A New Season at RISE

WHEN RISE STARTED IN 2010, IT WAS ORIGINALLY A CAMPUS MINISTRY. OVER THE YEARS, IT EXPANDED TO BECOME THE FAITH COMMUNITY IT IS TODAY.

~From the heading of the former RISE U webpage

Much has changed at RISE over the last few months, and we wanted to take this opportunity to let everyone in the RISE community know about these changes and where things are headed in this next season of life with RISE.  In the wake of the covid pandemic, the move to the Ice House, and the inevitable changes that come with the march of time, it became apparent that our way of operating was not sustainable, that our vision had lost much of its original energy and focus, and that a renewal of our vision was necessary.  In an effort to clarify our vision and find a sustainable way forward for our faith community, RISE leadership has spent much of the last half year discussing and discerning the way forward into a new season of life with RISE, while striving to maintain the heart of our community and stay true to our core values.  Much as potted plants occasionally need to be repotted in order to thrive and grow into their fullness, we sensed that it was time to do something similar with our community.  The outcome of our discernment was the following statement of vision and purpose, affirmed by Roundtable in October 2022:

RISE recommits itself to its original vision as a campus ministry dedicated to creating
a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming faith community that seeks to mend God’s creation
by “coming alongside” emerging young adults in intentional community, social action,
and giving back to the community.

We also realized that returning to our “origin story” by living fully and intentionally into this vision would entail some practical realities.  Some of those realities are already in process, and include:

RISE and RISE U are merging back together.
Because this is happening mid-school year, related changes are occurring gradually through the spring semester, with the merger to be complete by this summer.

Our young adults and students are being empowered to take more leadership in our community.
Staff and other community members are being deployed to support, mentor, and provide a solid foundation for their leadership to flourish and grow.

The decision making body known as “Roundtable” has disbanded as of 2023, and has been replaced with a new Leadership Team.
This team (name TBD) currently consists of the preexisting College Leadership Team, plus our current Staff (follow links to learn about those currently serving in these roles).  The future composition and functioning of this team is still being discerned moving forward.

There are still many questions to answer and things to work out as we continue to live into this renewed vision.  How can we deploy our resources and staff in the best way possible to fulfill this vision?  What programs and community involvements will best serve to facilitate this purpose?  How will our worship and community life be structured to best nourish and cultivate this unique calling? 

Inevitably, there will be bumps along the way as we live into this new vision and all that it entails.  The discernment process will continue as this new season at RISE unfolds, and you can expect to hear more in the months to come as we get our hands dirty in this “repotting” process.  And when new buds start to emerge from the roots, we’ll be sure to let you know! For just as it did in our early days, when a seed of all-inclusive love took root in this community to RISE up and mend God’s creation together, we are confident that this time of repotting and renewing our vision will provide new energy, a revitalized sense of mission and purpose, and a more stable and sustainable structure for our community as we move into the next season of our life together.