Reminding girls that they are BELOVED

by Elizabeth McBride

Last year after attending the ELCA Youth Ministry Extravaganza Conference, while driving back to Chicago with WELCA Interim Executive Director, Dr. Jennifer Hockenbery, I shared my idea to have college students connect with women active in WELCA and serve as mentors for girls in elementary school.

The idea was inspired by a program my 8-year-old daughter participated in when she was in Kindergarten. She was matched with a fourth-grade “Buddy” and they met regularly for conversation and crafting. Fast forward three years, and now my daughter’s Buddy, Gia, is in the 7th grade and they still connect when they see each other at school. When we returned from the trip, Jennifer wrote a grant proposal in her synod. She was awarded a Seibert Grant, which helps Beloved: WELCA Campus Ambassadors attend the triennial gathering in Des Moines, Iowa, in July, and so much more this year.

Today, we have 7 WELCA Campus Ambassadors, and at least one has begun actively mentoring girls with the assistance of her pastor in her congregation.

Lila Woodward, a student at California Lutheran University, was connected to us by her SWO president. After applying on the website to be a Beloved: WELCA Campus Ambassador, Lila reached out to Pastor Amanda at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. She invited Lila to share her involvement in the program and the mentoring opportunities Lila hopes to start at the church. In a recent update, Lila wrote, “I was able to attend our kids’ evening program for the first time as well as meet and sing with Sunny (age 13) in worship, whom I’m looking to connect with more for mentorship.” Watch Lila’s video introduction at her church.

Help spread the word
We continue to promote the WELCA Campus Ambassador program through the ELCA Campus Ministry Lumin Network and the ELCA Network of Colleges and Universities (NECU), and more. We are also thankful to our Synodical Women’s Organization Presidents for sharing the Campus Ambassador materials in their networks. In addition to the funding from the Seibert Grant, two Wisconsin Synodical Women’s organizations have sent additional funds and the ELCA Innovation Team has awarded us with a $10,000 grant to bring Campus Ambassadors to the triennial gathering.

As we return to the Extravaganza event at the end of this month, we plan to continue to share the love about WELCA Campus Ambassadors at our WELCA table. We’ll be collecting messages of kindness and sending Valentine’s to our campus ministry networks. If you want to participate, please visit this link and add your name, email address and message here.

To learn more about Beloved: WELCA Campus Ambassador, apply to become a Campus Ambassador and receive promotional materials please access an application.