The birds are chirping, kids are playing, and summer is in full swing. For the students and recent graduates of Campus Outreach Minneapolis that remain in the Twin Cities, this can only mean one thing: Twin Cities Project has come. For those students who have, for one reason or another, elected to remain in the Twin Cities this warm and rainy summer of 2015, Twin Cities Project (TCP) offers a community in which they can pursue and deepen their relationships with Christ.
My name is Isaac Chan and I am one of those aforementioned graduates. A little bit about me before we begin with my ramblings. I am a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota where I majored in Communication Studies. I currently work in the Human Resources department of the Minneapolis Public School district. I enjoy everything from video games to camping, and all the activities in-between. Lastly, my writing is almost always influenced by the books I am reading at the time, so I apologize reader if this blog starts sounding like a Sherlock Holmes novel.
So what does a TCP summer consist of you ask? Great theoretical question! During the summer participants will attend events, theme nights, and small groups all aimed at helping them pursue a relationship with Jesus alongside and amongst their busy schedules. The first of these events is the Kick Off Retreat. This retreat was aimed at bringing the students together and allowing them to bond and get to know each other before diving into the summer. The participants all met up at the a-Loft hotel in the Mill City district of Minneapolis. This quirky off beat hotel played home for 20 students over the Friday-Saturday event that saw host to several talks and hangouts amongst the students.
The highlight of the retreat was a talk given by Jared Wass. After the obligatory schedule run through and announcements, Jared launched into thoughts about TCP and its students. Jared shared with us about his hope for our lives and where we would be headed. For a recent grad like me this part was especially real and relevant.
After this Jared moved into expounding on the main point of his talk: building a love for the city. To me, and many others, a city is a modern day creation. When I think of a city I think of tall buildings, glass, steel, and lights, all of which are very modern and not the kind of place I imagine Jesus talking about in scripture. And yet, those places the apostles visit and preach in the New Testament are, for all intents and purposes, cities. The apostles love for a city, which ultimately is a collection of people desperate for the gospel, is a calling that Jared challenged us to embrace. A simple call to love the city and the people that reside in it. This challenge was answered with a short reflection time in which we were asked a few questions, chief amongst them being: Why am I in the Twin Cities this summer?
I would challenge you, reader, to seek the answer to that question with me. I don’t think I fully know the answer to that question, but I’m hoping that through prayer, community, and lots of awesome events and talks, that the answer will become slightly more apparent. Thanks for reading, and until next time.