It’s really easy to lose momentum with your ministry over the summer. Many times, our college ministries increasingly pick up steam throughout each semester, and we feel like we’re just getting into the groove, when summer or winter break happens. Though it’s a well-welcomed break for students and ministers alike, these breaks can disrupt the momentum that you have on your campus pretty heavily. Here’s an idea: keep the momentum going over the summer and into the next semester by connecting with your students via video chat.
If you’re not sure where to start, I would recommend Google Hangouts. It’s easy to use, and any Gmail user has an account instantly. Hangouts is a chat application that allows users to text on smartphones, type on computers, and video chat on any device. There are actually a number of applications that allow for video chat including Facebook, Skype, GoToMeeting, FaceTime, and many more. I would recommend using Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger simply because most of your students probably already have accounts there, and they probably know how to fire up a meeting.
Hosting online chat sessions with your students over a school break can be great for a number of applications. Here are just a few ideas of ways to maximize a school break with a video chat.
- Get your leadership team together a few times over the break to brainstorm ideas and pray for the next semester.
- Meet with a few of the students that you’re discipling to check in and see how their spiritual growth is progressing over the break.
- Get the worship team together to pick out new songs, cast some vision for the next semester, and pray together.
- Offer a short bi-weekly devotional for any students that want to join in.
By keeping the conversation going over this summer break, you won’t feel like you have to re-kindle the fire or re-cast vision of what God is doing on your campus in the fall. I highly encourage you to connect with some of your students over the summer, and a video chat application would be a great way to do so!