Our Mission at the Geller Center is to: • Provide a campus and community center for spiritual exploration and dialogue and • Broaden and deepen the spiritual experience and practice of students in community. The purpose of the Geller Center is to provide a safe, open, and inclusive setting in which students and community members can deepen and broaden their spiritual lives. The Geller Center offers programs, activities, and space to engage individuals and groups in dialogue on significant issues of the day. The Geller Center continues the tradition of UCM, an organization with a long history of Christian ecumenism, social action, and critical thinking in the Colorado State University (CSU) and Fort Collins communities. The Geller Center offers programs, activities, and space to engage individuals and groups in dialogue on significant issues of the day. The Geller Center continues the tradition of UCM, an organization with a long history of Christian ecumenism, social action, and critical thinking in the Colorado State University (CSU) and Fort Collins communities. Page Menu: Purpose The purpose of the Geller Center is to provide programs and a space for students and the wider CSU - Fort Collins community to deepen their spiritual development. The Geller Center believes that development of the spirit within the whole person is essential for healthy individuals, for vibrant communities, and for a peaceful world. The Center also believes a process of inquiry, dialogue, and personal experience promotes spiritual growth. The Geller Center continues the tradition of the United Campus Ministry, an organization with a long history of Christian ecumenism, social action and critical thinking in the CSU - Fort Collins communities. The Geller Center carries out four major programs: education, chaplaincy, interfaith dialogue and social action. Education The Center's educational programs are designed to promote the theory and practice of spiritual development. At CSU, students and faculty may come from diverse, sometimes competing, religious traditions or may have no particular religious faith. The Geller Center's programs provide an opportunity to explore spiritual development as a process of inquiry rather than as a process of learning a set "correct" religious path. The programs include: · The Geller Center's Director presents a CSU course, "Spiritual Development in a Pluralistic Society: Theory and Practice." · The Geller Center organizes a weekly student discussion group called "Food for Thought" with meals provided by local congregations. Past topics have included: "Religion and Spirituality," "The Native American Way of Council," and "The Life of a Migrant Worker." · The Geller Center's former director, the Rev. Bob Geller, leads a weekly book study group on contemporary spiritual, scientific and social issues. Chaplaincy The Geller Center's Director is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church. With this background and training, the Geller Center provides the services of a university-based chaplain who provides support and counseling for spiritual development and understanding on individual, group and community levels. These services include: · The Geller Center provides a weekly open worship service, "Meditation at Noon," which explores the use of guided meditation and a variety of contemplative prayer traditions. The Geller Center sponsors, as necessary, support groups such Grief and Loss Workshops, with the assistance of psychologists and other religious teachers. · The Geller Center provides individual and small-group counseling and resources on spiritual development and on choosing spiritual and religious paths to follow. Interfaith Dialogue At a time when religion can be a divisive force in local and global events, the Geller Center provides a forum and a setting wheredialogue between different religious traditions can occur. The aim is to foster respect and understanding between persons who hold to diverse belief systems. The term "ecumenical" can be interpreted as "the whole household of God." The Geller Center believes that such understanding within this household can lead to a deepening of the individual's and the community's spiritual development. These activities include: · The Geller Center co-sponsors events such as "Three Women from Jerusalem" which explores the experience of Muslim, Christian and Jewish women searching for peace in that conflicted city. · The Geller Center provides space and meeting space for religious organizations that operate on the CSU campus. The Geller Center represents an ecumenical Christian tradition in interfaith dialogue and events such as "God's October Surprise," a community-based interfaith celebration that included Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions. Social Action and Peacemaking The Geller Center believes that spiritual development finds expression in the world in the form of progressive social action and peacemaking. As United Campus Ministries, the Geller Center has acted as the incubator for a large number of campus and community based organizations dealing with social issues including the Women's Crisis Center, the Fort Collins Interfaith Council, and the first International Student House. Programs include: The Geller Center's program in "Residential Internships in Spiritual Leadership" provides support annually to three - six students who take on serious responsibilities for social action in relation to their own spiritual development. · The Geller Center sponsors international service learning projects and trips to other countries (Russia, Mexico, Belize) The Geller Center is co-sponsoring the development of a CSU certificate program in "Reconciliation and Peace Studies." "Deep listening calls for a learners mind and a lover's heart" -Rev Peggy Christiansen
In the fall of 2006 the formation of the Progressive Christian Student Network began with Jon Dodson mindfermintation@hotmail.com and Tia McDonald-Dodson tiamcdonald@hotmail.com heading up the efforts. The first meeting was held February 1, 2007 for discussion, discipleship, and dessert.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESOURCE CENTER (RMRC) on Violent, Destructive, and Hate Groups http://lamar.colostate.edu/%7Eucm/RMRC/rmrc1.htm In recent years there has been a dramatic growth in the number of people involved in destructive cults and hate groups. There are several reasons for this including economic unrest, changes in value systems in our society, and more people looking for the "truth." The RMRC is a source of information on destructive cults and hate groups. We provide services such as counseling, legal referrals, an extensive library, conducting workshops, and much more. Hillel office at the Geller Center
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Wednesdays 5 to 6:30 pm This popular weekly gathering includes a FREE dinner for students followed by a discussion on a timely topic. Newcomers are always welcome. Topics are diverse Geller Center MEDITATION AT NOON Mondays 12:10 to 12:50 pm contemplative prayer & guided meditations Danforth Chapel north end of The Oval TALK TO A PASTOR Tuesday 11:30 to 1:00 pm A simple place to chat with 2 nonjudgmental ministers about anything at all working in conjunction with the St. Thomas Lutheran Chapel, regularly staff a listening area. Look for the table with the peanuts & candy Lory Student Center - Flea Market GRAD/NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT SPIRITUALITY DISCUSSION GROUP Monday Noon-1:00 pm Lory Student Center Room 232 PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN STUDENT NETWORK (PCSN) Thursday 7:00-8:30 Discussion, discipleship, and dessert Geller Center living room FRIDAY MORNING READING GROUP
Friday 7:00 to 8:30 am Don't let the time discourage you. Continental breakfast is served along with coffee and juice. This group, attended by many faculty and retired faculty, is challenged through a cross-disciplinary array of literature and lively discussion. Geller Center basement Monthly Planned activities and gatherings are organized each month by the staff. Watch for updates on the calendar page Pre-marriage, crisis, and spiritual counseling are offered through The Geller Center with appropriate referrals to other agencies. Not your typical bible study fresh approaches to the library of literature and voices called "The Bible". The Geller Center has developed many programs dealing with spirituality and faith issues. If you are looking for an interactive style of leadership and a program to fit your needs, give us a call! The Geller Center is available for meetings. Space at The Geller Center is shared with many non-profit groups for on-going use or occasional meetings. Please call the office to schedule room use. The Geller Center can help you find programs, Bible Studies, and congregations that will meet your needs. SPECIAL PROGRAMSINTERNSHIP IN SPIRITUALITY AND LEADERSHIP (residential program)WEEK-END RETREATSDRAMA GROUPS GRIEF AND LOSS WORKSHOPS SUPPORT GROUPS EXPLORATIONS IN WORSHIP ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK - BELIZE 2007Students are encouraged to live out their faith in the world through helping others. Every year, The Geller Center offers an alternative way to spend Spring Break. Each project is chosen and planned by students and staff together . SERVICE PROJECTS
SPEAKER SERIES"Speaking of Spirituality" Speaker series presents: The purpose of the series is to provide a forum for national leaders on spiritual and religious issues to bring their life perspectives to the CSU and local community. The series touches on the role that spiritual development plays in speaker's lives, in the issues they confront, and in the cultures they represent. The speakers are chosen from a wide range of spiritual and religious backgrounds. Their talks are designed to challenge students and community members to examine the manner in which spiritual development within and between religious traditions has a profound influence on one's daily life and one's life work.
Rev. Peggy Christiansen, Chaplain and Executive Director With a passion for helping people to develop their own spiritual path, Rev. Peggy Christiansen is an ordained Presbyterian minister and has over 20 years of ministry experience. She has served in campus ministry, a downtown urban congregation, a refugee church, an agricultural setting, a general hospital, and acute care with families of terminally ill children, particularly migrant farm workers. Peggy has the ability to relate to people of all walks of life and is fluent in Spanish and German. Besides her Master's of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary, she has a Master's of Music in Piano Performance and is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner. Bethany Springer, Intern Peyton Carroll, Intern Les Fraley, Treasurer Vicki Glaze, Administrative Assistant Board Members Ms. Vivianne Ephraimson-Abt, CSU Apartment Life Rev. Rich Fennig, Westminster Presbyterian Church Chaplain Phil Koster - Poudre Valley Hospital Rev. Ken Pilot, MCC-Family in Christ Mrs. Connie Shelley, Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship Mr. Niles Stansfield, Land & Water Broker Ms. Marianne Rieux, USDA IT Management & Planning (retired) Dr. Bill Timpson, Professor Department of Education Dr. Rob Werge, Fort Collins Friends Meeting (Quakers) Mr. Jon Dodson (student representative)
Click here for a full list. . . .
"Ministry at Colorado State University--A Learning Community That Includes the Spiritual Component of the Whole Person"(From a Talk by the Reverend Bob Geller)
This is a story of the United Campus Ministry (UCM), formerly named Westminster Fellowship (1946-1963) and United Campus Christian Fellowship (1963-1967). In 1990 the house was renamed the "Geller House for Campus Ministry." In 2006 the official, charter name became "United Campus Ministry, Inc., Geller Center for Spiritual Development." The mission of the Geller Center is to: • Provide a campus community center for spiritual exploration and dialogue and · Broaden and deepen the spiritual experience and practice of students in community. The purpose of the Geller Center is to provide a safe, open, and inclusive setting in which students and community members can deepen and broaden their spiritual lives. The Geller Center offers programs, activities, and space to engage individuals and groups in dialogue on significant issues of the day. The Geller Center continues the tradition of UCM, an organization with a long history of Christian ecumenism, social action, and critical thinking in the Colorado State University (CSU) and Fort Collins communities. Since 1962 the working concept for the ministry has been that the facility was open to any and all related to CSU, member churches of the city, and community people interested in developing services for human need that has been neglected or overlooked. Our motto is "Honoring diversity of belief and practice, working for justice and peace, cultivating authenticity of personality, integrity, and spirit." The Geller Center has always supported students' involvement in local churches, if that is their preference. The ministry developed from just a Presbyterian Ministry for students, faculty, and staff to a thoroughly ecumenical ministry. The Greek meaning of the word ecumenical is the whole household of God. The Geller Center lives that meaning.
The Ministry was joined by the Disciples of Christ (Christian), United Church of Christ (formerly Congregational and Evangelical Reformed), the American Baptist Church, the Wesley Foundation (United Methodist), Quakers (Friends Meeting), Moravian, Mennonites, and, in some activities, by the Episcopal and Unitarian churches. In the past 45 years, the programs developed have been both affirming and, in some instances, controversial. No less than three CSU Presidents "carefully" characterized the UCM in such terms as - "The UCM may well be the most relevant, progressive, respected, and trusted ministry to higher education at CSU." Several Deans have joined those Presidents, and two former Fort Collins Mayors, Ms. Nancy Gray and Ms. Ann Azari, have shared observations UCM. Nancy Gray said in a public meeting, "I can hardly believe how much a Campus Ministry has contributed to our city in kinds of services it has started or was a very important resource to community folks in getting under way, services that meet some important human need." Did you ever know? Hardly anyone knows and even fewer remember, the origins of some of these important services. Some have come and gone but many still exist that have "spun off" to fund themselves. Several are now partially funded through the United Way. This spin off concept was always a part of the philosophy of UCM: If a service demonstrated its relevance, it should spin off on its own at CSU and in Fort Collins. The underlying philosophy of the UCM staff has been to develop resources in the community that students could use or volunteer in. These resources were to help them experience involvement in Fort Collins and offer them a good deal more than working in city food services and other jobs for pay. The university is not an "island" in the city. It is the students' community while they are at the university, and it helps students mature as citizens to be involved in "service" in productive ways. The central concept of ministry at CSU was to help make a better learning community, one that included the essential spiritual component of the whole person. A list follows of nearly all organizations the Geller Center has started or helped start at CSU or in the community. The star by each service indicates ones that continue. You are challenged to two things: See if you can name any other organization that has done as much and read the text of descriptions and outcomes.
* Buckingham Park In the spring of 1963 a student in the campus ministry from Laporte wondered out loud why there was no park or play area for children in Buckingham or Spanish Colony (now named Alta Vista). Within 2 weeks 8 students went to work on the idea. They identified the tract of land between Buckingham and Poudre River as a good place. The sugar company that had just closed the sugar beet plant owned it. It was an unsightly patch of weeds, trash, and junk illegally dumped there. The Great Western Sugar Co was willing to lease the site to the city for $1.00 a year. The City Council agreed to lease the site (later the city purchased it) but did not see any way to finance a park there for several years. The students went ahead on their own cleaning up the site and enlisted the help of the National Guard Unit to grade and smooth the site. Service clubs donated play equipment and the park opened in 1964 with a ball field, children's play area and was short only grass. The city Department of Parks and Recreation first said there was no way to put grass in the park since there was no main water line near and "there was not enough pressure to water the park". Students went to work again writing letters to the Department, City Council, and the newspaper. In the early spring of 1965 there had been enough "pressure" and the park was seeded, watered and the Parks and Recreation Board included Buckingham Park in the summer recreation program. It still serves the area today.
* The Women's Crisis Center The Women's Crisis Center was organized and had its office for its first 2½ years in the Campus ministry. Martha Bartholomew and several other women plus Campus Ministry Staff organized the plan and the services which were handled mostly via telephone and personal interviews. Trained listeners handled the "call-in-line" and interviews and mainly made referrals to agencies and some churches in Ft Collins, Estes Park, and Loveland before those cities developed their own service. After about 2 ½ years the Crisis Center was divided into 2 services: The Women's Center and The Community Crisis Hot Line. Both of these services exist today. * The Volunteer Clearing House (VCH) The VCH was organized in 1964 and based in United Campus Ministry for its first 3 years. It was developed by Fran Thompson and Marciella Wood and others and UCM staff. It grew rapidly and had two other sites before moving to 401 Linden Street. The building had been a lard rendering plant and required major clean up and painting. Its first service was providing information for people who were interested in volunteering in existing community services, non-governmental. It soon developed classes in sewing, cooking, and canning, teaching English and tutoring elementary and middle school children. The VCH started the Caravan service to help folks without transportation to medical and other appointments. The Caravan later became the city operated Dial-A-Ride which operates today. After 15 years the VCH was renamed the Education and Life Training Center (ELTC) and her 4 divisions: Administration, Volunteer Network, assorted Adult classes and literacy, Back to School Bags for children of low income families. It is no longer financed in part by UCM. It is a part of the United Way and its own annual fund drive. * Fort Collins Area Interfaith Council The Interfaith Council was organized to replace the closed Ft Collins Council of Churches. Mainly the Rev John Minear of Laporte, the director of Catholic Services Northern, and the UCM staff developed interfaith Council in the basement of UCM. Part of its genius was the there was no creedal statement of faith required of local ministries and churches for membership. Membership size determined the annual dues. Churches could opt to participate in whatever needed community services and lobbying in State government they chose and not participate in ways that didn't fit the mission and style of that church. It has two meetings a month, one devoted to hearing reports from community services that the Council shares in and the needs of other services or projects that developed and one meeting for business only. It is the most relevant interfaith council I have seen in the past 60 years. The council helped organize the first church wide part of the fund drive to help the Fort Collins Children's Clinic get started. In the clinics early years it was often referred to as the "Free Clinic". Viva House--AndersonvilleIn 1964 Marciella Wood donated a small house with a detached garage in Andersonville to UCM. The buildings were renovated, sewer and septic tank cleaned out, water from the well piped in to the house. Professor David Pettus CSU, Waldo Young a local builder, and Rev. Jim White leader of the student team did nearly all of the kitchen and dining niche for the house. Barb and Les Farley did most of the sight clean up and septic system. Several faculty members shared in the renovations. The garage was used as an activity room and the house was lived in by 2 students who conducted an after school program for elementary children and supervised a sort of loan library and give away with duplicate books from the city library. This service continued until 1971 and then was lived in by a former student, sort of "hippy" drop out who did calling in Andersonville and helped them work with the city to be annexed, get city water, and modernize homes. In 1974 the house was broken into and the inside destroyed beyond repair. In 1975 the buildings were raised, the site sold to the city and the lot now is a 'pocket park' with some play equipment. Viva House Ministry served a much-needed children's service in the 60's and 70's. Buckingham HouseThis house was owned by Marciella Wood who changed it from a rental to offices in 1970 for a social ministry and "housing counseling" for the neighborhood. It also came out of some "forward" thinking that went on in UCM's Community Outreach Task Group to Poor Neighborhoods. For one year it was the office of the Volunteer Clearing House. Its most significant contribution was the birthing of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Ministry that still exists as one of the best counseling and service for low cost housing and temporary help for people who have difficulty paying the rent. It has received through some sizable grants that have improved houses and erected new homes for folks in the area. Buckingham House was sold to a family in the immediate community for a home. The PointThe Point developed in the basement of the UCM as a ministry for drug and alcohol counseling. After only a few months The Point acquired a rather large federal grant written by a professor in the Counseling Department at CSU. The grant enabled The Point to rent on Mulberry Street the large AAUW Home for female students at CSU. The Point developed an extensive program of counseling and group therapy treatments for students and others who had drug and alcohol problems using volunteer professionals for much of the service. The building also served many "drop in" folks. It also developed a small service for free medical treatment for young children 2 nights a week. The grant ran out in 5 years and a skeleton staff of 3 returned to the renovated portion of the basement in the UCM house and operated for 2 more years. The need for a service like the point had in the 6-7 years of its existence largely been taken up by existing services in the community. Draft Information and Counseling CenterThis service was developed in 1968 by faculty members and some clergy and was housed in an office in the UCM House. It continued until the federal draft was discontinued in 1975. It served students at CSU and young men in the community who had to register for the draft with legal information about registration. It was very careful and vigilant to keep within the law. We learned in the early 70's from a former student who had gone in to the US Air Force that the FBI had taped the telephone line. The service never did a single thing that was not within the law. The FBI denied the fact of telephone taping until I threatened to go "public" with the information. This service to hundreds of young men provoked considerable hate mail and threatening phone messages to Bob Geller and wife. It also was the reason given by several churches in the city that withdrew financial support of the UCM. It is another of those "little" things that happened to the UCM, when it did a needed service during the Vietnam War. * Friends Meeting--QuakersThe UCM was the Sunday A.M. meeting place of the Ft Collins "Friends Meeting" from the early 60's until 1992 when the Meeting acquired a home of its own at its present gathering site in the city. Many of the Quakers did volunteer work in the UCM office and on the property and helped supervise some of the men doing community service as part of their sentence. Community ServiceIn cooperation with the city and county courts the UCM provided regular "Community Service" jobs for the court ordered community service. The UCM always provided staff or volunteers to supervise the work and usually worked along with the assigned. This service was discontinued in 1991 when Bob Geller retired. * Student AA and Alanon Groups The first student AA group and Alanon group were started by the UCM and were housed in the Center from 1986-1993 when they moved to the Student Health Center on CSU campus. * 12-Step Group Therapy The UCM started the first 12-step program in Fort Collins for sexually addicted persons. It met at the UCM house from 1987-1990. It moved to Larimer Center for Mental Health facility in the city. This group tends to "come and go" with the interest and needs that emerge. It has always provided its own leadership patterned after the AA. Theology Day on CampusThe UCM started a Saturday contemporary Hebrew-Christian Theology lecture and discussion at the UCM house and The Danforth Chapel. Speakers were obtained from faculties of CSU, Iliff School of Theology and Denver University. This Theology Day continued from the early 1970's-1989. * Weekly Book discussion Group In 1967 a Book Discussion group was started to read "around the academic disciplines" at Universities. It has met from 1967 to the present and meets on Friday at 7AM during the academic year and half of the summer. Since it's beginning over 500 titles and over 150 short papers of current academic interest, evaluations, and visions have been read and discussed. It is made up of current and retired faculty, retired physicians, Community College faculty, public school teachers, some graduate students, retired psychologists, retired engineers, lawyers, and a few clergy. It has a 'reputation' in several states. This group will continue. Lazarus Tomb Coffee HouseLazarus Tomb was the first coffee house in Fort Collins. Students who cleaned out the old basement of the UCM House started it. It began in the winter of 1965 and continued until 1973 on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 to 11 P.M. It was managed entirely by students and targeted students at CSU, hippy dropouts and on the street young people. It served coffee only, provided lots of instruments and singing, poetry readings and much conversation. There was an agreement of no smoking , no drugs of any kind and no alcohol . Plain-clothes police visited it regularly, and no arrests ever made. UCM staff dropped in every night for a while. Several courtships developed into marriages that have still survived. Former regular participants include professors, ministers, authors, businessmen, public school teachers and lots of young folks committed to peace who are still active in peace and justice movements. It averaged 30-50 in attendance nearly all whom sat on the floor. * Holocaust Week Before there was a Synagogue in Fort Collins or a Hillel program for Jewish students the UCM organized the first three years Holocaust Observance beginning in 1964. The centerpiece for this early observance was on black and white photo exhibit of 40 poster size pictures of Holocaust scenes taken of Concentration Camps in Germany and Poland. This exhibit was displayed for a week each year in the CSU Student Center and then offered to local churches for display the remainder of February in 1964-7. It was very well received at CSU but only 3 churches were interested in using the exhibit. Others turned it down for various reasons. The most common of which was "We have seen enough of this thing and need to put it behind us and get to more pressing current issues of the present". The UCM also arranged to have a professor from CSU lead a discussion of the Holocaust in the late afternoon in the CSU Student Center. Contemporary Art ExhibitThe UCM obtained a traveling art exhibit that was designed to generate a "whole mind and body" experience for the viewer. It dealt with the diversity of races, cultures, and religion. Parts of the exhibit were "walk under, step over, crawl through" as well as on the wall posters. This traveling exhibit was provided through the National Campus Ministers Association in the US. The exhibit was used in 1971-72. * International Center In 1962 the UCM open the first International Center for housing foreign students in a "community" along with selected American students. For several years CSU was not able or maybe willing to house such a venture. The UCM and a few faculty members led by Maurice Albertson rented available fraternity houses first on Shields Street, then West Lake, then Remington and finally on College Avenue. The International Student services CSU employed a Direct of International Student Services who helped CSU Administration see the value of such housing. The first UCM financed housing on College Avenue was closed and now is the Garment District. The responsibility for housing of some International Students was assumed by CSU in temporary facilities and a portion of married housing, and then student housing built a large center on West Elizabeth Street for single students. The Fort Collins community aspect of International Student Services is alive and well and works actively with CSU. Religion In Life WeekIn 1963-66 the UCM, the Dean of Students Office and some help of the University Religious Directors Association (URDA) organized and conducted a "Religion In Life Week" on campus. Nationally known leaders in religion were invited to address student assemblies, make presentations in some classes and lead discussions. These were all campus observances and were discontinued in 1967. * Graduate Student and Older Learners LuncheonFrom 1963-1990 free weekly discussions over a soup and salad lunch, Graduate students and "older" learners gathered to hear and discuss current issues with CSU faculty members and on occasional person from the Fort Collins community. The "guests" were frequently invited because of their controversial stands, unusual research, or spirituality. They came form all areas of campus life and even included a few administrators. Fall 2006 Grad/Non-Traditional Student Spirituality Discussion Group has started up again Mondays Noon--1:00 pm, Lory Student Center room 232. * Agape Meals Beginning in 1964, every Wednesday 5:30-6:45pm students gathered to share in an Agape meal. Students brought all kinds of food to share. The UCM provided most of the beverages. The folding tables were laid flat on the floor and students sat around on the floor. Each meal began with a simple communion ritual. A discussion topic was introduced, food was passed around and some "lively" discussion was common. Some students' only involvement in the UCM was this meal. A woman student from Pueblo proposed the meal idea in 1963. This gathering continued until 1993. A form of this program still goes on under the title of " Food for Thought ." * Senior Students Art Exhibit In 1966 the Art Department at CSU held a spring Senior Art Exhibit in the Student Center with small cash prizes. Interest was rather low. In 1967 the UCM donated prize money to see if it would increase interest. The larger prize money plus better promotion of the exhibit did the trick. From 1968 to the present the money for prizes has been a strong incentive and helps make the exhibit go very well. * A Note Related to Past Ministry 1962 to the Present-Full time Religious Workers From 1962-1991 over 50 women and men active in the UCM have gone to theological schools and entered the clergy. These have included: 1 Roman Catholic Priest, 2 Mennonite Ministers, 1 Jewish Rabbi and the rest entered the clergy of United Methodist, Presbyterian (USA), American Baptist, Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, Unitarian, and 2 Readers in Christian Science. Several later became full time counselors or went into social work. Some have now retired. In addition to these, every year former students who are actively involved in faith communities write how the campus ministry helped change and direct their lives. Many also met their spouses in this ministry. * Drugs, Alcohol, and You Programs--The Hartshorn Health/Day Service This very important service for students charged with drug and alcohol abuse is now offered at CSU, under the direction of Lisa Miller, a recent director of the UCM. It targets students who have a choice of dismissal or entering this rehab program and over 75% have been successful in managing their addiction. It is the first such program in the United States. The service has already received national attention in higher education circles. Teams from several universities have visited and studied the CSU service. It has graduation day 4 times a year. It is another example of former UCM staff and staff from several CSU departments, a District Judge, and the Sheriff Department and will be expanding at CSU. It enables students to not only remain in school to continue their education but also be better equipped to survive in the working world. It is a volunteer program and is not to be confused with punishment. It is a choice between dismissal from CSU or taking the program and costs students much time. There is a charge for the tests in the program and the student's parents are not allowed to pay for it. * Hillel Ministry at CSU As of August 2006 the Hillel ministry to Jewish students is now located in the Geller House and will use the house for some small meetings. This is another step forward in the Greek meaning of the word ecumenical literally means the "whole household of God". This is more inclusive than just Christian religions. In the late 60's and 70's the UCM provided a "live in house" for a small number of Jewish students at CSU. * Academic Year 2006-2007 A new course offering for fall through the Philosophy Department, the instructor is Peggy Christiansen, Director of UCM/Geller Center for Spiritual Development. "Spiritual Development in a Pluralistic Society: Theory and Practice"
The Future--Immediate and Long-Term Ministry The Geller Center continues the traditions and vision of the UCM, an organization and mission with a long history of ecumenism, social justice and action, and critical thinking in CSU and the Fort Collins community. It is very important that it survive financially. A fund drive is under way to finance the 2006-2007 mission and a drive to raise $400,000-$500,000 for investment to assure its long term presence and mission of this ministry at CSU and secondarily its voice in Fort Collins. A proposed addition to the existing building at 629 S Howes is a meeting-seminar type room for 50-60 persons and restrooms. It will be located on the west side of the present building where the decrepit back porch sits.
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