about the scriptures. Coffee is served and participants enjoy this great opportunity to get to know other Christian students and to integrate their time at Queen’s with Biblical Reflection.
Student interns -
Our student youth ministry internship program is an important part of the life of St. James'. Each year, several students from Queen's university work alongside Val in this program to both deepen their own spiritual journey and to try out their gifts in the context of ministry in the church. These students become the core of our youth ministry team.
Goals: to equip students for leadership in the Church and in God’s Kingdom and to encourage Christian growth and maturity. The students will also contribute to the life and ministry of St. James’, particularly in the area of youth ministry.
Rewards: fun, ministry experience, growth as leaders, a chance to try out your gifts, the knowledge and joy of significantly impacting the lives of our teenagers, huge amounts of great food, good books …. And a small honorarium.
Needed: Students who are committed to growing in their relationship with Jesus, who have a desire for Bible Study and theological reflection and who love young people (younger than them, I mean!) Interns will either work with our high school group (grades 8 – 12) or our jr group (grades 4 – 7)
Student Study nights -
Once a term we host a study evening. It usually happens from 5-11pm. A healthy, homemade meal is served and a constant supply of coffee and snacks is provided. There are quiet study spaces offered as well as other places where students can receive prayer, encouragement, fellowship and even a bit of tutoring.
