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UCM Texas State held worship outside, as pictured above. This provided students on campus a place to go when few other gatherings were occurring. Submitted photo

Despite the pandemic, United Campus Ministry is thriving

Thursday, December 10, 2020

When Jesse Hernandez arrived at Texas State University four years ago, he and a friend began looking for campus ministries.

“We felt really comfortable with United Campus Ministry at Texas State and felt very welcome in the space,” said Hernandez, 23, a theater major from Austin. “I stepped into the role of worship leader, and I definitely found a call to worship leader after that.”

He liked it so much he never left.

Even though he graduated last spring, Hernandez, who comes from a Wesleyan Church background, is still leading worship — “taking an extra lap,” he says. Besides leading the band, Hernandez has done “an amazing job” with the music setup for outdoor worship and mobile recording for use in social media, said the Rev. Todd Salmi, the pastor of the United Campus Ministry.

Hernandez is among a dedicated group of student leaders who work relentlessly to share the love of Jesus at the fourth largest university in Texas. The work is thriving as never before, even as the ministry follows strict protocols to ensure safe gathering during the pandemic.

United Campus Ministry is a multi-denominational partnership of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The United Methodist Church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. When Salmi came to the program more than three years ago, he was tasked with rebuilding a vibrant ministry. Today, more than 280 students stay connected with the ministry throughout the year. More than 1,000 people follow UCM’s Instagram account, a primary tool for reaching out to new students.

The reasons for success of the ministry are multi-faceted: an ability to adapt quickly to changing situations, online and in-person options for gathering, a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that draws participants from various or no traditions, opportunities to build lasting friendships and a passion for following Jesus Christ.

The ministry’s mission statement is to “help students find authentic friends, find a place they can grow spiritually, and find God’s purpose in their lives.”

Ali Armstrong, a 21-year-old English Literature major from Houston, was eager to build the same type of relationships on campus that she had enjoyed at her home church. She said she found exactly what she was seeking.

“A lot of people are looking for a purpose and a place to find God’s call,” said Armstrong, the UCM student president. “We’re really good at opening our doors for anyone and everyone at the Texas State campus. It gives us a sense of family, with a foundation on Christ.”

Because of the impact of the coronavirus, students this year have felt increased anxiety. Many went home at spring break, not to return until the fall. Important connections were lost, Salmi said. Social media was not enough to fill the void left by the lack of in-person relationships.

During the fall semester, the ministry worked to create a “culture of wellness” leading to the launch of a weekly fall outdoor service with registration, temperature checks, masks, social distancing. It grew to about 45 students, which was the attendance limit established for the service. Clips from worship are also shared online and via social media.

Outdoor worship provided students on campus a place to go when few other gatherings were occurring. For a majority of the semester, the UCM transformed its parking lot into a sacred outdoor space next to the dorms. It requires weekly setup of chairs, sound/AV, and check-in for health and wellness, but it created a safe distanced place to gather in worship. The sounds of singing even attracted passersby. The UCM held its final few worships of the semester inside its sanctuary, at less than 25% capacity, and will resume worship in mid-January after the winter break.

“We’ll gauge the decision on how we worship in spring based on public health, but I fully expect outdoor worship to be part of our regular worship life going forward — for sure in the Easter season!” Salmi said. “It’s a really visible way to share the light of Jesus on campus.”

UCM Ministry Intern Nate Beasley, 20, a junior education major from Austin who reached out on social media this summer to students on behalf of the ministry, said it is a blessing to be able to help others stay linked to Christ and each another.

“It’s God,” said Beasley, the UCM’s student intern, “and it’s a beautiful thing to see.”

You can learn more about United Campus Ministry at www.ucmtxstate.org or via social media at @UCMtxstate.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666