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The Clarendon Connection

July/August 2009

www.clarendonhillchurch.org

New England Presbyterian Campus Initiative: A Good Year

By Kelsey Rice Bogdan

If you chanced to look in the Sunday School room last week, you may have noticed that the

desk of the New England Presbyterian Campus Initiative (NEPCI) looked a bit bare. The NEPCI
project, a year of examining collegiate ministries in New England, is finished… for now.

NEPCI ended a year of interviews, student focus groups, and data collection by issuing a

report to the Presbyteries of Boston, Northern New England, and Southern New England (see link
below). NEPCI also hosted a wonderful campus ministry summit, Great Expectations: For
Students and Ministry in Higher Education, at The Presbyterian Church in Burlington, MA, on
May 30. Karl and Katherine Gustafson, Sarah Glass, and Liz Leavitt from Clarendon Hill all
participated in that event.

The Presbytery of Boston hopes to recruit one or two campus ministry liaisons in each

church who will advocate for collegiate ministries and help congregations get involved. If you’re
interested in being one of the liaisons for CHPC, check in with Karl. Collegiate ministry will also
be one of the themes of Presbytery Day in November, so mark your calendars!

Though NEPCI was sponsored at the presbytery and synod levels, in many ways

Clarendon Hill has always been the real home of the project. You offered me office space and
supplies, to be sure, but CHPC’s contribution to the project went far beyond such practical
necessities. You gave me the time, energy, and wisdom of your minister, Karl, to work with me in
shaping the project and to help me carry it out. You offered your enthusiasm every time I came to
church, and some of you even agreed to be interviewed for the project. This church contributed
much to NEPCI’s eventual success.

And you gave me a nurturing environment to explore ministerial gifts that went beyond

NEPCI, allowing me to co-lead both a Lenten worship and a Bible study within the congregation.
Both the worship and the Bible study were invaluable experiences for learning about my own
vocation. But the best part of the worship and Bible study for me was the opportunity to build
relationships with several of you in the congregation. A good field education
experience allows you to develop your skills—a great field education experience
surrounds you with wonderful companions on the journey. I can unequivocally
say that my field education placement at Clarendon Hill has been great.

Thank you all for making this a wonderful year of growth for me at

CHPC. May God’s love go with all of us until we meet again.

NEPCI Final Report:

http://www.synodne.org/mediagallery/
album.php?aid=22&page=1

NEPCI Blog:

http://nepci.blogspot.com

NEPCI Facebook Group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49693036772&ref=ts