10. Saturday Evening Supper (Part 1)

Italian restaurant in downtown Grand Forks
Saturday evening, 11/18/00
Hal and Amy both asked questions
Field notes from tape of the conversation

Dan: LB representative, attends Christus Rex, served as financial advisor
Tina: Dan's wife, attends Christus Rex
Sara: former Christus Rex member, now works for Dan
Dan was involved in starting the internship program - which had 5 students in four years. The concept came out of the Leadership Team,
Dan and Tina both not involved in Christus Rex as a student at UND - attended other congregations in the community. Got involved at Christus Rex because of Kathy, who invited him to get involved. Now they worship there regularly.
Sara worshipped there as a student, now is a member of another congregation of the community.

H: (to Dan and Tina)- why weren't you involved as students?

Dan: grew up here, already had by home church here. I was involved there and continued to be so throughout college. I was not a traditional student, I always lived off campus, tho not with my parents. And I worked a lot…. I don't think I knew what Christus Rex was until my senior year - but I also was not on campus for more than classes.

Tina: I didn't go because the one time I went was when I was a freshman (in 88) neither of the two pastors were there yet… and nothing grabbed me. I didn't know anybody that went there, both my roommates were Catholic so once in awhile I would go to the Newman center. Nobody I hung out with went to church, so I didn't much either.

H: sounds like you visited during the end of the last tow pastors and the interim before Tim started.

Tina: When Dan and I went there when we were dating it was just so fun I said, "we have to go back!" It was so different from the last time, so full of kids - high attendance.

H: You got involved right away, Sara?

Sara: From the time I came to school. I'm from across the state, about 7 hours from home. I came up the summer before to register, I took a tour of campus… I saw it, and then when I was here for school Sunday morning came and what do you do on Sunday morning but go to church, so I went there. I don't really remember how it evolved exactly.

H: Would you like to hear what we've been asking everybody, or would you rather have us tell you what we heard and then you can act as validity tests for us?

Tina: Can we do some of both?

H: We'll start with the basic things we've been asking everybody… what is the value of Christus Rex. Some have answered from community based to personal. What makes it a valuable thing?

Sara: Strong hospitality and community. I came here by myself and didn't know anyone. Plus I come from a rural farming community, like a lot of students from North Dakota do, so walking onto a campus of 10,000 students… felt seemed huge. Christus Rex was the first place that I went to and the building was welcoming, it feels like a home more than a church or another building. It feels like home.

H: Say more about what you mean by "it feels like home."

Sara: It has the rooms of a house, and it has familiar faces - even if I don't get to know that face in that place its still feels OK, it feels safe there.

H: Thoughts about value?

Dan: It's a place that helps people continue staying in touch with their faith, a place for students to connect more than other congregations in the community. Very open minded type of atmosphere, gives people a chance the first time their away from home to try out church in a different way, to find their own ideas and thoughts about their faith. Its valuable because is gives people a safe place to do that without being worried that you'll be judged or questioned. I think the ministry team there has been committed to helping people walk through that, instead of asking them to stay the way they grew up - with "that's they way it is" kind of attitude.

H: So it's a place to explore your own faith and the faith of others - feels safe, open, familiar?

Dan: Yes.

Tina: I would agree with Dan about students not going out and seeking a congregation outside of campus. In my case, the main reason I didn't do that was because I didn't have a car. Plus the time commitment to go out and find a church when you're busy with other stuff… The other value is to the community because there are so many people involved on the ministry teams. I think they really enjoy doing it, Tim and Kathy spend a lot of time making sure its gifts based, they don't ask you to do stuff you have no interest in… there are so many community people involved. All the boards are headed by someone from Christus Rex and someone from the wider community.

H: I hadn't heard that part that location was so important. The second question we've been asking has to do with what's the genius of Christus Rex, what can this ministry share with the world? How could this be recreated elsewhere?

Sara: Is cloning out of the question? A large part, certainly not the whole package, goes to Kathy and Tim.

A: So to recreate it you'd need more of them?

Continue to Part 2