Faced with the options of either pausing their ministry indefinitely or adapting quickly in the face of the growing coronavirus pandemic, Wesley of Middle Tennessee did what many campus ministries chose to do.
They adapted as quickly as they could to provide online and virtual ministry for their students. Closing the ministry for the rest of the year was never an option, according to Wesley’s associate director, Michelle Ozier-Wallace.
Michelle explained, “To pause ministry would mean to cut short the love, care and development of our current students. We only get a few short years with our students and we don't want to miss any opportunity to pour into them and assist them as they grow into adults and as faithful followers of Christ.”
The transition to fully online was not too much of a challenge for the versatile group. With live-stream worship already happening and the university utilizing Zoom for classes, the transition was fairly smooth for most things. The biggest challenge, they said, was creating fellowship events and showing pastoral care virtually.
Finding ways to connect with people online has not slowed down the rapidly growing ministry. They have used this time to reach out beyond their walls and connect with people in Middle Tennessee who couldn’t be there in person, several of whom attended different universities before classes country-wide went online. According to the ministry directors, to be able to meet, minister and get to know these students has been one of the biggest blessings that has come with moving online.
They hope to continue their online presence even after this period of social distancing ends. Michelle went on to say, “We now know that we cannot ignore the online community.” The goal is to continue reaching out to that community using YouTube and Zoom after they are able to meet in-person once again.
As a student-led ministry, Michelle took a second to highlight the feats of Wesley’s student leaders, “Our students are the ones who have truly made the transition to virtual ministry a success. We could not do what we have done and continue to do without the skills and talents of our student leaders.”
They are now looking onward to their newest challenge, connecting with incoming students without being able to meet face to face. Nothing is going to slow down this ministry, though, as they continue to strive to create connection and spread love during a challenging time for everyone.
To learn more about Wesley of Middle Tennessee, check out their website or contact them here.
Written by: Megan Young