PHILADELPHIA (BRN) – The most important thing we do for our students on campus at Drexel University is share the gospel with them and how much they are deeply loved by God. Teaching them that forgiveness is available through Christ’s work on the cross and that they can have the promise of forever with Him, if they realize their need for a Savior and say “yes” to His sacrifice, unconditional love, redemption and grace.
Something else that has been a critical part of our ministry is helping students through challenging and sometimes life-threatening mental health struggles and crises.
Recently, we had to intervene with a student who in so many words said, “I just don’t want to live anymore.” Thankfully, our help provided the support and resources needed and, though still struggling, this student seems to be out of the crisis stage and trying to implement a variety of strategies to go through the healing process.
From the outside looking in, it is easy to view the role of the campus minister as evangelizing the students, which, don’t misunderstand me, is necessary and the reason we are there, but often people overlook the fact that most of the time we need to just minister to them. Our ministry at Drexel is full of moments like this…sitting down face-to-face with students, talking through real-life struggles and situations, and being present.
Within the last month, I’ve had the privilege of being able to pursue several different ministry opportunities related to exactly this.
First, I have been discipling some of the female students on campus each week. It’s a special time set aside to give them a safe space to talk with me, ask questions, grow deeper in their walk with the Lord and have an accountability with me and one another that they didn’t have before.
We go through a series of topics each week that help them reflect on and prioritize time with the Lord, manage finances, be mindful of their words and how they impact themselves and others, relationships in which they invest their time and how they can implement Scripture in their prayer time and their daily life. It has been such a blessing to begin this work with them and is a time we all look forward to.
Several weeks ago, I was asked to provide a talk specific to mental health in which I focused on suicide awareness, prevention and how to respond when a friend or someone you know is thinking of suicide. The people who were trained at this meeting included both staff members for Cru Philly, students from Drexel Students for Christ, students from Cru, students from WEH (With Every Heart – Drexel Christian Student Organization specifically designed for women), alumni and students involved in Baptist Campus Ministries.
During my presentation, students and staff asked questions and were engaged in the discussion, as this is a topic personally affecting each one of them in different ways.
More recently, I was asked to share at WEH, also within the mental health arena.
Being an all-female group, I spoke on women’s mental and emotional health as it relates to stress and anxiety, two things that at one time or another, or in an on-going way, are part of every Drexel student’s life.
I asked the group to take a stress and anxiety self-assessment, to help them evaluate how stressed and anxious they think they are vs. how stressed and anxious they feel. I also had them work in groups to talk about ways they handle stress and coping strategies they implement in their own lives. Key themes underlying the presentation were acknowledging they were not alone in these feelings and experiences and that, as believers, there is hope. We talked about Scripture specifically related to anxiety and each student took home a Scripture card and a list of ways to cope and handle stress.
As a licensed professional counselor, addressing the needs of students regarding mental health is something I will continue to invest my time in. It is imperative that campus ministry be infused with this component of care because students are struggling with this issue every day, whether personally or with someone they know.
They need to be equipped with ways to cope with the stressful environment Drexel is, taught to reach out to someone when they are feeling this way and encouraged to know that they are not alone. This is one way I can shine the light of Jesus on our campus and what an immense privilege and responsibility it is to do so.
Brian and Jennifer Musser, as well as all the collegiate missionaries across PA/SJ, are not employed through NAMB, their university, a specific local church, or directly through the BRN. They are non-salaried, self-funded missionaries through NAMB responsible for securing their own financial support for their salary, housing, benefits, and ministry support through monthly financial donations from churches and individuals just like you. They can only remain on their campus with your partnership. If you would like to become a partner and join the Musser’s support team, please click here.
