During her second year at the University of Western Ontario, student Rachael Bosma became actively involved in the school’s campus ministry.
It didn’t take long for Rev. Michael Wagenman, the Christian Reformed campus minister at the 60,000-student school in London, Ontario, to recognize that Bosma could become a leader.
“Immediately I sensed she had a strong foundation of spiritual discipline,” Wagenman said. “She also has the conviction that God is not confined to our church buildings or Christian schools but that he is everywhere, including on the university campus.”
That perspective, along with Bosma’s gifts and passion for learning, led Wagenman to recommend her for an Emerging Leadership Initiative grant. The program, sponsored by Christian Reformed Home Missions, seeks to encourage campus ministers to find emerging leaders by using a work-study system and student mentorship.
“Rachael was very excited about being involved,” says Wagenman. “She liked the idea of being a model for the other students in our campus ministry who are wondering what it means to be a Christian student as opposed to simply being a student who is a Christian.”
During the spring semester, Bosma, a member of the Aylmer (Ont.) CRC, met every week with Wagenman. They worked together to study leadership development. She read about Christian worldview concepts, leadership principles, and postmodern biblical thinking. She also developed promotional material and helped plan a new student reception.
Home Missions provides financial support to Christian Reformed pastors on 22 university campuses in Canada and the United States. One of the goals is to mentor the next generation of leaders.
“The emerging leader program has been a blessing for me,” says Bosma. “It has pushed me to commit to a mission that I knew in my heart was something I should be actively involved in.”
About the Author
Ben Van Houten is a senior writer for Christian Reformed Home Missions.
