The DWU Student Ministries team prepared and marched in the Blue and White Days prepared showcasing their motta, "take care of each other." Photos from Facebook.

Who is my neighbor?  That question, posed to Jesus in Luke 10, is the starting point for campus ministry at Dakota Wesleyan University.

“On a residential campus, you can’t help but know your neighbors,” says Rev. Eric Van Meter, who serves as campus pastor at DWU along with Rev. Denise Van Meter. “There’s no getting away from each other—which is both a good thing and a challenge.”

Like many congregations, DWU Campus Ministry faced enormous challenges in the first year of the pandemic. When this fall began under circumstances closer to normal, students and staff realized the work to be done.

“We lost a whole year of development at a critical time of these young adults’ lives,” Van Meter notes. “And while everyone was glad to start back to school in a more normal rhythm, we always seemed to be asking each other, ‘Does anyone remember how we do this?’”

In response to this challenge, student leaders at DWU have focused on building community on campus. Chapel services have focused on recognizing that everyone is a neighbor and deserving of respect and care. Freshmen Ministry meetings help new students adapt and integrate into campus life. And service projects—largely absent last year because of COVID protocols—are once again connecting students with the wider community.

For students, the emphasis on community is a welcome change from the isolation of the previous school year.

“Student Ministry has been vital in my college experience,” says Andrea Hult, a junior who is serving as an Elisha intern at DWU. “I’ve been able to build relationships with other students at Dakota Wesleyan as well as the Mitchell community through our service projects.”

DWU Student Ministries leads worship and music on campus each week.

Leadership development, a priority for Campus Ministry every year, has taken on greater importance this fall, according to Eric Van Meter. Equipping students for peer-to-peer ministry has led to greater outreach and sense of connection on campus.

The most focused training in this aspect of discipleship comes through Student Ministry Council (SMC), a group of 26 students who plan and staff DWU CampMin. Members of SMC also report a high level of satisfaction and engagement.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in SMC this year,” says Matthew Schwaerzler, a junior from Washington. “It's an amazing outlet for me to grow in my faith with other campus leaders while still being able to serve our wider campus community and lead others to Christ.”

Sophomore Trinity Schroeder agrees. “Through SMC, I have found a group of people who truly do take care of each other,” she says. “My faith is constantly growing as we learn what it looks like to love God and love others well.”