SCM Epiphany Grand Tour of Canada

by David Ball
National Coordinator
January 29, 2009

As I write, I’m on the train with my Toronto counterpart, SCM’s new National Co-Coordinator, Emily Carr, for a grand ‘SCM Epiphany’ recruitment tour. I love the train… watching the country roll by, having some time to reflect on the future of SCM and how we can better support student involvement and leadership in this rather unique and visionary movement. The prairies, the mountains… it’s all so beautiful and humbling.

So far, here’s our journey:

Last week, we both played an SCM benefit concert called ‘Midwinter Soulstice’ in Winnipeg, alongside local musician Suss. It was a beautiful evening show, with an intimate feel and songs by candlelight in a downtown parish.

We then journeyed to Edmonton, arriving at the University of Alberta for a well-attended and feisty student protest against tuition hikes – at 7 in the morning! The chanting was vociferous and the free donuts were frozen solid. One of SCM’s allied chaplains was in attendance, and we met in the chaplaincy office to encourage Alberta students to come to our upcoming National Conference in Toronto (May 3-10).

Next, we spent the weekend at Camp Kuriakos in Sylvan Lake, Alberta with the Lutheran Student Movement. Highlights: Sauna (hurrah Scandinavian Lutherans). Elk stew and ‘food, glorious food’ (that was the theme). Wise and wacky chaplains. A new local unit starting at Augustana College and the Calgary SCM taking off like crazy. Worshipping in a drum-circle. Candlelit sung evening prayer.

Emily and I then joined a group of students for Holden Evening Prayer on Sunday night in Calgary, and then yesterday spent all day at the university – participating in a Pentecostal-hosted service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and facilitating a lively discussion afterwards on ‘Reimagining Our Church’ with students and chaplains from Lutheran, Catholic, Pentecostal and Baptist denominations. And in true SCM form, we hit the pub after for nachos and ‘theology on tap’ (ie. beer and God-talk).

It has been an exhausting but truly exciting journey for me so far. I’m excited to get to San Francisco for the North America regional conference this coming weekend (radical bookstores here I come!)… then over to Victoria and Vancouver to visit local units in both cities (Vancouver being our newest SCM – Welcome!) and see some old friends from when I was involved in the local SCM there a few years back.

Later in February, we hit Toronto for SCM’s board meeting and an event at the University of Toronto. Busy times! But SCM is certainly moving these days. It’s hard to convey that here but the energy we’ve found amongst students so far has been inspiring and motivates such a feeling of being absolutely blessed… which makes me so grateful for the workings of the Spirit of God in our world today.

Now I will try to get some sleep before another LONG day of travel. Blessings.