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Those of you who have got around to looking at the Chaplaincy handbook by now may well have noticed that the Christian Leaders Meeting, or CLM for short, has made its debut onto those hallowed pages. Here follows a more in depth explanation of what we’re about and why:
To begin with then, who are we, and who do we represent? There is a diverse range of Christian societies on campus who aim to cater for an even more diverse range of people who all claim a level of interest in the Christian faith. In a CLM meeting there are two representatives from each society along with the three full time Chaplains in order that each group, irrespective of size, can get an equal hearing. This is not to suggest these meetings are merely a forum for getting views aired, they are there for mutual information; giving time for each society to listen to what the others have been doing and subsequently comment on them, pooling our ideas and resources. As an integral part of the meeting we also pray together.
What most people notice the CLM doing (though they may not realise it is the CLM) is organising joint events between the different Christian societies on campus — we sat down last term to discuss what would be happening over Freshers’ Week, to ensure that everybody could be informed and we didn’t have events clashing with each other. The next big thing on the calendar will be the Carol Service, which we are thinking about already(!) On a slightly different, and more immediate note, last term we acquired an e-mail account; socs340@york.ac.uk. This has all sorts of potential for raising awareness of events or new ideas or problems. How we plan to use the account is something like this: anyone can e-mail details of events they know about to the account; these I will then send to all the heads of societies. The societies can then give them out as notices at their weekly meetings. People are also very welcome to submit things they would like brought up at CLM to the account or via the Chaplaincy or heads of societies. We can then discuss the issues and deal with them as necessary. After the joint events any constructive comments on how it went, what might be done differently or kept the same would be very welcome as it helps us to plan more effectively for the next year. Inspired ideas are always very welcome! So, if you have any queries at all, or hear of any events that other people might benefit from please don’t hesitate to contact the CLM e-mail account (socs340@york.ac.uk) or talk to anyone who is on the CLM.
Having attempted to explain what we’re about, I feel I ought to try to offer some justification of why we bother. While it is quite true that each society is perfectly capable of running its own affairs and organising its own events there is a feeling that if we work together we can achieve more and make a bigger impact on campus. We have found in practice that by pooling resources — both material and manpower — we can attempt bigger and more impressive projects and also benefit from the diversity of ideas and traditions we get. Working together also makes for an excellent witness, being a tangible proof that Christians of different denominations and traditions can get along. Finally it’s scriptural — we are told that the Church as a whole is Christ’s body on earth, and that to be effective servants and good imitators of Christ Himself we should work in ‘perfect unity’ and this seems as good a place as any to do so. Finally, (congratulations you’ve made it) please pray that we continue to be effective on campus and that our co-operation is improved still further. Many thanks.
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Last modified: 25th November 2005