InReach Ministries
"Academic Excellence and Spiritual Vitality"
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
InReach Ministries is a unique student chaplaincy program that provides intentional pastoral care on each floor/unit within the traditional Residence Halls. Known around campus as "Spiritual Life Coordinators" or "SLC's" and "Spiritual Life Assistants" or "SLA's", these forty InReach Staff members receive specialized training to assist them in fulfilling their ministry role among their peers.
The InReach Staff also provide a consistent, weekly time for residents of each floor/unit to gather and find space to connect with God and one another. Sometimes known as "koinonia" time, which is Greek for "fellowship" and defined in Acts 2:42-47, SLA's seek to lead a rich community experience centered on the Bible and its application to our lives. In partnership with Residence Life Staff, the SLC's also coordinate opportunities for the entire Residence Hall to come together at least one time a semester to focus on the Residence Hall theme for the year, listen to residents' testimonies, or to hear from a guest speaker.
In all of these endeavors and throughout all of training, InReach Staff members seek to enhance the spiritual vitality of the campus through their own relationships to Jesus Christ and through relationships with others, no matter where they may find themselves on their spiritual journeys. With a particular emphasis on "holiness" as found in the rich tradition of Asbury College and spoken of through our own "cloud of witnesses" to this life of faith, InReach Staff members seek to help others identify any barriers to growth in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
With gratitude to the Transformations Project , InReach training has also been enhanced in recent years to clarify students' understanding of vocation and God's calling on their lives throughout the world today. This year we have implemented a new emphasis on spiritual disciplines, intentionally exposing students to a variety of methods through which they can better recognize their ability to connect and hear from God through a relationship with Jesus. This, in turn, allows students to continue to discern God's will for their lives and to discuss together what it means to follow "the race that God has set before you".
The InReach Staff is privileged to have the opportunity to interact with so many residents on campus and to journey alongside one another in this life of faith. If you have questions, please contact the Coordinator of InReach Ministries at ext. 2377. The InReach staff application process begins mid-spring semester for the following academic year.