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service projects year round, includ- ing an alternative spring break. This year 13 students went to Vancouver, Canada, to work at homeless shelters and community gardens. Emmaus also serves the faith
community within the Montana Synod by sending a team to lead worship at nearby congregations. Students develop leadership skills by
planning services, writing sermons and leading music. They often tackle hard theological questions such as the story of Job, the idea of being saved and the reason Jesus died on the cross. This outreach ministry serves as a teaching tool for congre- gations as well. “Congregations see a bunch of young people showing up who are
excited about church and it gives them hope,” Lund said. “They’re try- ing to figure out where the future is, who’s developing leaders for the future and who’s asking the right questions, which is much needed right now because churches are hav- ing a hard time understanding and connecting to young people.” These are questions all mainline
denominations are asking. And some campus groups are struggling to answer them. Many U.S. Protes- tant campus ministries have folded due to lack of funding. In Missoula, Lutheran Campus Ministry became Emmaus Campus Ministry to sup- port other denominations that couldn’t sustain their ministries. “People feel more welcome with a
name they can’t pronounce than with one that seems to target a specific population,” Lund said. When Hastey came to Montana
for the first time, she knew nothing about the ministry groups on cam- pus. During orientation, she walked into the Emmaus house—four years later it has become a defining part of her college experience. This aca- demic year Hastey is in Germany on a teaching Fulbright, but she will always remember her time at Emmaus. She said the beauty in ministries
like this is that they don’t try to make Christianity easy or palatable. “They own their traditions and histories while affirming the new life the gos- pel brings,” she said.
Author bio: Drew is studying journal- ism and religion at the University of Montana, Missoula.
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