News from UCMA Members

WELS True North Sponsors "Jesus Challenge"

2007-04-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday on the 24th is the Jesus Challenge. We are going to have a table up at the Washington Avenue Bridge, a table in Coffman and one over at the Dinkydome corner (15th and University). Here people can take a quiz on the life of Jesus and have a chance to ask questions—get a Jesus Challenge button—and a gospel of Luke to find out for themselves who this Jesus was.

At 7:00 PM in the center court of the Dinky Dome there will be a talk: “The Challenge of Jesus to Human Evil: A Moral Standard, A Moral Answer.”

Joe Johnson
612-378-1346
pastor@truenorthwels.org
WELS True North Campus Ministry

Os Guinness Lecture - April 27th (12pm)

2007-04-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

A World Safe for Diversity: Living with Our Deepest Differences in an Age of Pluralism
Dr. Os Guinness
Friday, April 27th, 12:00 p.m. (noon)
Room 275 of Nicholson Hall

This is a a great lecture for students and campus leaders and a rare opportunity to hear someone of Dr. Guinness' stature on the University of Minnesota campus. For more information, please contact Matt at 612-378-1935 or kaul0038@umn.edu.

MacLaurin's 25th Anniversary

2007-04-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

The MacLaurin Institute’s 25th anniversary celebration is April 27. After Os Guinness speaks, the reception will feature light refreshments and opportunities to visit with Christian faculty from the University of Minnesota, students who are active in the Institute, and Institute board members. Some of Dr. Guinness’ latest books will be on sale, as will be an audio CD of the evening lecture.

We would love to have you join us as we begin to lay the foundation for the future of our mission to bring God into the marketplace of ideas at the University of Minnesota. Tickets are $9 ($6.50 in blocks of 15). E-mail 25th@maclaurin.org, or call 612-378-1935.

For more information, visit the MacLaurin Institute's website.

Upcoming MacLaurin Institute Events

2007-02-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

For more information about the MacLaurin Institute and their programs,
go to: www.MacLaurin.org.

Monday, February 19, 2007
Symposium on Civic Engagement and Moral Education, speakers include Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff (Noah Porter Chair Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University), Dr. Richard Bernstein (Vera List Professor of Philosophy, New School University), and Dr. Mark Bauerlein, (Professor of English, Emory University and Director of Research and Analysis, National Endowment for the Arts), 2:30 p.m., Cowles Auditorium in the Humphrey Center; free and open to the public.

Friday, February 23, 2007
First Annual Faith and Human Rights Lecture, From Exile to Torture: The Global Scope of Religious Persecution, Dr. Paul Marshall, (Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute, and at the Center for Religious Freedom, Freedom House, Washington, D.C. and author of Their Blood Cries Out), 7:00 p.m., Room 50, Law School; free and open to the public. Funding support was received from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

Thursday, March 1, 2007
Third Annual Faith and Law Lecture, Disenfranchising Believers: How the Federal Courts’ Religious Motive Test Violates Religious Liberty, Dr. Francis Beckwith (Associate Professor of Church-State Studies, Baylor University, and author of Law, Darwinism, and Public Education), 7:00 p.m., Room 125, Willey Hall; free and open to the public. This Faith and Law Lecture Series is sponsored by the MacLaurin Institute and the Christian Legal Society (CLS), with the co-sponsorship of the Terence Murphy Institute and the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, and the Federalist Society.

Thursday, March 22, 2007
Nihilism and Freedom: Is There a Difference?, Dr. David Bentley Hart, (Visiting Professor, Randall Chair in Christian Culture, Providence College, and author of The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth). Response by Timothy Brennan (Professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, University of Minnesota), 7:00 p.m., Room 125, Nicholson Hall; free and open to the public.

Thursday, March 29, 2007
"I Tell You the Truth": Truth as Certainty and Truth as Mystery, Dr. Leonard Sweet, Drew University (E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Drew University), 7:00 p.m., Solomon's Porch (100 W 46th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55419); free and open to the public.

Thursday, April 12, 2007
Turning the World Upside Down: Israel's Scripture in Luke-Acts, Dr. Richard Hays, (George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament, Duke Divinity School), 7:00 p.m., Room 102, Fraser Hall; free and open to the public.

Church & State Debate - November 30, 7:30pm

2006-11-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

November 30, 2006
Debate on Church & State:
Does the First Amendment Require the Separation of Church and State?
Charles Shreffler (Mohrman & Kaardal P.A.) and Edward Tabash (Americans United for the Separation of Church and State), 7:30 p.m., Room 150, Tate Lab of Physics; free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by the Campus Atheists and Secular Humanists

Dr. David Noebel Lecture - October 27

2006-10-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

The Dr. David Noebel is speaking this Friday October 27th at 1 pm in the 1701 class room building, room 143 on the topic of the religion of secular humanism and it's stranglehold on the University market place of ideas.

Download Poster--
http://spiritformed.com/Attend/Noebel_poster06.pdf

David and Mary Jo Nutting will be coming to campus on November 9th at 7 pm and I've attached the info in pdf form. They will be at the president's room (332) in Coffman on that night.

Posted by Grant Buse.

"The Pope and Islam" Lecture - Mustafa Akyol

2006-10-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday, October 20 at 2:30 p.m., Mustafa Akyol (from Istanbul, Turkey) will give a talk on The Pope and Islam in Room 101 of Fraser Hall (106 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455). Dr. Terry Nichols, Professor of Theology at the University of St. Thomas (and a former Board member of the Institute) will give a response.

Posted by Scott Noble (MacLaurin Institute).

Dr. Anthony Esolen Lecture, October 10

2006-10-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

Please join us on Tuesday (tomorrow), October 10 at 7:00 p.m. for a talk by Dr. Anthony Esolen on Shakespeare's Tempest and the Miseduation of American Youth. Dr. Esolen is Professor of English at Providence College. He has translated Dante: Inferno and Paradise. The lecture is in Room 140 of Nolte Center: http://www.onestop.umn.edu/Maps/NCCE/ (315 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455). This event is free and open to the public, with funding from the Fred and Leonette Lanners Foundation.

Posted by Scott Noble (MacLaurin Institute).

Upcoming Events of Interest

2006-10-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

October 10, 2006
Shakespeare's Tempest and the Miseducation of American Youth, Dr. Anthony Esolen, Providence College (Professor of English), 7:00 p.m., Room 140, Nolte Center; free and open to the public. Dr. Esolen's recent books include new translations of Dante: Inferno and Paradise.
October 19, 2006
International Journalists' Forum on Intelligent Design, Denyse O'Leary (Canadian journalist based in Toronto and author of By Design or by Chance?) and Mustafa Akyol (freelance journalist who has written for The Weekly Standard, The Washington Times, National Review and a host of others), 8:00 p.m., Room 130, Murphy Hall; free and open to the public.
November 1, 2006
What America Can Learn From Secular Europe: Reflections of a Transatlantic Christian Thinker, Udo Middelmann (Francis A. Schaeffer Fellow, MacLaurin Institue), 7:00 p.m., Room 16, Vincent Hall; free and open to the public.
November 10, 2006
11th Annual Holmer Memorial Lecture, God and Morality, Dr. Richard Swinburne, University of Oxford (Emeritus Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion), 7:00 p.m., Room 125, Willey Hall; free and open to the public. Dr. Swinburne's most recent books include The Existence of God and Faith and Reason.
November 17, 2006
Flannery O'Connor and the Fundamentalist South, Dr. Ralph Wood, Baylor University (University Professor of Theology and Literature), 7:00 p.m., Room 155, Nicholson Hall; free and open to the public. Dr. Wood's most recent books include The Gospel According to Tolkien and Flannery O'Connor and the Christ-Haunted South.

Posted by: Scott Noble / MacLaurin Institute

Elaine Pagels Lecture at U of M, Friday, Oct. 6

2006-10-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

Distinguished religion scholar to deliver lecture about Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci

Contact: Myrna Smith, Graduate School, (612) 625-7579
Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (9/20/2006) -- Princeton University professor of religion Elaine Pagels will deliver the lecture “Jesus, Mary Magdalene & Da Vinci” at 12:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, in the Ted Mann Concert Hall 2128 Fourth St. S., Minneapolis. Her presentation is the Graduate School’s annual Guy Stanton Ford Memorial Lecture. The lecture is free and open to the public. The concert hall opens at 11:30 a.m. Click here for more info.

Posted by William Monsma
Source: U of M News Service

International Ministers Prayer Time

2006-10-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Fellow International Student Ministers,

Come join us for our monthly prayer time tomorrow, Wednesday, October 4, at Southeast Christian Church (15th Ave SE) from Noon to 1:10 PM. For the first half we will eat lunches we bring and share with each other, and for the second half we will pray. The new school year is in full swing now, so let’s pray for God’s grace together. I hope to see you soon!

Glenn Kenadjian

P.S. As a reminder, we meet on the first Wednesday of each month.

Learn Conversational Chinese

2006-10-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Stadium Village Church will offer Basic (Beginning) Conversational Chinese (free with a $5 registration fee each semester) on Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Bethany House (Where English classes and Office are behind Stadium Village Church) on the 2nd floor. The husband of a PhD student/wife has volunteered to teach Americans and others who want to learn Chinese. I will be a student in that class, so come and join me. The first class is this Thursday. If you can't come this Thursday, because of a previously scheduled appointment, but will be able to join us next Thursday, let me know.

Class size is limited so return email me right away giving your name, phone number (preferably cell) and email address to pre-register if you want to join the class. First preference will be given to SVC attendees and workers, volunteers and students who plan to use their Chinese language skills to build relationships with Chinese students and scholars at the U of M. Please forward this information to anyone you think might be interested.

We are really informal, so If you don't have time to go home to eat, pack your supper or grab something on the way to eat before coming to or during the class. A microwave, tap water, coffee and tea and cups are available or you can bring your own drink. There are 4 visitor's parking spaces in the lot next to the church, two with visitor's signs and the two spaces with no number or sign facing the driveway between the church and Bethany House. Please use these spaces or park on the street. We also have a bicycle rack. Map and directions to SVC are on the web-site below.

Barbara Fadirepo
International Students, Inc. (ISI) / Stadium Village Church (SVC)
501 Oak St SE
Minneapolis MN 55414
Tel. 612-378-3111 (ofc) 651-645-6328 (hm) 651-707-4467(cell)
Email: Niranfadi@aol.com or bfadirepo@isiwebnet.net
Website: www.internationalstudents.org www.stadiumvillagechurch.org

New Article from Phil Friesen

2006-09-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

Phil Friesen and his publisher would welcome would welcome feedback from ministry colleagues on an article he has written before it goes to press. Request a pdf of the complete article from Phil Friesen at frie0081@umn.edu.

Translating Across Religious Cultures Part I
Buddha and the Mysticism of John 14-17
Does Christianity offer anything to the world that Buddhism does not? What would it be?

Request PDF of the Complete Article

U of M Prayer Room

2006-09-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

The U of M Prayer Room will re-open beginning in October. The website for this ministry is umnprayerroom.com. There is a need for "gatekeepers" to be in the CIA building to let people in, and spread the word about the prayer room. To sign up for a two hour gatekeeper shift contact Nathan Clancy, gatekeeper@umnprayerroom.com. To reserve the room for an hour of private prayer sign up at the website.

--Posted by Charlie Oglesby (Prepare Ministries)

SEE YOU AT THE MALL

2006-09-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

SEE YOU AT THE MALL
Wednesday, Sept. 27, 7:00am
at Northrop Mall

This event is the collegiate version of "See You at the Pole." All campus ministry students and staff are invited to participate. We will gather in the Mall area on the plaza in front of Northrop Auditorium to pray for our campus, our fellow students, and ourselves.

For more details, email Brad Dewing (Christian Student Fellowship) at heybrad @csf.net.

UMN Campus Ministry Starter Tools & Info

2006-09-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Tools to begin the new school year
With the beginning of the new school year arriving, UCMA would like to provide some very basic, but helpful tools to help you start of the school year with recruiting. Many of our groups have been doing campus ministry for many years and know these things, but some of our members are new to this campus and may find these tools helpful.

Registering a Student Group
http://www.sao.umn.edu/groups/manage/new.php
The first place to start is to register your student group. Registering your student group gives you access to classrooms around campus, including in Coffman Union as well as access to various activities fairs and events that are sponsored by the U of M. All you really need is 5 students and $20. The Student Activities Office is the office that you register through, and they are a great resource to utilize for your event planning. There contact information is below.

SAO Office
If you need an outdoor space permit, food permit, or have a question - this is the place to go
Web: www.sao.umn.edu
Email: sao@umn.edu
Phone: 612-626-6919

Paint the Bridge
http://www.sao.umn.edu/events/ckod/paint_reg.php
Each year the inside of the Washington Avenue Bridge is repainted by student groups and it's all TOTALLY FREE - they even provide paint and brushes. It's a lot of fun for students, and a free way to advertise your group. Here are the dates: Thursday, Sept 14 10am-7pm and Friday, Sept 15 9am-5pm.

Student Activities Fair
http://www.sao.umn.edu/events/ckod/fair_reg.php
Each year there are two Activities Fairs in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Weather permitting, they happen outside of the respective Student Unions, and are a lot of fun for students to staff and they attract a lot of traffic. The cost is $15 to register for one and $20 to register for both. Space is limited so register ASAP. Here are the dates: Tuesday, Sept 19: 10am-2pm (Mpls) and Wed, Sept 20: 10am-2pm (St. Paul)

Upcoming MacLaurin Institute Events

2006-08-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Institute has a full schedule of lectures and conferences for the upcoming year. In addition, the Institute celebrates its 25th Anniversary in April of 2007 with Dr. Os Guinness. Here are a few highlights. For a complete list of all Institute lectures, conferences and special events, visit www.maclaurin.org/lectures.php

Pristine Harmony: Finding Balance Between the Natural, Human and Engineered Worlds, September 22-23, Borlaug Hall. Speakers include Dr. Cal DeWitt, Dr. Rolf Bouma, Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger and Dr. Susan Emmerich. For more information or to register, visit www.christianenvironmentconference.net.

Shakespeare’s Tempest and the Miseducation of American Youth, October 10, Dr. Anthony Esolen (Professor of English, Providence College).

11th Annual Holmer Memorial Lecture, November 10, Dr. Richard Swinburne (University of Oxford), 7:00 p.m., Room 125, Willey Hall.

Fifth Annual Faith and Bioethics Lecture, January 19, 2007, Dr. Robert Orr (University of Vermont College of Medicine), Moos Tower.

Symposium on Civic Engagement and Moral Education, February 19, 2007, speakers include Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff (Yale University), Dr. Richard Bernstein (New school University) and Dr. Mark Bauerlein (Emory University), 2:00 p.m., Cowles Auditorium in the Humphrey Center (tentative time and location).

Third Annual Faith and Law Lecture, March 1, 2007, Dr. Francis Beckwith, Room 25, University of Minnesota Law School.

Would You Like to Partner with Stadium Village Church?

2006-08-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Would you be interested in partnering with us with any of the following? If so, please contact me.

Kathleen Macosko
kmacosko@hotmail.com

1. Does anyone want to do Move In Day with SVC/parking lot?

2. Would you be interested in co-sponsoring a course taught by Search Ministries on How to Respond to the 12 Questions about Christianity that People Usually Ask? A man from their ministries, BJ Pederson, will teach on the DaVinci code Sept. 17, Sun at SVC. If people wanted to check the ministry out they could come then.

3. Also Dale Crall, a pastor from Univ, Church in Carbondale, Ill, will preach and teach at SVC Oct. 1, about ministering to the campus, particularly International Students, but not exclusively. He has a thriving ministry/church there. Guests are welcome.

4. We would be so happy at SVC to offer our facilities to any UCMA group who wanted to have morning prayers for the campus. We would like to see one group take one morning so that the whole week is covered. We already have a Fri. 7am prayer time.

5. Would you be interested in joining us in co-sponsoring some special classes? Idease include: How to Get Good Grades in College and Money- God's Way.

Prayer Time RE Christian/Muslim Dialogue

2006-04-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

There will be a prayer time with debriefing at 10:15 before the UCMA meeting at Stadium Village Church on April 25.

We are discovering that it is the conservative Muslims who want to talk with conservative Christians. Come and seek the Lord for guidance as to how we will make ourselves available.

Philip Friesen
frie0081@umn.edu

New Home for the MacLaurin Institute

2006-04-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all those who helped the Institute move last Saturday. We had a good group of volunteers who made moving day go well. We are pretty much set-up in our new office, with a few more details to complete. We are now located at 1501 University Avenue SE, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Feel free to stop in sometime and see our new office!

U of M Orientation Fair Tables

2006-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Dear UCMA Friends,

I wanted to make each of you aware that registration for participating in Freshman Orientation Activities Fair is due by Friday, April 14th. I can send you the documents that I received from the Office of First Year Programs with all pertinent information. Some of it is redundant, so bear with it.

In the past, this has been a helpful component of The Rock's ministry, as we've had a number of students get involved through this Fair. The advantage is that we have a captive audience of students, many of whom are looking to get involved.

If any of you are interested in sharing a table, need the registration info, or have other questions, please contact me at karl@rockthechurch.com by Monday, April 10th so I can make the necessary arrangements. Partnering together has been helpful in the past, so that not one group need be at the table each and everyday.

I had hoped to be able to bring this up in person at our next luncheon on April 25th, but they kind of sprung the deadline on us with short notice.

God bless
Karl Quickert
karl@rockthechurch.com

ACMI National Conference / June 1-3, 2007

2006-04-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

The national conference of the Association of Christians Ministering to Internationals (http://www.gateman.com/acmi/index2.html) will be held here in Minneapolis June 1-3, 2007. Please reserve these dates for this major conference, which will be held on the campus of St Olaf College. The planning team includes Bob Webber (immigration lawyer), Ken Phillips (prof. at Northwestern College), Lowell Busman (Stadium Village Church), Dennis Barnett (Christian Student Fellowship), and yours truly.

Your colleague in Christ,
Bob Osburn
MacLaurin Institute
2221 University Av SE #120
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Upcoming MacLaurin Institute Events

2006-03-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Complete MacLaurin Institute Event Info

March 8, 2006
Second Annual Faith and Law Lecture - The Right to be Wrong: Ending the Culture War Over Religion in America
Kevin Hasson, Becket Fund; Room 25, University of Minnesota Law School, 12:30 p.m., free and open to the public.

March 22, 2006
Visions of Peace in Two Traditions
Dr. David Shenk, international teacher and contributor in forums related to Muslim-Christian relations and Sh. Asad Zaman, Iman at the MAS Center and Principal of Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, 4:00 p.m., Room 2-620 Moos Tower, free and open to the public.

March 27, 2006
Roundtable on Faith and Economics
Dr. Paul Glewwe, Associate Professor of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota. Dr Glewwe will address What Do Christian Economists Have to Offer Christian Aid Organizations? Dr. Bryan Dowd, Econometrician and Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota. Dr. Dowd will address Religion and Economics: An Overview. 3:30 p.m., University of Minnesota West Bank campus, free and open to the public.

March 30, 2006
The Unbearable Lightness of Society and Its Challenge for Modern Medicine
Dr. John Patrick, former Associate Professor in Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Biochemistry and Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, 12:15 p.m., Room 100, Mayo Building, free and open to the public.

April 21, 2006
The Universal Hunger for Liberty: Why the Clash of Civilizations Is Not Inevitable
Michael Novak, 12:15 p.m., Room 25, University of Minnesota Law School, free and open to the public.

Support Raising Training, March 3-4, 2006

2006-02-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

I want to make some support raising training available on March 3 and 4, 2006 for people who can use it. In addition to working locally with international students from China, I am also the Training Director for China Outreach Ministries. Since this past spring, I and another staff have been developing several days of support raising training for new COM staff, and we recently finished it and presented it for the first time. We have three local volunteers who are going into full-time ministry, and so I offered to teach it to them too in a somewhat abbreviated form. Since I am going to do it for them, I realized I can open it up to others here in full-time ministry too. Here is a brief Q & A about this time so you can see if this is for you and some people you work with.

Who is this for?
This is for local people who are in Christian ministry and raise funds to support themselves, and who have not already had extensive training in this area. Participants may have had some training in support raising before, but not a lot. Participants can be in local student ministry or can be going overseas as missionaries. It is not for people who will just do short-term mission trips.

What will you cover?
The main topics we will address are:
-Biblical Basis and Helpful Attitudes
-Phoning for Appointments
-Face-to-Face Appeals
-Group and Church Appeals
-Valuable Tools
-Ways to Keep Track of Contacts and Supporters
-Support Raising Letters and Newsletters
-Ministering to Supporters
-Your Support Raising Strategy
-Accountability

When and where will you have it?
We will meet from 8:30 AM to 5 PM on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4. We will have a 90 minute break to get lunch each day. The location is to be determined, but it will probably be near the U of MN east bank campus.

What are the costs?
I am making this training available for free as a service to my fellow ministers. As a way of saving money, I will issue the training notebook on CD and not provide a hardcopy (but you can print it out your own and put it in a three ring binder if you like).

Apart from this, there are the costs of buying Morton’s book. Plus you will need to take the time to read the book, do the assignments in advance, participate in ALL the meetings, and follow through afterwards. Hopefully you will look at these not as expenses but as an investment—one that will prayerfully have a significant return!

How can I participate?
To participate, register by Feb. 17th at the latest. I believe I can accommodate around 15 people for this. Blessings!

Glenn Kenadjian
China Outreach Ministries
612-722-3657
kenad003@umn.edu