Life Lunch

One of the first challenges, aside from a very different day-to-day workflow, was finding those who shared my faith in a very secular workplace. Finally, I met some believers on campus and was introduced to Faculty Commons and the Missional Moments.

Something I Can Do

One Missional Moment described a faculty member hosting a regular gathering called Life Lunch in which he invited students to come and share their struggles and triumphs both on and off campus. I thought, “This is something I can do!”

I quickly selected a date, made a flyer, and shared the information with my students. On the day of my first Life Lunch, I bought some cookies and arrived 30 minutes early. About 30 minutes past the start time, I realized no one was coming.

I was disappointed, but not willing to give up. I picked another date and did all the similar preparations. I waited patiently and one student came! I was elated. 

We had a wonderful conversation, and I ended up praying for the student as he dealt with a terminally ill parent.

A Tradition

Over the past few years, emboldened by God’s grace and provision, I have continued these Life Lunches and strive to make it something of a tradition, with 4 to 5 gatherings each semester. We have developed some ground rules and a loose structure: we can discuss anything except class assignments.

While the goal is to engage in spiritual conversations, sometimes one has to deal with more practical daily student issues in order to clear the way to discuss more lofty ones. But there is always time for open discussion and private conversations.

So, you might be wondering, is this wildly successful and does it require a huge lecture hall by this point? While I would, in some ways, like to be able to answer that with a resounding “Yes!”, that is not the case. Sometimes only one student shows up and sometimes 30 or 40 attend.

Opportunity to Invest

The goal is not popularity or attendance, but the opportunity to invest into these students, to address their spiritual questions, and to be a good listener. It also empowers the students who are believers as they live in a world that often persecutes them for their beliefs.

While my prayer is that this simple ministry is a blessing to the students who participate, the reality is that time spent pouring into these students is a most incredible blessing to me. It strengthens my faith and my love for Jesus Christ every day.