Celebrating 55 Years of Campus Ministry in Guelph

By 
 on June 9, 2023

On Saturday June 24, the Ecumenical Campus Ministry at the University of Guelph (UofG) is hosting a 55th Anniversary Breakfast and Celebration at Harcourt United Church (87 Dean Ave., Guelph).

It was 1968 when the Anglican and United Churches went in together to hire Ritchie McMurray to be the university’s first full-time chaplain. A lot has changed over the past 55 years. For instance, UofG’s enrolment in 1968 was around 6,000 students. Today, the university community is some 30,000 strong.

The chaplaincy has changed a lot as well. The Presbyterian Church now contributes to this ecumenical endeavour, as do individuals from a wide array of Christian backgrounds. The religious landscape of campus is more diverse than ever before, and the chaplaincy’s work with the Multi-Faith Resource Team has never been more important. The challenges facing today’s young people, and their relationship with the institutional Church, are much different from what they were 55 years ago.

But God’s faithfulness has remained the same. And that’s worth celebrating.

Alumni, church partners, students, parents, fans, and advocates of campus ministry are invited to ECM’s 55th Anniversary Breakfast and Celebration on Saturday June 24. The free breakfast begins at 9:00 a.m., and the celebration program begins at 10:00 a.m. You’ll hear reflections from students, alumni, past chaplains, and more. This celebration coincides with Alumni Week events at UofG, and finishes in time for attendees to make it to campus for the President’s Milestone Lunch.

To RSVP visit: www.ECMguelph.org/55years

  • Andrew Hyde

    Andrew Hyde is the Ecumenical Campus Minister, ECM's full-time chaplain at the University of Guelph. Andrew is a Designated Lay Minister in the United Church of Canada, with more than 20 years experience working with young people at various levels of the church. A graduate of Queen's University (BAH English Literature) in 2001, and McMaster Divinity College (Master of Theological Studies) in 2004, Andrew lives in Guelph with his wife and two children.

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