Monday night was excellent.A large group of students from Unite met to buy food for a college guy who had maxed out his options with the local aid groups and couldn’t get food for a couple of weeks.Instead we headed to the UnitedMethodistStudentCenter (it has a basement) to observe and ride out a large thunderstorm that tore through Hays to the tune of emergency vehicles and tornado sirens.
After the worst had blown through we had a ton of fun with several others who were there splashing around in the rain and driving around town throwing up water and checking things out.
Once we’d recollected ourselves, we were able to make the Walmart run to buy the food.It is a blessing and encouragement to see how generous everyone became when a need was apparent.Many of those who contributed the most and thought to buy extra nice items were themselves having trouble making the bare minimums for rent and food.God is awesome, and it touches a person very deeply to see His love expressed through others and reflected in their hearts.I am humbled and infinitely grateful to He whom we are blessed to serve for the opportunities He gives us to live in community with Him and all who serve Him. We are so unworthy to be used to show His love, but His love is so amazing that He wants to use us with Him to love others... what an amazing thing. I really can't express how grateful that makes me.
For those of you following happenings in Unite and supporting us in prayer, thank you SINCERELY.
Your prayer support is invaluable as we seek to reach into campus with Christ's love and let Him build relationships.
Please pray for:
All of the students and other adults who will be involved in Unite leadership--that they listen to God, hear God, and understand what it is they are to do in this so that we may best move with Him as opposed to for Him. Also that we be sensitive to His voice and see all the opportunities available to make relationships.
That God continue to pull together the right leadership for Unite at the right time.
All of the congregation members and students that will be involved in the Unite small group communities--that they also listen to God, hear God, and understand how best to move with Him. Please especially pray that God break down barriers that may prevent the right congregation members or college students from joining us.
That God work on the hearts of college students who interact with the small group communities--especially that people who are curious about God/Christ would come up to our groups while we study and pray and ask us what we're doing and why... and that if students do ask us that God direct our answers and help us interact with them...
All the college students on campus-that they find an opportunity to get involved with Christ's body-the church-while they are here.
All of those helping design the study-that we can discern the most important things to include and the right time-line for the entire study progression.
Those involved in the international ministry and coffee-house planning... that we be sensitive to move in God's timing with Him. In particular, please be in prayer that one student who may be heavily involved hear God's voice and know what it is she is to do to take the 'next step' with God.
The churches and ministries we will interact with-that we may all work together in Christ to the greatest effect
(Personal) That God continue to provide for my basic needs and that He continue to help me 'seek ye first the kingdom'
"Today was an incredible day.After a good time praying, meditating, and reading scripture, I completed a lot of little tasks necessary for Unite.I rented a PO Box, set up some bank accounts, and sent out several emails.
After that, I was able to meet with a college guy for lunch, and we had an amazing conversation.It was one of those conversations I live for—the conversations that seem to be brought about at the exact perfect time.I was very thankful to be used in that situation and to get to know him better.
I met with another college guy for supper after completing a few more administrative tasks for Unite, and that conversation also lasted almost three hours.It was another very good conversation, and we were able to share a powerful prayer time afterwards. Then we got together with two other college men and took about an hour and a half to pray for others we knew and other situations that were on our hearts.
It was a day that started early in the morning and ended after midnight, but it was really the type of day I live for.I am excited to be doing the small administrative things that are necessary for the bigger vision of Unite, and I really love being able to be there for others at the right time.Coming together to pray as a group of college men was very encouraging, as well.It is exciting to be with others who have a passion for God and a love for others, and I was impressed that everyone was able to stay awake that late during long prayers."
The rest of my days last week were equally blessed.I had a few more excellent one-on-one meetings with college men and two good meetings with high school students I mentor.I also had a very good phone conversation with the regional director of New Tribes.He sent some materials in the mail that should help us much better design our college Bible Studies for the small groups—both the regular study and the international focused ones.He further offered to come out some time for a training session for our leadership.I had mentioned this as a possibility at my meeting with Community Connections and at my meeting with North Oak’s Outreach Ministry team.
My meeting with the director of Community Connections/the Center for Life Experience was very fruitful.We discussed their international ministry initiatives as well as the vision we have with Unite.We compared notes and are trying to figure out how to best work together.I also may swing by First Presbyterian’s discipleship team meeting to find out if some congregation members would be interested in joining our studies next semester at FHSU campus.
The North Oak Outreach Ministry team meeting was also productive.I will be seeking to meet with the leader for the adult equipping team to find out if any congregation members from North Oak have interest in joining our study groups on campus.
Our Sunday afternoon small group meeting moved out to Coffee Rules so that we can get used to meeting on or near campus for next year.Three students who don’t usually make it joined us, and we spent the time sharing about what’s been going on in each others’ lives spiritually and praying for each other.I am always thankful that God enables us to open up and share so deeply with each other and pray for each other.I firmly believe that the best community building times occur when we pray for 'whenever two or more gather in my name, I am there,' and the Holy Spirit can build bridges far better than we can. I am very excited for continued opportunities to grow together in God and pray for and encourage each other this Summer.
Thank you for reading this update, and please keep us all in your prayers!
Unite (Ephesians 4:1-16) creates opportunities for members of the body of Christ in various congregations to interact with college students in their environment and develop relationships. Through these relationships and interactions opportunities for the Holy Spirit to minister will arise. Unite acts as a ligament in the body of Christ—facilitating more readily the connections between church members and students.
One of our core focuses is developing small group spiritual communities of students, faculty, and lay-persons that meet on campus and near campus in public areas. These groups will go through Bible-based studies together and will pray for and encourage each other as everyone continues to grow in Christ (Ephesians 4:16). The small groups help Christian students, many of whom step away from their faith in college, get involved in strong spiritual communities with older Christians. The small group communities also create opportunities for non-Christians to interact with communities of believers in their day-to-day lives. It is our prayer that curious individuals will see the groups praying for each other, studying the Bible, and encouraging each other, and that the individuals will interact with our groups. After a few such interactions, hopefully they may even join the groups regularly. This is particularly likely for some of the more than two hundred international students on campus, as many already have a strong curiosity about Christianity.
We are working with others to offer music nights, game nights, and eventually coffeehouse nights near campus as God enables. Other events such as ‘Get Plugged In’ invite all the churches and college ministries in the region to be present on campus for a given day so that students looking for Christian community can more readily find a church home/ministry. All events ultimately serve to let students and Christians in the community interact and develop healthy, God-centered relationships, and to create opportunities in which the Holy Spirit may interact.
Unite is unique among Fort Hays college ministries in that we enable congregations’ members to be directly involved in on-campus ministry, and we meet on campus in public locations in which students may freely join. If you would like more detailed information about what we do or if you have questions, please feel free to use the information below to contact us and please check out our prayer blog.
Unite PO Box 1100 Hays, KS 67601 Uniteeph4.1.16@gmail.com http://www.uniteeph4-1-16.blogspot.com (prayer and information blog)
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