Kerrisdale is on the west side of Vancouver, relatively close to the University of British Columbia. It’s what I would think of as a typical Presbyterian Church, having had its heyday; it is now a vibrant and warm, though significantly smaller congregation. Despite its size, it is a community with many strengths; one of the congregation’s greatest gifts is its members’ ability to welcome new people into its fold and fully accept them as their own. In the year and a half that I have been a part of this community I have seen this time and again, particularly with the University students who have wandered into our midst.
A few Sundays ago my husband and I looked out into the congregation to see an entire pew taken up by our smiling University students. I wish I’d had my camera.
This however, is not a typical “target” group. When we think about church growth, people often think about the “ideal” people we would like to become a part of the church. We think about the young families who will swell our Sunday school numbers; we think about the young professionals who will contribute financially to our diminishing resources; and we think about the recently retired who can contribute their time and efforts to the running of the church. We do not often think about University students.
Regardless, they come to Kerrisdale, and they are welcomed, and Kerrisdale reaps countless rewards from having them as part of our community.
University students make up half of our Sunday School teachers; they are very involved in the program and have great ideas for activities to do with the students; the children love having them as their teachers. There are other students who take part in the Library committee and the Choir. They take part in Bible studies and book clubs and are always in for potlucks and dinners. They bring a lot of joy to our congregation, and build relationships with many of our congregants.
This week we had a Bar-B-Queue on the beach in celebration of six of these students who are graduating this year. Three of them will soon be leaving us to go back to their homes, or move on to other places and other jobs. With their departure we will be losing three great participants in our community. While we hope that we have helped them to grow in their faith and to feel comfortable in our family, they have by far left more of a mark on our community.
As we reflect on how much we have appreciated all of our students being a part of our community, we hope that many more students will find a church home in our congregation.
