2. Purpose . 4. Our Vision . 8. Finding Mentors . 10. Matching Mentors & Follow up . 12. Mentor Appreciation & Spring Reminder . 14. Crisis Intervention . 16. Ten Commandments of Mentoring . 18. Doctrinal Basis . Resources (Folder) Mentoring Partnership Agreement . Mentoring List . Mentoree Questionnaire . Mentoree Semeseter Evaluation .
PURPOSE The purpose of intentional spiritual mentoring relationships is for students to meet Jesus in the scriptures and in the life of another believer so that they experience transformation. Spiritual mentoring fosters relational depth, spiritual maturity, and emotional growth. Students have the benefit of the experience and counsel of more mature believers who can nurture and strengthen them to follow Jesus on campus and in the world. We also anticipate that as students grow in their relationships with God and others that the fellowship, too, will experience quantitative and qualitative growth. Spiritual Mentoring is a volunteer activity that can involve almost anyone who is interested in making a commitment to the process, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey. Mentors are either a spiritually mature upperclassman or a member of the community from a local church. Mentorees are students interested in growing spiritually either as confirmed followers of Jesus or as seekers. Ideally, the mentor and mentoree get together one-to-one once a week for an hour or more. They choose the resources they will use based upon specific interests and needs of the mentoree. (E.g. they can study a book of the Bible, do a Bible study workbook, do a Bible study on a particular topic or read a Christian book.) These regular meetings will also involve personal sharing and prayer.
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New Jersey Christian Fellowship's vision is to see Students and Faculty Transformed. Our greatest joy is to see lives radically changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ: unbelievers become believers; new Christians become strong disciples, and disciples become disciplers. Nothing is more exciting than to see pleasure-seekers become Kingdom-builders, the passionless become flaming evangelists, the entertainment-crazed become justice-driven and the clueless become multiethnically sensitive. The apostle Paul uses a variety of images to describe this transformation. In Colossians, he describes hostages being rescued: He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son. In Ephesians, he envisions a change in citizenship: You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. In 1 Corinthians, he utilizes a bathing image: that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified. And, in Romans, he talks about transformation in the sense of remolding: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. We see this transformation take place in the context of intentional spiritual mentoring relationships, where people meet Jesus in the scriptures and in each other. Spiritual mentoring fosters relational depth, spiritual maturity, and emotional growth. Students have the benefit of the experience and counsel of more mature believers who can nurture and strengthen them to follow Jesus on campus and in the world. Our vision extends to Campuses Renewed. Imagine The College of New Jersey as a pond and students and faculty as fish. While many ministries want to rescue fish from what they regard as a polluted environment, we love the pond itself and see ourselves as part of its ecosystem. We care about the variety of other life in and around the pond and all that contributes to the health of the pond. We are called to be a redeeming influence among college and university people, ideas, and structures. Subsequently, we care not only about individually transformed lives, but about campus culture, curriculum, policies, student newspapers, faculty research, and other campus groups. We believe that just as God has used non-believers like King Cyrus of Persia and secular institutions like the Roman Empire to promote his purposes through history, he continues to work through colleges
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and universities today. Campuses like TCNJ are renewed through the Holy Spirit and by the incarnational influence of faculty, staff, and students. We long for students to find mentors in their field of study and attempt to foster that whenever possible. We want our graduates to follow Jesus in every vocation in every location for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We pray that these alumni in turn mentor the student generation that follows them. Ultimately, we hope to see World Changers Developed. We yearn to not only to make a difference on campus now, but also in the world for decades to come. In doing so, we hearken to Jesus' call for his followers to become salt, light, harvest laborers, and bold witnesses. In God's economy, world-changers include not only InterVarsity alumni who are serving on the mission field and in local churches, but also those who are faithful disciples in their families, neighborhoods, and in the marketplace. World changers seek salvation for the lost, reconciliation for the broken hearted, and justice for the oppressed . Our vision is to see God transform students and faculty so that they will become change agents in the world. We are building a growing, transformational community at The College of New Jersey to accomplish this vision. May the Lord hear the cry of our heart to see transformation in individual lives, the campus, and the world! Amen.
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Before each semester, the staff/volunteer spiritual mentoring coordinator contacts potential mentors in the community and records their available times. Many are already regulars, having mentored students before. Other mentors will be new, recommended by a pastor or other trusted person, and need to be contacted and asked whether they are willing to mentor a college student, and if so, when they would be available. This can be done on the phone or in person. If they do want to be a mentor, send the mentoring application to them (either as a hard copy or as a link to the on-line application). This application also requires the affirmation of IVCF's doctrinal basis.
FINDING STUDENT MENTORS & MENTOREES The Large Group coordinator should be contacted and asked that an announcement be made at the 1st and 2nd or 2nd and 3rd NJCF Large Group meetings for those would like to mentor or to be mentored, with signup sheets passed. Interested students will then be sent the link to the on-line mentoring questionnaire to help the coordinators as they pair mentors and mentorees. This should be done immediately. The sooner the mentorees get matched with their mentors before student schedules get busy, the more likely they will have regular meetings with their mentors all semester. If there is no response to the questionnaire within a week, the email is resent as a reminder.
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MATCHING MENTORS & MENTOREES The spiritual mentoring staff/volunteer coordinator and the student spiritual mentoring coordinator (selected spring semester for the following school year) meet and pray over these schedules/questionnaires, asking God for wisdom and guidance in matching, per James 1:5. As soon as possible, the coordinators send out individual emails to each mentor, cc-ing the mentoree, announcing the match and giving the mentoree's contact info to the mentor. The mentor is asked to set up the first meeting (it is important for the mentor to take the initiative). The mentors are also given a list of resources we have available and a short set of questions to ascertain which resources might be most helpful. The mentors and mentorees buy their own materials. Once the mentors and mentorees are all matched, a list is emailed to Laura Vellenga, Christine Nystrom, Chuck Harrison, and Gregg & Robin Downs.
MENTOR FOLLOWUP & TRAINING Early in the fall semester, all mentors (student and community members) are invited to a mentor training session (held either on campus or at a local church). This training will include information and tips on mentoring, group sharing and evaluation, and Q&A. About a month before the last day of classes fall semester (no closer or everyone gets too busy to answer), a feedback email is sent individually to each mentoree. If there is no response within a week, resend as a reminder.
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MENTOR APPRECIATION As the end of the school year, a personal thank you email or note is sent to the student mentors, appreciating the investment they made. A general sense of the mentoree feedback can be relayed to encourage the mentor. (The mentorees and mentors have normally both found the mentoring experience to be a blessing.) At the end of the school year, a mentor appreciation dinner is held for the mentors from the community.
REMINDERS FOR SPRING SEMESTER It is assumed that the mentoring will continue through the entire school year. After Christmas break, though, all mentors need to be emailed or called the week classes resume (or the week before) and reminded to set up their first session of the new semester with their mentorees. Sometimes schedules have changed and need to be re-negotiated between mentor and mentoree.
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Most often, we can help students by providing a listening ear, our presence, and maybe some simple advice. At other times, however, they require more help than we are prepared to give them. These instances may include: crisis pregnancy, alcohol and/or other drug abuse, depression, suicidal tendencies, or family problems. If in the course of your mentoring relationship you suspect that your mentoree is dealing with a serious or persistant problem, don't try to handle it yourself. Get help as soon as you can, even if you're not sure the problem is serious enough to warrant outside intervention. It's always better to err on the side of caution. Below are listed some people and agencies who are prepared to handle more serious situations. [Note: in most instances, you will want to maintain confidentiality with your mentoree regarding their situation. If, however, you suspect that your mentoree may harm him/herself or someone else, you need to tell someone. Please contact an NJCF staff worker immediately.] NJCF Staff Laura Vellenga Christine Nystrom Cathy Craig (Area Director)
609-647-8401 609-933-3931 215-884-0928
Campus TCNJ Counseling Center TCNJ Campus Police
609-771-2247 609-771-2167
Community Alcoholics Anonymous Central Jersey CHS Helene Fuld (psychiatric ER services)
609-298-7795 609-394-6000
ChoiceOne
609-989-1023 800-497-TEST
Suicide Prevention Services Local Christian Counselors Robin Downs Amy Kasternakis Kelly Zarimba
609-883-2880 609-896-2120 609-896-4434
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10 commandments of mentoring
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We believe in: The only true God, the almighty Creator of all things, existing eternally in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-full of love and glory. The unique divine inspiration, entire trustworthiness and authority of the Bible. The value and dignity of all people: created in God's image to live in love and holiness, but alienated from God and each other because of our sin and guilt, and justly subject to God's wrath. Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, who lived as a perfect example, who assumed the judgment due sinners by dying in our place, and who was bodily raised from the dead and ascended as Savior and Lord. Justification by God's grace to all who repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. The indwelling presence and transforming power of the Holy Spirit, who gives to all believers a new life and a new calling to obedient service. The unity of all believers in Jesus Christ, manifest in worshiping and witnessing churches making disciples throughout the world. The victorious reign and future personal return of Jesus Christ, who will judge all people with justice and mercy, giving over the unrepentant to eternal condemnation but receiving the redeemed into eternal life. To God be glory forever. Adopted by the Board of Trustees October 20, 2000
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