Vibrant souls and contagious smiles of leaders in Campus Ministry. From left, Selvindarren, Cherril Mitchell, Holinson, Dwana, Christina, Doris, Rhena, Cindy, Rachel, Jonathan, Sr Terecia fsic, Shannen (the photo taker) and Jason our chef.
By Selvindarren Selvadurai & Cindy Edward
June 10 2022
KIULU – Two years of restricted movement have at last been lifted up and people can once again gather physically with much lesser restrictions.
May 7-8 marked the date which the Campus Ministry Team (CMT) members have long awaited to gather physically and to catch up as one team.
Twelve CMT members including two Campus Ministry Officers, Sr Terecia Loukang, fsic and Christina David, chose to spend the 2-day and 1-night stay in a semi-remote area in Kiulu to connect to the ground we are rooted in, to appreciate the journey we have gone through, to mend the brokenness in our hearts, and most of all, to ensure that we are rejuvenated to face any post-pandemic challenges.
The existing bonds among the CMT members have made it easier to reconnect and be refreshed. In the presence of everyone, we almost forgot the past hardships but only have the desire to serve.
The theme chosen for the retreat was “I have called you friends” from John 15:15, where Jesus called His disciples as His friends because He had made known to them all the knowledge from the heavens above.
During our session, Sr Terecia shared her worries for the campus students; and from the discussion eventually emerged LINOPOT, a way to connect with them.
LINOPOT, an Instagram platform, is the fruit of the pandemic and the core idea is to connect with the Catholic campus students as a way to uphold them in their struggle. CMT will continue to use this medium as a platform for the campus ministry to be visible online and offline. The IG link for LINOPOT is https://www.instagram.com/archkk_campusministry/
A screenshot of the Instagram page that presents contents on LINOPOT
Dwana Andrew, the coordinator of CMT highlighted the importance of keeping in touch with the campus students especially getting to know new members, as it is harder to do so due to social distancing and movement restrictions in the campus as well as outside of campus.
The idea to reconnect with campus students is to acknowledge the struggle these campus students are facing. The CMT hopes that the alumni would be joining in to help in giving guidance especially in life as a Catholic student and growing faith in any situations.
Enlightened with the scriptural reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-37), the members reflected on how relevant is the team today, taking into account talents and availability of its members, challenges in today’s world and how to move forward following the signs of times.
Members also discussed its strategic planning and were reminded to focus on outreaching to others, especially those left undone during the pandemic.
CMT is looking forward to welcome new members who have the heart to serve in this ministry regardless of one’s background of study or alma mater.
We would like you to also take part in the team’s enthusiasm to serve the Catholic students, to be their eyes and ears, and to be their support system while being away from home and far from familiar faces.
Come and join us!
CMT consists of ex-Catholic Students serving and facilitating current student leaders of Catholic Student Group (CSG) from various campuses under the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu.
