Cover Story

by Benjamin Tertin

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Multnomah Permanently Ends All Student Ministry Labs

Jim Saemenes, director of student ministries, said his department and the academic dean's council had the students' best interest in mind
when they voted to end ministry labs.
--Allison Brandow, photo

Student ministry labs have been permanently cancelled because of growing student criticisms regarding graduation requirements.

The academic dean's council, in conjunction with the student ministries department, announced the decision last spring.

"This gives back an hour per week to students," the director of student ministries, Jim Saemenes, said. "We're trying to lessen the load a little bit."

Considering that student ministry labs have, in one form or another, been in place for more than 25 years, Mr. Saemenes said the decision was "not an easy one." But he said he hopes the new change will show students that his department is respectfully listening to their concerns.

Assistant director of student ministries Ron Draper said that the chapel schedule has changed as well. SWOT chapel will continue on Mondays, but family chapel will take the former ministry lab time-slot on Tuesdays, leaving the normal Wednesday break and Thursday chapel. There will no longer be chapel on Fridays.

Mr. Draper said that, through these major schedule shifting decisions, "the school's intention is to do something that's best for the students...time-wise." The biggest new challenge for Multnomah's student ministries department, now that weekly lab interaction has ended, will be communicating with individual students, Mr. Saemenes said.

He said he will meet that challenge by hosting attendance-optional ministry forums, staffing information tables and posting flyers throughout campus.

Because new students will have no labs for gaining exposure to ministry opportunities, Mr. Saemenes said this year's student ministry expo -- scheduled for Sept. 5 in the gymnasium -- will greatly benefit students who need to find ministries.

At the expo, 75 to 100 churches and ministry organizations will be on campus.

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