Loving Like Jesus: Ministry Lessons from Cowley
From Iowa to Oxford: How stepping into the unknown deepened Brayden’s faith and revealed new ways to serve with purpose and in the ways of Jesus.
Episode 21 | 12 Minutes | May 15, 2025
In this episode, Brayden Dirks, a Northwestern College student, shares his experience serving at The Jungle in Cowley, Oxford. From tea time with locals to conversations with recovering addicts, Brayden reflects on what it means to love others like Jesus—through presence, patience, and genuine relationship.
In this Episode:
Brayden Dirks shares about his first overseas service trip to Cowley, Oxford through Northwestern’s Spring Service Partnership.
He describes volunteering at The Jungle, a community space focused on relational ministry over religious messaging.
The team conducted community surveys to help locals discover their gifts and how they can support each other.
Brayden reflects on the power of presence-based ministry and the importance of meeting people where they are.
He offers advice for students considering service trips, emphasizing flexibility, openness, and trusting God to move.
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Brayden Dirks is a junior at Northwestern College majoring in Biblical and Theological Studies. Originally from Marcus, Iowa, Brayden is passionate about church ministry and hopes to become a pastor. His recent service trip to Cowley, Oxford deepened his understanding of relational ministry and the power of loving others through everyday presence.
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Brenna Carson: Hi Brayden. Thanks for being here today. It's nice to meet you.
Brayden Dirks: Nice to meet you too.
Brenna Carson: Brayden, could you start off by introducing yourself to us a little bit?
Brayden Dirks: Yeah. So my name is Brayden Dirks. I'm a junior at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. I'm from Marcus, Iowa, a small town nearby. I study Biblical and Theological Studies, and I'm hoping to become a pastor or do something in church ministry someday. I'm really passionate about God's Word. This past spring, I had the opportunity to serve in the Cowley Oxford area at the Jungle.
Brenna Carson: That was the spring break service partnership trip, right? Was this your first time doing something like that, or have you done other trips before?
Brayden Dirks: Last year, I went to Denver and worked with a lot of homeless ministries. We kind of jumped around between different ones. But this trip to Cowley was my first time doing something overseas—actually, my first time out of the country.
Brenna Carson: Okay.
Brayden Dirks: It was definitely eye-opening. I'm hoping to do something again next spring.
Brenna Carson: That's awesome. How was your time in Cowley? I imagine it was very different from your experience in Denver. What were some of the biggest differences you noticed?
Brayden Dirks: Yeah, going in, I didn’t really know what to expect. The UK is more similar to America than some other countries, but there were still differences. Some were lighthearted—everything is really small! I'm 6'1", and nothing there seemed made for someone my height.
Another difference was how England felt a bit behind technologically, but at the same time, they’re very relational in their way of living. America can be really consumer-focused, but in Cowley, once you get to know someone, it’s a really warm environment. It reminded me of the Midwest in some ways, but it felt more genuine and present—like people really focused on the person in front of them.
Brenna Carson: That's really cool. It's great that you could glean those insights even after just a week. So, you mentioned you were involved with the Jungle—one of our primary ministries in Cowley. Tell us more about what you did during that week.
Brayden Dirks: Yeah, let’s see. The first day was more of an introduction. We toured the Jungle and learned about what they do. Then over the next few days, we volunteered during their open hours—usually from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
We helped with tea time, where around 25–30 people, mostly 70 and older, would come in. We also helped with story time for parents and young children, which was really fun.
Our main task was administering surveys that Phil and Lola from the Jungle had created. These surveys asked people about their gifts, how they saw themselves contributing to the community, what they appreciated about the Jungle, and what they felt were the community’s greatest needs.
It was all part of helping the community understand how they could support one another. There's a lot of low self-esteem in the area due to poverty, addiction, and other challenges.
So, it was really meaningful to help people recognize their gifts and how they could be used by God.
We also volunteered in other ways—spent time with guys from a nearby drug addiction rehab center. We played ping pong, pool, just hung out with them.
Me and the two other guys on the trip went to a men's prayer gathering that Friday morning, and that was a powerful experience—seeing what God was doing in people’s lives despite their difficult pasts. Overall, it was an incredible experience that taught me a lot.
Brenna Carson: It sounds like it. As someone interested in church ministry and relational, teaching-oriented roles, do you think your experience in Cowley will influence how you approach ministry in the future?
Brayden Dirks: Definitely. One of the biggest things I’ve been reflecting on is how incarnational the Jungle’s ministry is. It’s really down-to-earth and meets people where they are—just like how Jesus came to sit with sinners and tax collectors.
One of the Jungle's rules is "no politics, no religion." At first, that raised some questions for me. But Phil explained it so well—they just want people to come in and be loved. They don’t force the Bible or Jesus on anyone. They simply show love as Jesus would and build relationships over time.
Eventually, they invite spiritual conversations in, through actions, Scripture, and prayer. For many people there, it might be their first exposure to church or faith.
For me, it was a powerful lesson. It’s easy to love those who are already familiar with the Bible or have grown up in church. But it’s harder—and so important—to love those who know little or nothing about Jesus. This trip showed me how to do that well: just love them and show them Jesus through your actions. Discipleship is really just doing life with people.
Brenna Carson: That’s really cool. I appreciate your insight. You’re right—creating a space where people feel safe to explore the Bible or their relationship with Jesus is so important. It’s amazing that you got to see that in action and take something valuable away from it.
For someone who’s thinking about doing a similar trip—whether overseas or here in the States—but feels unsure about their role or what to expect, what advice would you give them?
Brayden Dirks: Yeah, going in, I really didn’t know what to expect. We hadn’t heard much about what the Jungle was doing, and some of the plans were kind of loose.
I’d say the biggest thing is: don’t underestimate what God can do in a short amount of time. And also, don’t go in with too many expectations. Naturally, we’ll have some, but it’s better to be open.
I remember arriving at the Jungle expecting a big downtown community center. Instead, it was a little shop in a rundown mall covered in Jungle-themed decorations. I looked at one of my friends and said, “This is not what I expected,” and he said the same.
So yeah—expect the unexpected. Be flexible. Trust that God will work however He wants to work, even if you feel unprepared. I certainly did—but God still moved in incredible ways.
Brenna Carson: Thank you, Brayden, for sharing your experience, your insights, and some of the wisdom you gained through this trip. We appreciate you taking the time to tell your story, and we’re excited to see where God leads you after Northwestern. Thanks again—it was great to meet you.
Brayden Dirks: Yes, thank you.