Pancakes and Prayer Proves Popular at O-Week

In a bid to engage with new students during Orientation Week the chaplaincy team and volunteers at Victoria University offered up free pancakes and a pop-up op shop.

The result was a huge success. Over 1000 pancakes were consumed and $500 raised for Anglican Mission’s Al Ahli Hospital appeal.

Ramsey House was a hub of activity as students were welcomed and served pancakes and Common Good coffee.

For Rev Jessie Thornton-Black, the hospitality at Ramsey House embodies faith in a tangible way. “For every student we see, we are praying that something in the mix of free food, good company and our commitment to giving generously toward justice causes sparks their interest in what an embodied faith can look like,” she says.

“This is easier when many of those serving them are students themselves, part of the Community of the Transfiguration. These students are committed to journeying with the chaplains in discipleship through prayer, study and service to the university, as well as being friendly faces at chaplaincy who offer hospitality in their homes.”

The team at the chaplaincy has been steadily growing, adding new ideas to how to connect students into the life of Ramsey House.

One of our new part-time chaplains, Noah Schneider, was the driving force behind transforming the chapel into a 24/7 prayer space, full of fairy lights, candles, and prompts to pray for ourselves, the university and the world. Many of the slots were held down by students we’d already had connections with including from the Community of the Transfiguration and other intentional communities, as well as other Christian groups on campus.

Jessie says, “The chapel was a special space of hearing from God at all hours, with some of the Community of the Transfiguration students taking the graveyard midnight-6am hours and many groups bringing in guitars to worship. By the end of the week the walls were full with people’s prayers of gratitude and longing for more of the Spirit to be present as they begin their studies.”

O-Week is a big week, but it’s not the end of ways the chaplaincy looks to engage with the University space.

Jessie encourages parishes who have students attending university to tell them about the chaplaincy ministries at Kelburn or Pipitea or Massey campuses. A student-focused Alpha course is beginning in March, and although the prayer room is no longer 24/7, the chapel at Ramsey House is open during regular hours and students are invited to use it for prayer or join for mid-week worship on Wednesday at noon.

She also speaks of the outreach to international students and that International Chaplain Rev. Andrew Lim has started a new worship gathering on Wednesday evenings.

“We are praying that those students we’re just beginning to connect with would find ways to be knitted into the life of chaplaincy and our local churches around campus.

“While those that we’ve been journeying with for some time would continue to grow because of their involvement at the chaplaincy. Mostly however, we’re praying that we continue to be a space of Christian presence in the University that communicates Jesus’ love and welcome to all.”

Please continue to pray for the important ministry of student Chaplaincy.