The fall retreat at Camp Stevens offered our Agape San Diego SDSU/UC San Diego students a beautiful opportunity to step away from the busyness of campus life and reconnect with themselves, one another, and the restorative presence of nature. For some, the retreat was a familiar return to a beloved place; for others, it was a courageous step into something new. Raven, a graduating senior using the GI Bill, shared, “I was nervous for this new experience but I am so glad I went

Beginning our third year as members of the UC San Diego community, we hosted an Open House of the Center for Ethics and Spirituality (CES) to a wild response. To kick off Triton Weeks of Welcome, CES hosted an Open House where Agape welcoming nearly 100 students into a vibrant community of curiosity, connection, and conversation. We're so grateful for support from the team at Campus Life. We created the event as an opportunity for students to discover a place where they can

Broadening our community engagement at SDSU is an important part of building a ministry that is visible, accessible, and connected to the wider campus community. By stepping beyond traditional ministry spaces and engaging students through creative, public expressions of faith, we create opportunities for people to encounter a message of hope and belonging in unexpected places. Spray-painted murals featuring the words LOVE and PEACE offer a simple yet powerful way to make our

One of the great blessings of our ministry is the opportunity to accompany students on two campuses, each with its own character, rhythms, and community, while creating meaningful connections between them. Students at SDSU and UC San Diego bring different experiences and perspectives, yet they share many of the same questions about faith, purpose, justice, relationships, and the future. Bringing these communities together reminds us that campus ministry is not simply about wh

As a new academic year begins at the University of California San Diego, we are delighted to welcome back returning students and to greet those who are stepping onto campus for this new season of their lives. Every new quarter brings fresh opportunities to build friendships, ask meaningful questions, and discover places of belonging. This fall is especially significant for Agape San Diego as we begin our 75th year of campus ministry, celebrating generations of accompanying st

For many of us, faith begins as something woven into the fabric of childhood. We grow up going to church, learning the stories of Scripture, celebrating holidays and traditions, and finding a sense of belonging in a community of faith. But as we grow older, our questions grow, too. College can be a time when familiar beliefs are set aside as we explore new ideas, experiences, and ways of seeing the world. For some students, moving away from religion is an important part of gr

Regular giving is an investment in the future of campus ministry. When congregations, organizations, and community partners make a recurring commitment to Agape San Diego, they help ensure that students have a consistent place to gather, ask questions, explore faith, build meaningful relationships, and discover a community that welcomes them as they are. Your support makes possible the meals, gatherings, retreats, outreach, student leadership, and pastoral presence that are a

May I please pet your dog? There is something almost magical about a little fluffy dog when you are a college student far from home. You can be carrying a semester’s worth of assignments, wondering about your future, missing your family, and feeling a little untethered—and then suddenly, there is a warm, curly bundle of fur leaning against your leg. A dog asks nothing complicated of you. No résumé, grades, major, or five-year plan. Just sit down. Scratch behind my ears. Stay

Transfer students often arrive with a particular maturity and earnestness. They have already experienced change, transition, and the work of finding their footing in a new environment, and they bring that perspective with them to campus. Perhaps because they understand how easily a person can feel like just one face in a crowd, they are often especially attentive to the importance of meaningful connection. They recognize that community does not simply happen—it takes intentio

As we look toward a new academic year, we are filled with gratitude for the opportunity to offer worship experiences unique to both San Diego State University and UC San Diego. Starting new rhythms of worship always brings a mixture of blessings, struggles, and excitement. We know that college life is full of competing demands, uncertain schedules, and students who are still searching for where they belong. Yet we also know that a small circle, gathered in prayer, can become

As a new academic year begins at San Diego State University, we are delighted to welcome back returning students and to greet those who are stepping onto campus for the this new season of their lives. Every new semester brings fresh opportunities to build friendships, ask meaningful questions, and discover places of belonging. This fall is especially significant for Agape San Diego as we begin our 75th year of campus ministry, celebrating generations of accompanying students

For us, participating in San Diego Pride is a joyful witness that God's love extends to every person. We began Pride Week with our summer sailing kickoff that reminded us that creation itself proclaims God's goodness. Out on the water, students, alumni, and friends found space to reconnect, laugh together, and experience the beauty of the world God has made. That spirit carried into the raising of the Pride flag at SDSU, where our campus community affirmed that faith and auth

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

Returning to Camp Stevens for our annual Spring Retreat was a gift in every sense of the word. A dozen of us stepped away from the pace and pressure of campus life and into a space where conversation, prayer, and laughter came naturally. Throughout the weekend, we shared spiritual practices that invited reflection and rest, creating room to listen more deeply to one another and to God. Meals around the table, walks beneath the trees, and moments of quiet reminded us how meani

It was a genuine joy to spend time with The Rev. Beth Scriven, whose warmth and attentiveness were evident from the moment she arrived. As someone new to Bishop Susan’s staff, Beth brings both fresh perspective and a deep sense of vocation to her role, and that spirit was clear in every conversation. Even with the fancy title of Canon to the Ordinary for Leadership Development, her curiosity about our campus ministry at SDSU, paired with her thoughtful listening, created a s

The generosity shown through donations of professional clothing to students at San Diego State University has made a meaningful and lasting impact. For many students, access to appropriate attire can be a barrier to stepping confidently into interviews, internships, and early career opportunities. These gifts do more than fill closets—they restore dignity, build confidence, and open doors that might otherwise feel out of reach. Each donated item carries with it a quiet messag