Campus Ministry Shaped My Life

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 finding home away from home. I grew up in The Valley but Westwood might as well have been in Minnesota in those days. College was a time of big questions, and the campus ministry gave us room to wrestle with them honestly. The Chaplain, my friends, and I prayed together, studied together, and learned that faith wasn't something reserved for Sunday mornings, it was meant to shape how we lived every day. Those conversations taught me to listen carefully, respect different viewpoints, and look for God's presence in unexpected places.

Me: Did those experiences stay with you later in life?

Parishioner: Absolutely. The values I learned there guided nearly every major decision I made, both personally and professionally. Whether I was choosing a career path, raising a family, or facing difficult challenges at work, I kept returning to those lessons about compassion, integrity, and service. The community helped me understand that success wasn't measured by titles or accomplishments alone, but by how we cared for others. Looking back, I can still picture the friends, the conversations, and the hope we shared. Those years helped shape the person I became.

Me: Were you ordained?

Parishioner: Dear Lord, no. Corporate Law but campus ministry taught me to be kind.

Then smiled as he walked over for coffee.