More of Karen's Thoughts

There would be little point in my writing a blog post about my VP duties - stuff hasn't heated up for me there yet - so instead I think I'll write about the mentoring program, and why I think it's important enough to start up again even though I'm not convinced I'm the best person to lead it up.

When I came to RPI there were two women trying to start up a mentoring program that ended up not lasting more than that year - perhaps even that semester. But that mentoring program got me through a difficult freshman year and in a community that could help me along and support me while I also got involved. My mentor Amelia knew the people I could ask for rides when I needed them and what RCA stuff was happening, but she also showed me how to be genuine in who I was and not afraid to be less than perfect when other people were watching.

We can't be so involved in our own worlds that we fail to help others along in what can be a difficult college journey. I know I don't have it all together by a long shot, but I have different problems than some others (as well as some of the same). Part of being a community is having other people to support you and supporting others. The mentoring program is just another way of doing that.

Mentoring as an RCA program has been tried and failed many times as RCA has taken different forms and been led by different people. But in all honesty, programs don't matter. All the programs and planning that we do could be summed up entirely by a group of not-so-perfect people following after God in different ways - whether it's through Bible studies, prayer times, praise nights, or fellowship. If mentoring can happen without a mentoring program, then I'm all the more happy. But lately in our fellowship it hasn't been happening nearly as well as it could. The need is there, and the best way I can see to encourage us to meet that need for everyone who could benefit is to set up a program to match people up in deliberate mentoring relationships.