Students called to social action by new STEP vision

A clarified vision calling college students to social activism and theological dialogue are the results of March's meeting of the Student Ecumenical Partnership Leadership Team.

STEP is the primary national ministry for college Disciples and is an ecumenical partnership with the United Church of Christ. The four Disciples students and two UCC students who came to the St. Louis meeting revisited the ministry's roots and created a vision that they hope will strengthen STEP in the next few years.

Working together, the students created a new, succinct mission statement:

We are ecumenical college students called by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to oppose injustice and transform dialogue into action.

"We all realized that what prevented STEP from fulfilling its mission in the past was a lack of communication to college students, campuses, and all aspects of the church," said Beau Underwood, a student at Eureka College. "Our mission is also dependent on funding, so more financial support means a greater opportunity to get our message out. Our hope is that by raising funds and communicating with these groups, we will better fulfill our mission."

The call to social activism has long been a trademark of college students and of STEP. The Leadership Team debated selecting a specific social justice cause, such as the recently ended boycott of Taco Bell in support of Florida tomato pickers. However, STEP will take advantage of the General Assembly and General Synod, both scheduled for this July, to talk to other college students and get a better feel for what the most effective cause would be. Students will also be able to provide feedback online through STEP's web site, www.stepnetwork.org.

Fund-raising will also be an important objective for STEP given the limited resources from both denominations. Since there is not enough money to pay for a Leadership Team meeting this fall, members took it upon themselves to raise enough money to cover those costs.

Reenergizing and growing STEP is important to the vitality of the church.

"College students and young adults are a relatively untapped resource in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)," said Higher Education and Leadership Ministries' Brad Lyons, the staff liaison for STEP. "It's important to keep students involved, to bridge the time they spend between the congregations they grew up in and the congregations they will lead. If we get them involved during college, we stand a much better chance of keeping them involved for the rest of their lives."The students agreed the reexamination of STEP's mission was a positive step.

"I believe STEP has taken an incredible move in the right direction to make an amazing impact in the lives of young adults and even a very profound effect on the future of the general and national church," said Leslie Dobyns, a student at Culver-Stockton College. "We did amazing things."

"We put the spark back into the STEP Team," said Transylvania University student Jonathan Hall. "I hope the sparks that occurred at the meeting will turn into a flame that can ignite college ministry in our denominations and beyond."