CR Chaplain at Brock University Retiring

After 14 years as a CRC campus ministry chaplain at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., André Basson is retiring. Basson said he has been blessed to carry on what his predecessor, Peter Schuurman, defined as “a ministry of presence.”

South African by birth, Basson immigrated to Canada in 2000 after a career that included time as a navy chaplain and nearly 20 years as a professor of classical studies. At that time he began serving as the  pastor at Rehoboth CRC, Niagara Falls, Ont., and he became a member of the committee overseeing Brock’s campus ministry. Later, he said, he felt a call to become more involved in the chaplaincy work there.

The Christian Reformed Church in North America supports campus ministry on 35 university campuses with oversight by local church classes (regional groupings of churches) as well as Resonate Global Mission.

Basson’s role on Brock’s campus, he said, has been one of connecting. He has counseled students; led trips to South Africa, Namibia, and Costa Rica for students to learn firsthand about poverty, justice, and change; facilitated discussion groups; become involved with the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation; and officiated at memorial services and weddings for colleagues and students.

Part of Basson’s ministry has been Everything Under the Son, a group of student leaders who want to make an impact on the campus for Christ. Basson said he looked at what other Christian groups, such as Brock Christian Fellowship and Power to Change, were doing and discovered another need to be filled.

Instead of focusing their attention on Bible studies, large worship services, and social activities for Christian students, students in Everything Under the Son aim to live out their faith in their own areas of calling, including sports, the on-campus newspaper, and Brock Television.

“We need to be outward focused,” said Basson. “Our claim is that the whole campus belongs to Christ, so we have to be a witness.”

The group meets regularly for prayer and discipleship. Members hold each other accountable while also encouraging and strengthening one another. The Everything Under the Son website notes that students in the group strive to be missional: caring for individuals, working to transform lives, and “going out to the rest of campus, instead of trying to get the rest of campus to come to us.”

As is common on many university campuses, Basson has carried out his work in close partnership with other faith groups in the school community. At Brock, Basson has been one of three full-time chaplains on campus.

“I’ve been sort of considered the evangelical chaplain,” Basson noted. He has served alongside a Roman Catholic chaplain and an ecumenical chaplain, who represents traditions such as the Anglican, United, and Presbyterian churches, as well as Secular Humanism.

Basson has also been closely connected to other outreach programs such as Brock F.O.C.U.S., a ministry for international students who attend Brock from 85 countries. This ministry is separate from the campus ministry and is run by Hilda VanderKlippe, a member of The Village church in Thorold, Ont.

Students from various evangelical or conservative backgrounds have found in Basson both a listening ear and a theological resource. Many third- and fourth-year students joined his Bible discussions on topics related to Christ and culture.

At times, said Basson, he would hear about people saying, “‘If you need theological insight, if you have questions, just go to André.’ And I always felt that that was a compliment for the ministry work I’m doing.”

In 14 years of ministry, there are sure to be both highlights and challenges. One challenge he has faced, Basson said, has been in playing the “numbers game” as a measure for the size or the impact of his ministry work.

Because the level of discussions are quite mature, many of the students who join are older and can be involved for only a year or two before they graduate. It can be hard to see the impact of your ministry if you look at the numbers alone, he said.

On the other hand, Basson said, “There have been so many highlights – the students I’ve met, the worship services we’ve done, the trips we’ve had overseas, [as well as] the connections, the Bible discussions we’ve had every week. . . . It’s just amazing.”

He described a Taizé service that they held on campus a couple of years ago, for example, as “extremely rewarding.” Another highlight were “Sky Sessions" led by Zack De Bruyne, an intern. These were laid-back, quasi-worship services held each month for students in residence who did not attend church.

Something that Basson appreciates about campus ministry generally is the array of opportunities it presents to reach people for Christ.

“Here we have a ministry to up to 18,000 students,” he said, adding that his ministry touches faculty and staff as well. Through one or two campus ministry staff at a university, he said, the church has a chance to reach thousands — and to engage with them on a daily basis.

For people considering going into campus ministry, he said, “I think it’s the greatest job on earth.” For pastors starting out in campus ministry, he suggested getting to know the campus, watching what’s posted on the notice boards, starting conversations in the coffee shop, buying pizza, connecting with everyone, and more. “You need to love students. . . . Campus ministry is, from beginning to end, relational.”

So what’s next for Basson? “I’m definitely not going to sit at home and grow bonsai,” he laughs. He plans soon to go with two former students to Cape Town and Namibia for a learning trip before visiting family in South Africa for a few weeks.

He has also begun learning Spanish, he said, so that he can pursue his interest in work being done in Cuba and Latin America. Basson added that he also hopes to continue teaching courses at Brock, as he has been doing for a few years, in medieval and renaissance studies and in medieval Christianity. And he hopes to do some preaching, perhaps as a part-time pastor in the Niagara area.