Congratulations to the Rev. Dan Isadore for being awarded $14,000 from the Episcopal Church’s Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministries.
The grant will help Dan respond to a growing demand on the several campuses where he serves, while he also attempts to make the Episcopal University Chaplaincy less reliant on the annual diocesan budget.
Dan’s grant application documented his unconventional approach to ministry. He partners closely with other university chaplains for a non-denominational presence, reaching students who might not seek out a church or chaplain on their own. He works primarily at building relationships and community. His days are filled spending time with students, staff, and faculty, both one-on-one and in small groups. He invites those seeking a deeper knowledge of Jesus to campus Bible studies and to gatherings that he and spouse Hallie frequently host in their home.
During his last three years serving at Pitt and Chatham, Dan found that students were increasingly asking for more and that fellow chaplains wanted to be trained in his approach. Dan has started to identify and mentor others who have an interest in joining his work on campus or might become chaplains elsewhere. And, because most college students are not yet financially able to engage in the type of stewardship common in parishes, Dan is building a corps of private donors to support his work in a more self-sustaining manner.
You can contact Dan, or partner with others in supporting his chaplaincy, through his bio page on the diocesan website.