an opportunity to share thoughts and faith online
with the Protestant Campus Ministry

About PCM
What We Do
Who is Our PCM Minister?
When I was Hungry..
One Cool Site
Questions You May Have
Web Based Resources
About Us

Protestant Campus Ministry at Salem State College is sponsored by a collection of American Baptist, Episcopal, United Methodist and United Church of Christ congregations in Salem and the surrounding area.  Our mission is to provide pastoral care, along with worship, study and services opportunities for students, staff and faculty of the college.  Together with the Catholic Campus Ministry  we make up the Interfaith Center.  We are a warm and welcoming ministry that seeks to nurture the faith walks and spiritual development of those in the Salem State Community.

What does PROTESTANT CAMPUS MINISTRY do?
    PASTORAL CARE
    Our chaplain is available for you to talk with on either a formal or informal basis.  College can be a challenging place, with all the stresses and joys of any major life transition.  Along with Studies, many of our students must juggle family and work responsibilities and at times it may be good just to talk to someone.  The Protestant chaplain can be that person for you. 

    WORSHIP AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
    During the course of the academic year, our chaplain will offer several worship and study opportunities here on campus.  In the past we have celebrated Christmas with carols, hot chocolate, and readings from the Nativity story!  Our goal is to make worship a celebration and study and exploration of faith.  The campus minister is available to college classes as a resource person in areas of faith and ethics. 

    INTERFAITH OUTREACH
    We work actively with Catholic colleagues on campus as well as other religious leaders to encourage interfaith dialogue.  Through education and outreach, PCM seeks to nurture a better understanding of differences and commonalties with other faith traditions. 

    SOCIAL CONCERNS
    We work with the Dean of Students and the Catholic campus chaplains in finding hands-on ways of involving our students in social outreach in Salem and neighboring communities.

Who is Our Campus Chaplain?

Our Campus Chaplain is the Reverend Carol L. Karlson, an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, who has worked in Parish ministry for fifteen years. Carol is now a Special Education tutor at the Concord-Carlisle High School, when she is not on campus here. You will find her here Mondays from eleven to five, and on Thursday from four to seven.
On-Campus Hours
Mondays from 11:00am - 5:00pm, and on Thursday from 4:00 - 7:00pm
Email
Our Protestant Campus Chaplain is available on-line at: uurev@earthlink.net.

One Cool Site

College is a great time to reassess the ideas that you grew up with, to find out what works, what doesn't, and what you will claim for yourself. Most of us do this eventually with the faith tradition in which we have been raised. But how do your core beliefs relate to that faith? Might you have more in common with other worship communities? Go to www.beliefnet.com, a great Web site for doing just that. It provides much information about a wide array of religions, including searchable sacred texts from nearly every tradition, as well as tools for meditation and prayer.

One of its most popular features is the so-called Belief-o-Matic, in which you answer about twenty questions, then a computer can tell you how your beliefs match up to core beliefs of major faiths. You can find it by going to 'Quizzes' under the Spiritual Tools list. Try it out; you may surprise yourself. Do remember, though, the Belief-o-Matic's own disclaimer that it assumes no responsibility for the eternal fate of your soul.

Questions You May Have

Q:  What if I already belong to a church, or I've never gone to church before?

A:  Protestant Campus Ministries can be a place to explore your faith, whatever it may be.  We believe that each individual's spirituality and faith choice is worthy of respect.  PCM is not meant to take the place of a church or other faith community to which you may already belong, nor is it required you attend a church to take part in PCM.  We are simply a place to explore your spirituality along with others in the Salem State Community.

Q:  Whom can I talk to about this ministry?

A:  contact Reverend Carol L. Karlson

What are some good web resources for reference in building my Christian Faith?

There are several excellent websites related to the Christian faith.  Some of those are:

DENOMINATIONS/DIOCESE/ARCHDIOCESE

LOCAL CHURCHES*

CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP

There will be more sites coming as we research the links that are most appropriate for this page.
Feel free to surf the web yourself to find information on the web.

Return to Student Life Programs
Return to SSC Index