Wade's World

Andy Nelson, the Morningside University Campus Chaplain, came into COMM 208 class to talk about his life and what he does for a living.

As a Campus Chaplain, he gives a pitch to prospective students, letting them know that their faith is important, and that they can continue to follow it, even when they come to college.

Nelson helps and supports any type of faith one would like to continue at college. He provides the resources needed to connect with specific religions and worshipping communities.

Nelson emphasized the ability to express any religion you want here at Morningside, which made him recall the First Amendment rights we have posted outside of our classroom here in the library at Morningside. He thought that it was a great thing to have posted so that everyone would always have a subtle reminder.

Some of the things he does to help students is host worship services and help others get connected with worshipping communities of their interest.

Nelson knew he wanted to connect with college students because that is the group of people he did his seminary training with, and he really enjoyed it. Morningside was his destination because his wife was working here, and a Campus Chaplain position opened up so he applied.

His road to being a chaplain and pastor was sort of back and forth. He recalled when he was in college that he called his parents saying,

“I think I want to be a pastor!”

What he didn’t know was that his mind was going to change several times before he decided to stick with it.

A piece of advice that Nelson had for his younger self was to take a break between his student life and his real job. He wanted to avoid getting burnt out and wanted a better transition from student life into the real world.

If he had to have a different occupation, he would want one, defined by Nelson, where it is easier to “see what you have added to the world.”

This doesn’t mean he doesn’t see that as a pastor though, it is just a little harder to understand and wrap his head around. With more experience, Nelson mentioned it is easier to see what he is adding to the world.

Faith is the most important thing in Nelson’s life. He mentioned that everyone has a different perception of faith so it may not be the most important for them, but many factors contribute to why it is the most important thing in his life.

“It shapes how I view the world.” Nelson states.

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