Category: Blog

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

After a quiet summer it has been great to have a full campus back in swing! Classes began at Penn State on August 21, and right away 3rd Way Collective hit the ground running.

Our first week included the Penn State involvement fair, an ice cream social, as well as a collaborative welcome back barbecue that we planned with our Collaborative Campus Ministry friends.

 

At the end of the month we participated in LION Bash, a campus and community event, with members of University Mennonite and University Baptist & Brethren – two churches who support this ministry. 

September included our regular weekly meals (this year in homes as well as somewhere at a downtown restaurant!), our grad student pub night, encouraging students to engage the activism in our community, as well as a small service experience providing a meal for Hearts for Homeless‘ new permanent residence. 

Our student officers are young and passionate about the work we are doing. They meet with campus pastor Ben at the end of each week for breakfast, to reflect on the work we’ve done, and to plan for upcoming events and activities. They have been an invaluable resource as we engage our community.

Special events this month included continuing to work with the Free Pizza Friday initiative with Muslim Student Association, a project collecting items to send for hurricane relief through UMCOR, and the annual International Day of Peace March (click here for a reflection from one of our student officers).

It is clear that 3^rd Way Collective continues to provide our campus and community a unique presence. We have received deep affirmation for our ability to promote peace and justice, and to build bridges between organizations collaboratively working for peace and justice beyond their political, religious, economic, or ethnic identities.

Thank you for your continued support!

– Campus Pastor Ben Wideman

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

 

Thank you for supporting another year of 3^rd Way Collective – Penn State’s only campus ministry focused on Christ-centered peace, justice, and faith.

This year in our community we collaborated with dozens of campus and community groups to create new spaces and ways to engage issues of peace, justice, and faith – more than 90 events and activities, involving more than 2000 people. These connecting points ranged from small groups around the table to guest speakers and events. We hosted several folks from the Anabaptist tradition – starting with Ted & Co. TheaterWorks and the Walking Roots Band in the fall, and RAWtools unique peace-maker blacksmithing and Theatre of the Beat’s This Will Lead to Dancing play in the spring, as well as authors Todd Wynward, Drew Hart, and Mark Van Steenwyk making appearances this year as well.

In the midst of a contentious political season, we collaborated several on protests and marches, aiming to stand with those feeling marginalized and alienated. We continued to spread our peace and justice ethic through more than 25 articles and interviews in local and national media. We also released 35 episodes of our weekly Peace Signs podcast.

Our reputation in the community has lead to inclusion in more campus and community initiatives. In addition to the collaborative groups we’ve worked with in the past, we also were a part of the MLK Commemoration planning team, and have just been asked to join the Stand for State team working at preemptive programming to create a healthier campus community.

Aside from all of these accomplishments, I am most excited by the expanding network of students who find our organization and lean on it for a space that did not exist before we began our work. For this fall we already have commitments from four passionate student officers (three of which come from peace-church traditions – Quaker, Mennonite, and Brethren!) including three rising sophomores who hopefully will have several years of connection with this movement ahead of them.

It has not all been smooth sailing – our effort to create an intentional living community was much more challenging than we imagined, and we have decided pause this initiative to reflect on the struggles of this attempt, as well as what we’ve learned.

I was deeply moved to be affirmed for a fourth year, and am thrilled to watch our support base expand to other congregations and individuals in our community. Hopefully this will continue to trend in the right direction.

It is clear that 3^rd Way Collective continues to provide our campus and community a unique presence. We have received deep affirmation for events that are becoming annual traditions such as the RAWtools visit and Palm Sunday Peace Walk. We have created a vast network of people who are interested in collaboratively working for peace and justice beyond their political, religious, economic, or ethnic identities.

Thank you for your continued support!

– Campus Pastor Ben Wideman

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

The month of March was highlighted by our service and learning trip to Washington DC over the spring break week. We explored the city through the Steinbruck Center where we did everything from serving in soup kitchens to advocating on Capitol Hill with our campus ministry friends from Westminster Presbyterian Fellowship, Penn State Wesley, and Lutheran Campus Ministry. Our group was smaller this year, but the connections we made and the lessons we learned were so valuable. I am convinced that we have something that we will always hold, no matter where our students go from here. 

Our events this month also included a Transgender Clothing Exchange as a way to reach out to our LGBTQ community on campus – especially transgender students who feel marginalized as they venture into their transition. We also partnered with Receiving with Thanksgiving to implement a visit from Allyson Robinson and Austen Hartke on our campus on being Christian and transgender .

 

March also included a push to get a larger community of support for the work of 3rd Way Collective. We are thrilled to be affirmed for another year of peace, justice, and faith at Penn State, but we are also continuing to search for partners beyond University Mennonite Church to pledge their support for the coming school year. Our hope is that creating a broader support base will allow this ministry to last well into the future.

Thank you for following our journey!

If you would like to support the work of 3rd Way Collective, head on over to our giving page!

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

January and February were busy months – so busy, in fact, that we forgot to put up a reflection post for January until another month had passed by!

After a much needed break, the campus came to life again in January with a full list of justice-based events and activities. 3rd Way Collective contributed to MLK Commemoration week by inviting and planning RAWtools visit to Penn State, who brought Dr. Drew Hart with them to enhance their faith-based message of peace and reconciliation. It was powerful to watch these two Anabaptist voices engage our campus and community, and to see students who were imagining a different kind of Christianity through their presence with us.

We have collaborated on many different community events, as well as continuing to advocate for peace and justice in our community and at the political level. This new presidential administration means that there always seems to be another justice cause or concern being felt by a marginalized group that we can offer our support for.

During February we helped our friends at Receiving with Thanksgiving bring Dr. David Gushee to campus to talk about becoming a Christian ally for the LGBTQ community, and then later that month we collaborated with a few other campus ministries to bring Todd Wynward to our town with his message of watershed discipleship.

A unique partnership crossed our paths when we partnered again with Muslim students at Penn State to hand out pizza during their monthly Free Pizza Fridays event. Amazingly each month they hand out 25 pizzas in a matter of minutes!

Our regular events included our weekly home cooked meals, as well as a Grad Student Pub Night for each month. These continue to be meaningful small group conversations around the table. Recently we’ve been imagining these as communion-like spaces for sacred connection.

Thank you for following our journey!

If you would like to support the work of 3rd Way Collective, head on over to our giving page!

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

December kicked off with a bang as we participated in the first-ever Social Justice Org fair, as part of a lead-in to MLK Commemoration at Penn State. It was wonderful to fill the hub with some of our sister-orgs who are also working for peace and justice issues within our student community. We also look forward to playing a key role in the upcoming MLK Commemoration Week in January.

Each week since the election season concluded we have been fortunate to participate in the Standing at the Gates for Justice vigil that takes place each Monday at 4pm at the Allen Street Gates. Some days the weather is cold and dreary, but there are always committed people and students from our community who want to raise their voices for justice.

We continue to think creatively about what it means to be a student organization that stands for marginalized people who are feeling the pressure and pain of a rise in hate speech, discrimination, and abuse. We are also trying to imagine a community where students feel like they can belong regardless of their political or theological identity. It is challenging work, but this is why 3rd Way Collective exists.

Two highlights for me (Campus Pastor Ben) were handing out free pizza during an interfaith collaboration of Free Pizza Fridays with our Muslim Student Association, and  the Christmas service put on by Receiving with Thanksgiving. For many LGBTQ Christians on our campus, this will be the only inclusive Christmas service they attend this year. I felt fortunate to participate by offering the short sermonette.

 

3rd Way Collective was pleased to be featured in an in-depth article The Mennonite Magazine in their past issue. We continue to seek out support from other churches who want to support our work.

December also included final exams, the end of the fall semester, and the break. By t
his point in the semester Penn State students, faculty, and staff, were all ready for some time off from their busy schedules. We are thankful to be a part of Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, and their exam week resources for students.

Thank you for following our journey!

If you would like to support the work of 3rd Way Collective, head on over to our giving page!

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

To say that November was a meaningful month would be an understatement. Where we had been feeling fatigue and disconnection from Penn State’s student body because of the fall’s election intensity, the election results seem to have sparked students toward reaching out and taking action. It seems clear that we continue to exist in a country that is deeply divided, one in need of “third way” solutions to the problems that we face.

Right now we are thinking creatively about what it means to be a student organization that stands for marginalized people who are feeling the pressure and pain of a rise in hate speech, discrimination, and abuse. We are also trying to imagine a community where students feel like they can belong regardless of their political or theological identity. It is challenging work, but this is why 3rd Way Collective exists.

The lead-up to the election included a collaborative Gray Matters series on being a person of faith in the election, and an Election Day Communion event that was a joy to take part in. We also joined the LGBTQA Student Center and several other groups in the first Transgender Visibility Week on our campus.

Campus Pastor Ben traveled to Lancaster Mennonite School and Dock Mennonite Academy to speak in chapel at these Mennonite high schools. He also led an afternoon retreat through the Sabbath Away organization.

This month two podcasts featured Ben sharing about 3rd Way Collective. You can hear interviews with the Peace Lab Podcast here and the Waterworks Ministries Podcast here.

November also included the long-awaited Thanksgiving break. By this point in the semester Penn State students, faculty, and staff, are all ready for some time off of their busy schedules. December includes only a few short weeks of class and then final exams before our winter break begins.

Thank you for following our journey!

If you would like to support the work of 3rd Way Collective, head on over to our giving page!

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

This month was a busy and enjoyable one! Collaborative events included hosting The Walking Roots Band for a concert for Penn State students and the community at Abba Java Coffee House, relaunching the Gray Matters series with a focus on the election season, a collaborative conversation with a few other groups with Islamaphobia scholar Todd Green, and joining with LGBTQ affirming groups for a HUB takeover event during Penn State’s Coming Out Week. These kinds of events are so much more meaningful when we connect with other groups who share a particular cause.

We continued to tinker with our regular events, cutting back on some of our regular events so that there was more time for personal connection and collaboration with other groups.

A handful of 3rd Way Collective students joined with our supporting congregation for University Mennonite Church’s annual fall retreat. This was a lovely way for a few students to connect with the congregation who is supporting this campus ministry.

 

 

If you would like to support the work of 3rd Way Collective, head on over to our giving page!

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

 

Penn State is back in session! The beginning of a new school year was somewhat different this year because my (campus minister Ben Wideman) welcomed a new baby into my family! This meant that while students were being welcomed back to campus I was not always present. I’m thankful for people who were able to step in and make sure 3rd Way Collective was still running smoothly.

Once again we’ve created an event schedule that we hope will provide the Penn State and State College community with meaningful ways to engage faith-based peace and social justice. Since the start of the school year we’ve created or collaborated on 28 different events, ranging from home-cooked meals to theatrical performances and coffee hours.

Our regular weekly events often include just a handful of students, they have provided wonderful ways for people to connect and respond to the issues that they are working through in their lives.

Early in September I was asked to participate in an Evening of Hope, Healing, and Remembrance, honoring those who have lost their lives to suicide, and standing with friends and family members who remain. It was deeply moving to participate in this kind of an event, and to hear the stories of people who were present there.

We were especially thrilled to have Ted & Co. Theaterworks present for two shows this fall – Listening for Grace, which revolves around the way people of faith embrace LGBTQ people, and Laughter is Sacred Space, which engages recovery after loss and in the midst of mental health struggles.

As we did last fall, we collaborated this month with three other campus ministry organizations to offer a service and learning trip to Pittsburgh. Students who attended were able to engage issues of justice around food and homelessness in an urban context. Our hope is that they carry their findings back to our campus.

We also partnered with dozens of other organizations for the first ever International Day of Peace March on Penn State’s campus. This culminated in a demonstration on the steps of Old Main and included speeches and many heartfelt calls to action.

Some of the most meaningful times have been when I have connected with students in one on one settings. Whether these are celebrating with a student who is discovering who they are, or sitting with a student who is struggling, I am reminded again that pastoral presence in a person’s life is more important than simply offering more event programming. Our campus has so much going on, and sometimes we forget to slow down and remember what is most important.

Thank you to all who have helped to make our fall a meaningful one so far.

 

If you would like to support the work of 3rd Way Collective, head on over to our giving page!

Each month we hope to give an update on the 3^rd Way Collective experience at Penn State! Follow this blog to learn more about how we’ve been creating spaces for peace, justice, and faith at Penn State.

 

Summer has flown by!

We’ve been amazed by the many students still hungry to connect around peace, justice, and faith – even in the midst of the quieter summer months here in State College. Fortunately we’ve been able to provide spaces, such as our home cooked meals and pub nights, which continued to provide spaces for Penn State students to connect with each other and our broader community this summer. 

Marv Friesen, lead minister at University Mennonite Church, began a few months of sabbatical leave this summer, meaning that I (campus minister Ben) picked up some additional church pastor jobs that are not typically part of my life. I enjoyed preaching several times this summer at UMC, and walking with the congregation as it journeyed through life. I was also fortunate to officiate at a wedding for two young women in nearby Altoona, PA who had connected with me after learning about my work as an inclusive pastor. It was wonderful to get to know them and participate in their special day.

I also enjoyed some vacation time, heading back to Ontario, Canada to spend time with my family and enjoy the place where I grew up. In early August I also traveled to Boston where I participated in the National Campus Ministry Association‘s annual conference as well as the second gathering for NCMA’s Bethany Initiative. It was a joy to be gathered with other campus pastors from across the country.

We have been busy this summer getting ready for the fall. Our event calendar is shaping up to include several meaningful one-time events, as well as a full slate of weekly and monthly gathering times. It is amazing to have a passionate group of student officers and a dedicated advisory team to work with in bringing this all together.

We continue to work at bringing more financial support for this ministry. 3rd Way Collective could not exist without the many people who keep this going! Thank you.