This year’s Lutheran Campus Ministry Network (LuMin) Conference had me return to Rocky Mountain Synod where I was ordained and pastored for nine years. It is a joy to be with a hundred other campus ministers, where we share stories, affirm, encourage, support, and reenergize each other. More Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Methodists are joining LuMin every year because we are robust with quality events, resources, and connections all year. This time the Gather ELCA young

During the summer, stepping aboard a catamaran on Mission Bay offers a different kind of community than the one formed during the academic year. Without the deadlines, exams, and packed schedules of campus life, there is space to slow down, catch up on each other's lives, and simply enjoy being together. Conversations that might have been squeezed between classes can unfold over steady winds and calm waters, as students share stories from working at our beloved Camp Stevens,

Next year we turn 75! Celebrating milestones of ministry among college students is more than looking back with gratitude; it is an act of faith that remembers how God has been at work across generations. At both San Diego State University and University of California San Diego, decades of campus ministry have created spaces where students have wrestled honestly with belief, doubt, vocation, and belonging. Marking this kind of anniversary honors the quiet, often unseen work o

A wonderful part of my ministry is Spreading Agape with our partner congregations around the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. Sharing the blessings of our ministry with parishioners is truly a gift but the greatest gift is hearing their life stories and experiences with campus ministry. Here’s an excerpt from a conversation with a wonderful man at St. James, La Jolla. Parishioner: My time in campus ministry in the early 1950s shaped my life. More than anything, I remember f

For many students in the 1990s, college was a season of discovery that extended far beyond the classroom. They arrived on campus carrying questions about vocation, identity, relationships, and purpose, often far from home and navigating new freedoms and responsibilities. Within our faith community, they found a place where they could be fully known and fully welcomed. Weekly worship, late-night conversations, retreats, service projects, and shared meals created a foundation o

As the quarter comes to a close at UC San Diego, we find ourselves holding both deep gratitude and the bittersweet reality of farewell to this year. In our final gatherings, there were tears of profound thankfulness for a community where students could bring their whole selves and be met with welcome, respect, and care. Throughout the year, our shared space became a place of belonging, where questions of faith, purpose, identity, and hope could be explored honestly. For many

Reactions and Responses to Violence The Rev. Darin Johnson, Agape San Diego Campus Pastor and Executive Director On Monday two lost boys of San Diego attacked the Islamic Center, taking the lives of three men who instinctively put their own bodies between the attackers and the school children. At last night’s vigil, Imam Taha Hassane gathered about 5000 of us to nearby Lindbergh Park. His gracious welcome and prayerful leadership guided us transform this tragedy from pain and

This weekend at Camp Stevens with Agape felt like stepping into holy ground shaped by wind, stone, and ancient trees. The further we moved from the noise of campus and glowing screens, the more clearly I could hear the quiet invitation of God in the wilderness around us. Morning light filtered through the branches of old oak trees, painting the paths in shifting gold and green, while the cool mountain air carried the scent of earth and oaks. We shared meals, laughter, and lon