geneva house · lawrence and loyalist college and as we began to minister at royal military...

This year was truly like no other ministry year I have experienced. It was one filled with amazing transformation,

exciting expansion, and unexpected endings. Students and staff experienced deep community, they went to a

new level in their discipleship, and they learned to live out God’s mission in their everyday lives. We witnessed

people meeting Jesus for the first time, finding healing from deep emotional hurts, and developing as gifted

leaders in God’s Kingdom. Our ministry grew in innovative ways as we were given new opportunities at St

Lawrence and Loyalist College and as we began to minister at Royal Military College. And then COVID-19 hit

our campuses, and our year ended abruptly. Gatherings were cancelled and students were scattered. It was as if

we were on a train ride together to somewhere exciting and then without warning someone hit the emergency

break, and everyone was forced to get off and find their own ride back home. The coronavirus derailed great plans,

deflated loads of excitement and definitively cut our semester short. In the end we lost about 4-5 weeks of ministry

time, and that is significant when each semester typically offers us about 15 weeks to invest in students. This abrupt

ending was probably the hardest on our graduates. They missed out on some really important time to celebrate, to

say goodbye and to get closure on their college or university journey. It has been a challenging time for our

community, but as I have been reflecting on Scripture, God has been reminding me that He uses challenges to shape

and transform us. COVID19 has impacted us both negatively and positively. On the positive side, it has pushed us to

be adaptive and creative. Restraints drive innovation, and we have been trying new ways of ministering to students.

We are developing more videos, which is probably a good thing because research has been showing that videos are

important when trying to connect with Gen Z. We are also doing more online ministry. We are mentoring, and

huddling, and doing lifegroups through the magic of the internet. And although we would rather do all this in person,

our social distancing limitations have made us realize that we could continue to expand our ministry through online

methods. Students who leave our community could stay much more connected. There is so much potential for

continued investment and ongoing discipleship. To use Jesus’ words - “the harvest is plentful” (Matt 9:37).

It has been a real gift to live out our mission on four campuses this year, and here is a quick overview of ministry

activity at each school, followed by some stories of testimonies.

Geneva House Campus Ministries

Spring Ministry Report 2020

Our Mission: Be an incredible community where people experience Jesus

and His transformation

Queen’s University (Population: 18000 undergrads, 6900 grad students, 6900 faculty/staff)

The ministry flourished at Queen’s this year. So many students found community with us, many of whom are not Christian and who have never experienced deep Christian fellowship before. Christian community is incredibly important for university students and as we enfolded them, it gave us the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus or to help them grow as a follower of Christ. We had an amazing team at Queen’s this year and here is a quick look at some of the programs we offered:

Leadership (50) – Staff (3), Interns (3), Team Leaders (34), Team Members (10) Huddles (23) – 90 people were in huddles this semester 1-1 Discipleship and mentorship Soup Supper (80-100) Grad Ministry Life Groups (4) - in partnership with Bay Park and Bethel Churches Bible Studies (3) Friday Night Parties English Conversation Class International Ministry Discovery Study Global Leadership Summit (100+) (with Bay Park, Bethel, and Kingston Standard churches) Ministry Houses (2)

[Soup Supper]

[Student Global Leadership Summit Pictures]

International students always bring a rich diversity to our community, and this year God sent so many incredible people to us from all over the world. Some did not know anything about Jesus, and it was so exciting to tell them about Him. Others were passionate followers of Christ who helped us to achieve our mission. And all of them made our campus family so much greater.

[International Students]

This year we had so many applications to live in our ministry houses that we were able to start a 3rd house next year! When we realized that we had enough students to form a new residence we started to pray for a place for them to live. Almost as soon as we started to pray, I got an email from a friend and supporter of Geneva who said that they had a house that she was hoping could be used for ministry and she wondered if it could be of use to us. Isn’t that amazing! It is a beautiful home right on the edge of campus, and it has 6 rooms, exactly the number we needed. God does amazing work and it is so exciting to see how He provides exactly what we need, when we need it, to accomplish His plans.

[Geneva House Residents] [Missional House Residents]

The end of the year means that we have to say goodbye to so many graduates who have had a profound impact on our community. To be honest, this is one of the hardest parts of campus ministry. It is even harder when your whole incredible intern team is graduating! But we know that our job is to invest in them for a short time so that God can shape them and then send them out to serve so many amazing ways. They will become health care professionals, researchers, teachers, engineers, lawyers, IT specialists, business leaders, and more, and I have no doubt God will use them to impact their circles of influence in profound ways.

[Geneva House Interns Victoria Sharpe, Megan Herrewynen, and Joel Seigel]

We always like to close the year with a big banquet where we acknowledge our graduates and since we couldn’t do that this year, we put together a special video that you can view here: https://www.genevahouse.ca/videos.

St Lawrence College (SLC) (Population: 7000 students including 1100 international students, 700 staff /faculty)

God continued to pour out His favour on our ministry at St Lawrence this year, and the administration has embraced and elevated the role of Kathy Doering our team leader. The school has given her tremendous influence and access to students, and in addition to her role of discipling students on campus, she also now performs the roles of wellness coordinator (enriching the College culture and the quality of life for students) and spiritual coordinator (directing spiritual leaders of other faiths within the local community to meet student needs). It has been amazing to see how God has opened this campus up to us and we are so blessed to pour into the lives of students and staff at SLC. Here are some of our ministry activities:

Leadership (5) – Staff (1), Interns (1), Team Leaders (3) Huddles (3) 1-1 counselling, mentorship and discipleship Prayer Walks (weekly) Community Breakfast Podcast interview on the topic of Safer Sex and Healthy Relationships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fIHbZ3snZI Death Café (SLC event designed to help students process death)

Loyalist College (3200 students including 1200 international)

Our ministry on this campus is called Loyalist Christian Life (LCL) and this year it felt like the ministry really came to life! There was a strong sense of momentum and it was exciting to see how God really grew our leadership team. This semester, Kathy Maietta, a ministry professor at Master’s Seminary joined our team to lead small groups and mentoring. She is now serving alongside team leader Wanda Thompson, student intern Manaswi Gaddipati, and prayer team leader Carolyn Rae. This fantastic group of leaders provided strength to the ministry and it is a real gift to invest in Loyalist College with them!

But our leadership team wasn’t the only thing that grew. This semester it seemed like we kept getting new people every week. We had some students who were really great at inviting their friends, and by the end of the semester we had 14 in our group. That was a long way from the 4 that we started with at the beginning of the year, and we are excited because a number of them are first years who will be returning next year.

[Loyalist Huddle Group in our Open Concept Room]

LCL has become an important group for both Canadians and international students, and we really started to develop

deep connections. Here is what Manaswi shared with me about how it impacted her:

Before coming here I always used to think that I won't be having my family or friends in Canada, but after hearing about Loyalist Christian Life (LCL) I felt really excited. I have learned a lot and it is truly a blessing to be a part of this community.

We haven’t heard yet about our official accreditation on campus, it seems Covid19 has slowed the process down abit. But we are anticipating being able to officially make our presence known to the College very soon and we are hopeful that this September will allow us to connect with students like never before!

Royal Military College (RMC) (2400 students) Our ministry at RMC was launched in October and it quickly turned into an exciting mission! Led by 4th year cadet Daniel Walcott and ministry leaders Jonathan Ardell, Ayla Chase, and Greg H, the unit was able to start 4 huddles which included 16 military students and 2 military spouses. Huddles were brand new to RMC and God used them to develop a new level of Christian community and discipleship on the campus. Students were going deep in their relationship with God by reading the Word and by encouraging each other to live missionally and it was exciting to see how God was working in their lives and shaping them for their journey ahead. Here is what one cadet said about their experience this year:

“Huddles have helped me so much in my walk with God and feeling like I’m part of a community.”

As we close off the semester, we are sad to say goodbye to our team leader Dan. God put it on Dan’s heart to start the ministry at RMC this year and he has done a stand-up job. I have no doubt God is going to use him in powerful ways as he completes his officer training program and becomes a platoon commander in the Canadian Forces. I asked him to reflect a bit on his experience this year and here is a little of what he shared with me:

Student Testimonies

. Here is what some people are saying about our community:

Geneva House was a calm oasis where my heart found rest and joy, and especially new brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. I have been connecting with the Word more than ever before because of huddle. The girls encouraged me to keep digging into the Bible for strength and truth. I also learned even more about the power of prayer, which helped tremendously this year.

Being a student at RMC has its own challenges, one of which is how separated we are from the rest of the city. While getting involved with the local church is important, many RMC students can find it difficult to get out, especially if they do not have a car. However, through working with Geneva House, I was able to establish huddles at RMC; helping bring the larger Christian community to our school. Leading this helped me to see that I can only work so hard to make these huddles work and for relationships to grow. For real growth to occur, I needed God. Through this past year of trying to get huddles up and rolling at RMC, I learned that I must lean on God more than my own abilities. In my own huddle, God taught me about my leadership. Prior to this year, I would have been fearful of taking on a leadership position like leading a huddle but after seeing that God is the one that gives huddles their success, I now relax knowing that God is in control and all I need to do is be present.

I can testify to how I've become a more stable Christian in terms of my quiet time, thanks to my huddle group. The encouragement and community has been phenomenal. I had really gotten out of the habit of reading my bible every day, and this got me back into the word! LOVED our group of girls so much and we fostered such great relationships and truly opened up to one another. I loved having them in my community and I feel so connected to them. We connected right from the start! Vic made us feel so comfortable sharing, along with really showing care and intentionality. She was real with us, while modelling a solid and inspiring walk with the Lord. The encouragement I received from my huddle helped me to be a lot bolder about faith when talking to my non-Christian friends! I ended up bringing several of them out to soup suppers and praise&power, and we have been able to have some great conversations about Jesus! It has been amazing to see how God has been at work in their lives, and I’m so blessed to have been a part of it. The best part for me was how God brought new girls into our group who needed that community. A second year overheard one of our huddle members talking about the huddle and she was so excited to join. She shared at our first meeting that she had been searching for a Christian community but wasn’t able to find it. Having her join our group was such a God thing! Through huddles and a stable Christian community, I've been able to grow in my identity in God and become more confident. I feel like God is teaching me to be held by him right now, that he Loves me and he doesn't want me to doubt His love for me. I am working on deepening my relationship with him lately and finding my identity in Christ before I dive into anything that could possibly distract me from Him if I don't have the right mindset. It helped me through some tough times and the group was very supportive. I think that helped me grow both as a christian and an officer. During the past five years I have grown immensely in my confidence as a Christian and a leader. I have had the opportunity to be in a huddle where I formed fantastic connections with other students and gained a sense of empathy and connection that I am so thankful for. I also got to get involved with English Conversation Class and was able to help run a few classes. My time with English Conversation Class further developed my love for teaching and connection. I am beyond grateful to have been part of such a wonderful campus ministry that fosters relationships with students and getting students connected to Jesus. I have felt supported, valued and respected. I hope I have shown those characteristics and qualities to others in Geneva, all who I have interacted with throughout my studies and all who I continue to interact with in my journey outside of the Queen’s community. Geneva gave me a home, friendships and confidence over the past five years that will carry into my future as an educator and Christ follower. As I continue to support Geneva, I hope it continues to provide a safe place for future and current students as they discover the purposes God has for them and as they participate in the beautiful world that God has created.

Prayer requests Please continue to pray for us! If you would like to receive biweekly emails with specifics that you can pray about just sign up here: https://forms.gle/h5YyNGAaThbj8vHm8 . And here are some ways you can pray for us right now:

• Overall o Praise God for the exciting expansion and multiplication we are experiencing o Pray that we live out our mission effectively every day to be an incredible community where people

experience Jesus and His transformation o Pray for that students would become passionate followers of Jesus and effective Kingdom leaders o Pray for students struggling with emotional and mental health challenges o Pray for wisdom as we adapt to Covid19 dynamics and that God expands our ministry in exciting

new ways!

• Queens o Praise God for so many leaders, huddles, the new missional house and so much ministry fruit o Pray that God would multiply huddles, houses, leaders, staff, funding o Pray that God would make us a community of prayer and passion for Jesus

• SLC o Praise God for incredible access and influence o Praise God for amazing answers to prayers like the community breakfast, and new levels of funding

from SLC o Pray for opportunities to serve our at-risk students in this Covid19 season

• Loyalist o Praise God for growing our ministry – students, huddle, leaders o Pray for more leaders to invest in our students o Pray that the administration will fully endorse and establish our ministry

• RMC o Praise God for leaders and huddles o Pray for multiplication of huddles and leaders o Pray that God will establish our ministry on this campus

Looking Ahead Although there is a lot of uncertainty about what September will look like, we are already excited to see what God is

going to do next. In addition to adapting to online ministry opportunities, there are 2 new areas that we feel that God

is calling us to explore. The first is multiplying to other schools. Geneva is currently serving on 4 campuses within

the realm of Classis Quinte, but there are at least as many other schools that appear to need campus ministry. A

number of people have approached us to consider partnering together to start something and we feel that God is

calling us to explore the needs and opportunities for expanding our campus ministry. The second new area is

equipping churches for ministry to young adults. This past year I took some students with me to some great

churches and we spoke on the topic of “discipling young adults in today’s culture”. The students shared what it is like

to be a follower of Jesus and a young adult in this generation and they offered us some great insight for reaching out

to a demographic that is leaving the church in great numbers. The reality is, COVID19 is not the only crisis to hit the

church. The mass exodus of young adults is another major challenge that we need to deal with, and our dream at

Geneva is to walk alongside churches to help them reach young adults. If that is something that you think your

church would benefit from, please let me know. We would love to partner together!

There is so much more that I could tell you about, but I will restrain myself, and I will conclude by thanking you for all

you do to support us in our mission. Your investment in us is having an eternal impact, and it is such an

encouragement to us. Thank you for all you do for the Kingdom!

Steve Kooy

Geneva House Campus Ministry Team Leader

Executive Leadership Team

Julia Kooy Queen’s Women’s Ministry Director Nancy Smith Queen’s International Ministry Team Leader Victoria Sharpe Queen’s Staff Intern Kathy Doering SLC Chaplain Katherine Haridas SLC Staff Intern Wanda Thompson Loyalist Team Leader Kathy Maietta Loyalist Manaswi Gaddipati Loyalist Student Intern Dan Walcott RMC Team Leader Steve Kooy Geneva House Campus Ministry Team Leader

Geneva House 182 Frontenac St Kingston ON K7L 3S6 www.genevahouse.ca [email protected]

geneva house · lawrence and loyalist college and as we began to minister at royal military...

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