Sentence Seeking and Being

 Lively book about student ministry published

Walther Burgering left a fine work behind in his departure: Seeking and Being, 12 interviews about the importance of the work type of student ministry. Sentence seeking and being is a representation of conversations with student pastors spread over 12 student cities in the Netherlands, including Leiden. The interviews were conducted by Walther Burgering and partly by Lianne van Dijk processed into accessible texts about the lives of students and the meaning that the student ministry can have in this.

The student pastors talk about life choices, life coaching, dealing with stress, grief and grief, quests for life and meaning questions and many other topics that determine a student's life. In all conversations, the ideological perspective is discussed as a different view of the world of students and of higher education. This produces a lively sequence of stories about this little-described world.

Interviewer Walther Burgering knows inside out how to work for and with students. Until now he worked in teams with Dutch and international students at Rapenburg 100 in Leiden. Under the motto 'Multiform in personal development', the multi-philosophical student ministry team guides hundreds of students individually and in groups. They provide leadership training, courses and hold personal conversations about life and meaning issues.

Together they give shape to courses such as Dealing with Loss, a meditation group, the meal group Food for thought, Monastery and reflection weekends, Faith Orientation and Green Kitchen.
“I especially learned a lot from students who recover after a phase of grief,” he says. “Their resilience and persistence are majestic. I enjoyed how they provided each other - in the Dealing with Loss Group - with good advice, better than we could give as supervisors. I am happy that I was able to contribute to this by creating a safe place where students can speak. ”

Sentence seeking and being. 12 interviews about the importance of the work type of student ministry is published at Fortmedia and available from bookstores or order through waltherburgering2013@gmail.com. You can also request a free copy for review at this same email address. The epilogue was written by lay Dominican Erik Borgman under the title: "student pastors should be concerned with the alternatives to the consequences of the performance culture."

Walter Burgering is a Catholic pastor-deacon. More about his workplaces can be found at: www.rkwestland.nl, www.rapenburg100.nl en www.pastorwaltherburgering.nl (blog).

Lianne van Dyke is a writer, publicist and supervisor of projects in the areas of faith, society and community building. In 2017 she was project leader of the national project 'Borders and Bridges' of the cooperating student ministry in the Netherlands. More about her work on: www.liannevandijk.nl.