So in case you haven't read my Facebook statuses lately, this past weekend I took my sister to Springfield, MO for her freshman year of college. And I dedicate this blog to her, even though she is currently in the Missouri wilderness doing tug of war in a mud pit or something.
I am the middle child of 3 girls. My older sister, Tracie, currently lives in Iowa with my brother-in-law and is enlightening the minds of young Iowans in the great Midwestern city of Cedar Rapids. Actually I really like Cedar Rapids, Tracie thinks its kind of boring but I've got a thing for smaller cities (that's why I went to college in a town of 22,000). Kristin, the youngest Burge girl, just graduated high school in June and got all sorts of awesome scholarships for her freshman year. Most people might say I have a disadvantage because of "middle child syndrome". To be honest, I don't really know what that means. My parents paid plenty of attention to me but then again, I was kind of hard to ignore since I always ended up in the hospital or at a doctors office. But really... I actually like being the middle child. It means that I have the older sibling to idolize and the younger sibling to pick on mercilessly (and I barely ever got in trouble because I was able to pass blame off to one of my sisters).
But I digress. I couldn't be prouder of my younger sister. She has turned out to be a wonderful young woman of God, who really has a heart for missions. When she told me about James River Leadership College (JRLC), I was a little skeptical. She was paying all this money to a basically to go to a church where she would (I felt) be doing all the grunt work. However, after this weekend, God showed me (as he often does) that I was HORRIBLY wrong about this place.
For those of us who grew up in an AG church, JRLC is really just an expansion of the Masters Commission program. They took the model and just improved on it. The college is actually set up as a co-op through Evangel University and James River Assembly of God. Evangel is one of the biggest Assemblies of God colleges and James River Assembly is probably the biggest AG church in the nation. I kid you not the average attendance at this church is at least 7500.
The great thing about this program is the students take all the same classes as they would at Evangel but they get hands-on experience through practicums. Each student gets to work in the area of their choice and they are able to put what they learn in class into practice right away. Kristin chose the youth practicum since she wants to be a youth missionary. Most of these students want to be pastors or work with a church in some capacity so the experience they receive here is invaluable. And when Kristin is done in 2 years, she will have her associates in leadership. From there, she can either transfer to a 4-year Christian college to finish her bachelors or get a job. I'm pretty sure she's going to transfer and get her bachelors.
The training is also very Biblical and Christ-centered. At orientation, the JRLC director Dr. Jon Spence went into great detail about everything and it was quite informative. Sadly, I don't remember much. What I did get from orientation is the staff at JRLC are very concerned about the whole student: mental, emotional, and spiritual. Naturally the focus is on the spiritual but Dr. Spence told the students if they had any trouble at all and began to get overwhelmed, all they need to do come talk to the staff.
Kristin's schedule was a bit overwhelming to look at. Above the required classes, she also has her practicum (15-20 hours a week), chapel services, small groups, 3 church services a week, and any other required events they decide in the future. And everything takes place at the church, all her classes, practicum, etc. My freshman year of college wasn't anything close to this. I had class and work. My senior year may have looked something like her schedule but that's only because I volunteered for everything.
Orientation was very pleasant and I knew Kristin had found her place. It will be challenging but Kristin has a will of iron. I have no worries.
Kristin was able to meet her roommates and they seemed to get along well. Going to a Christian school, her chances of having bad roommate experiences are less likely (I hope), but there will probably be disagreements and they will be tired of seeing each other 24/7. These 4 girls will basically do everything together over the next 9 months. The 3 freshman share identical class schedules. Kristin and another one her roommates are also in the same practicum. So literally they will be together all the time. Her 4th roommate is the floor RA and actually a sophomore, so they won't see as much of her.
Housing wise, Kristin is very lucky. She will be living in a 2-bed, 2-bath apartment with only 3 other roommates. The apartments are only about a 5 minute walk from the church and the grocery store is literally 100 feet away. The apartment is actually a good size and the walk-in closets give enough room for everyone's stuff. The apartment also came with a dishwasher and 1 family provided the girls with a washer and another the dryer. So they won't have to pay for laundry (lucky ducks). The rooms are really your typical size rooms (my guess would be 14 x 16) and they are all painted a nice shade of cream. The girls also have a balcony and were very excited about it. However, they can't use it until management removes the hornets nest.
Now as we moved in, Kristin realized she had way too much stuff. I was a little miffed that she didn't listen to my advice about college shopping. I did move-in for four years into the room the size of a closet. The girls ALL brought kitchen stuff and had 4 sets of pans, 4 sets of dishes and a lot of other things. So I was sent home with 2 boxes of excess stuff. I did take Kristin shopping for storage stuff after move-in and I said no a lot. I don't claim to be an expert on many things but I am an expert when it comes to college living spaces and storage. Kristin got what she needed and some stuff she wanted (a pencil sharpener).
When I left, she was unpacked and seemed settled. I will admit that I was very sad to leave her. If this is what my mom went through with Tracie and I, then I'm sorry I didn't call home more often. I sniffled for 2 hours on my trip home. I didn't allow myself to cry because the highway in Missouri is pretty hilly and curvy.
I'd always seen Kristin as this adorable but obnoxious 13-year-old. Then she went and grew up on me. Now she's this gorgeous (but still obnoxious... just kidding!) 18-year-old about to start the greatest time of her life! When did this happen? Although I will admit that I'm glad she's grown up, she was kind of a brat as a kid (she will admit this too). So now I'm wondering if I will ever hear from her, if she's doing ok, is she eating, and all sorts of other parental things. And I hear it only gets worse when you have children... if that's true, I'm going to be an emotional wreck when my kids go off to college. Now I'm not going to go all crazy and call her every night. I'm just going to call every other night at 10 p.m. to make sure she's in her room doing her homework.
I was also able to go to church at James River Assembly on Sunday and I even got a tour from one of the board members. This place is massive and seriously awesome! The youth get their own center and the kids have their own wing. The little kids get their own McDonald's playplace. The church serves Starbucks coffee and has the most delicious pound cake. The auditorium seats 3450 people and I'm guessing there were 2500+ in attendance on Sunday. There are 24 restrooms (in all the corners) and there are viewing areas set up outside the auditorium for people who aren't comfortable sitting in the auditorium. Our tour guide said at least 200 people a week sit outside at these viewing areas to watch service.
I will also say it's the most informal service I've been too. The worship sounded more like a rock concert (they all had ear pieces) but I've always thought some times we take worship too seriously. The worship leader was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The pastor, Scotty Gibbons, was absolutely phenomenal and was wearing sneakers, jeans and a button up plaid shirt.
And for all of you thinking that everyone attending this church was raised AG... you're WRONG! My tour guide said only 15-20% of those who attend were raised at an AG church. That's like maybe 500 people.
The one thing I really liked about this church is their focus is to reach out. Literally. That's what we were told during the tour. They are SO involved in their community it isn't even funny. The church has a fitness center and offer free membership to the local fire and police departments and teachers. 40% of the gym membership don't even attend the church. They have an addiction center that offers free counseling. They even started their own charity called Cherish Kids that helps finds kids foster homes and adoptions. The state loves this foundation because they place kids in good homes and it takes some of the pressure off of them.
And my sister gets to be at the forefront of what God is doing in the Springfield area. It's so cool! It wasn't until Sunday that I really got to see what this place is all about and I was blown away. The ministry, the commitment.... everything. This building is only about 4 years old and they are already taking on a new building project for a new James River campus about 10 miles north. Their going to build this HUGE facility with very little debt and construction will be done in a year.
Kristin told me that she showed up to the college visit and immediately felt at home. After experiencing service first hand, I can see why. It is a HUGE church but I felt at home. And it was very unsettling to walk into this massive church knowing absolutely no one. I felt more at home there then I did at the church I attend now (and I grew up in that church).
So Kristin dear, you are destined for great things. I've always known it. Your new home will take great care of you and help you grow more than anything Chicago could ever offer. I'm praying for you and I love you! We don't agree on much but I agree wholeheartedly that you have found the right place. I would wish you luck but you won't need it. You're going to accomplish things I could never even dream of. And don't forget to call home! I want to be able to brag about all the awesome stuff you're doing. If I hear it from someone else at church first, I do know where you live and I will hunt you down. Sounds selfish but I'm allowed to be selfish about finding all your accomplishments first. It's family privilege because don't forget girlie... you're stuck with me (insert evil laugh here).
No comments:
Post a Comment