In any recipe, there are key ingredients. In the recipe for growing mature disciples for Jesus Christ, the United Methodist Church has learned that vital ministry on college and university campuses is essential. Many church leaders point to their participation in campus ministry programs as an important factor in their faith formation and commitment to Christian service.
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry recognizes the vital importance of campus ministry. Each year, GBHEM presents the Francis Asbury Award to honor individuals who have made a significant contribution to fostering United Methodist ministries in higher education at the local, district, or annual conference level.
GBHEM announced ten Francis Asbury award winners for 2020-21. Among them was the Rev. Deb. Johnson, a retired pastor of The Michigan Conference and alumnae from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (G-ETS) in Evanston, IL. Deb acknowledges that an abiding love for campus ministry is in her DNA. She is the fifth of six children who grew up in South Community United Methodist Church near Cadillac, MI. Deb describes her home congregation as a vital smaller membership church that shares a pastor with Marion UMC.
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is one of the 13 United Methodist seminaries supported by the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment of the United Methodist Church.
Deb noted that the children in her family all graduated from high school, attended Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, and were active participants in Central Michigan University’s Wesley Foundation. Deb attended her first CMU Wesley Foundation meeting as a guest of one of her siblings when she was 13. When she attended CMU Wesley as a university student, Clint Galloway was then director of the campus ministry.
Deb remembers meeting and valuing the friendship of Lynn Pier-Fitzgerald. Lynn served in the Wesley Foundation at CMU as a US-2, a two-year mission program of the United Methodist Church now called the “Global Mission Fellows” program, which offers Christian ministry internships across the country for qualifying adults.
Inspired by Lynn’s example, Deb served as a US-2 with the Wesley Foundation campus ministry at Iowa State University in Ames, IA, from 1975-77 following her graduation from Central Michigan University.
After completing her US-2 experience, Deb received her Masters of Divinity Degree from G-ETS. She gratefully recalls the positive mentoring of Garrett-Evangelical professors Rosemary Keller and Rosemary Reuther.
During her service as a pastor, Deb continued to be involved in campus ministry. At Lansing Asbury, Deb served on the Wesley Foundation Board at Michigan State University.
Deb also served as a member of the Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry.
Deb retired from full-time ministry in 2014 and returned to northern Michigan. She has volunteered her time serving as the Chair of the Wesley Foundation Board at Ferris State University in Big Rapids.
The Ferris Wesley Foundation Board of Directors that she leads has adapted to the recent pandemic by meeting monthly via Zoom to conduct its business. Deb has also altered her church-going during the pandemic attending several online and outdoor services in the summer in Traverse City. Deb acknowledges the disruption caused by the pandemic and how Ferris and CMU Wesley students were informed that the rest of their school year would be held online while on a spring break mission trip in Louisiana, providing clean-up and relief. Deb is looking forward to returning to effective in-person ministry on-campus and future mission trips.
Thank you, Deb Johnson, for the ways you have helped campus ministry through your service and to all who continue to labor in this vital work to share Jesus’ love with young people.
excerpt from a story by Glenn M. Wagner, Michigan Conference Communications
One of seven apportioned giving opportunities of The United Methodist Church, the Ministerial Education Fund is at the heart of preparing people for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The 13 United Methodist seminaries help students to discover their calling through the challenging curriculum. The fund enables the church to increase financial support for recruiting and educating ordained and diaconal ministers and to equip annual conferences to meet increased demands. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
