SSI, Spring Showcase, and so much more!

So many exciting things have happened in the life of our community since I last wrote, and I can't wait to share them with you!

SSI

Each spring, CCF, our sister ministry in Washington, sends a group of students to our campuses for one week for an event known as SSI.  They spend the week reaching out to students on our campuses, starting spiritual conversations, and making friends.  I'm pleased to say that the week went smoothly, and the ten students and two interns who came to our Denton campuses had a great time.

One of the benefits of SSI is that each year, it encourages our students to start more conversations with their peers about spiritual topics.  Pray with me that the excitement of SSI week will continue to motivate these students to reach out to people in their classes and just walking on campus.

The SSI team getting ready for a day of outreach

Spring Showcase

The Finale

If you didn't make it to Spring Showcase on April 2, you missed out!  We had something for everyone: Broadway duets, dueling violas, ballet, Storm Troopers, and more!  It was an incredible evening of entertainment, but more importantly, we raised around $17,000 to send our students to SICM!  Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed!  With that money, we will be able to help our aspiring student leaders attend SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry) this May, so they can learn the skills needed to lead Bible studies and help their fellow students become better disciples of Jesus.

Spring Showcase was organized and run by our interns, and they did a fantastic job.  And that leads me to the team that will be taking over next year...

The Apprentices

The 2016-2017 FOCUS Apprentices

These five beautiful people pictured above will be our apprentices for the coming school year.  Right now, I am working closely with them as they raise their financial support for their upcoming apprenticeship.  Please pray that God would reward their efforts and lead them to people who are willing to support campus ministry.  I am so thrilled that these five apprentices will be working on our campuses next year to lead students into closer relationship with Jesus.

Big News!

Hello friends!  The semester is flying by, and God is working in amazing ways on our campuses!

Student Institute of Campus Ministry

Big news: we are taking 116 people to SICM!  This is our biggest group ever, and I am so thrilled that they will  have this special opportunity.  Those students will learn how to reach out to others on campus, teach Bible studies, and disciple their peers.  Please start praying now for these students.  Ask God to open their minds to learn and to provide the money that is needed to send them on this trip.

Here are a few of those amazing students who will be going:

 

Spring Showcase

If you want to help these students get to SICM, please come to the Spring Showcase!

Spring Showcase is a concert event with performances from very talented students and alumni.  We will also have an art sale featuring original works by students and alumni.  All funds raised will benefit our SICM students.

Here are the details:

When?

Saturday, April 2

Art sale opens at 6:30 PM

Concert begins at 7:30 PM

Where?

North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship

2801 E. President George Bush Hwy.

Plano, TX 75074

How much?

Adult tickets $20

Student/child tickets $15

Where do I buy tickets?

You can purchase tickets in person from any student who is attending SICM, or you can click here to purchase online.

I hope to see you there!

REALLY Big News

I am pleased to announce that I will be moving to our UT Arlington campus next school year!  This decision has been a difficult one.  I'm sad to leave the students and my team in Denton, but I am also excited about the prospect of moving to Arlington, living near the campus, and getting to know a whole new group of students.  Please be in prayer for me during this transition, and for all our students and staff as we move into a new season of ministry.

Here are a few of the new friends I'll be spending time with in Arlington!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support for me and the FOCUS ministry.  Next month, I look forward to sharing with you about our SSI adventures!

Spring Semester

The spring semester is always so full of exciting milestones marking the growth of our community.  Here are just a few that I can't wait to tell you about: Winter Camp!  SICM Invites!  Apprenticeship Applications!  Fundraiser!

Winter Camp

Winter Camp 2016 was an enormous success.  Each year, students from all of our campuses across the Metroplex gather to worship God together and learn about Him from our guest speaker.  This time around, over 500 students gathered, along with a handful of alumni and special guests.  We sang praises to God and even enjoyed some dancing in our worship.  We heard an inspiring message from Dr. Rikk Watts that helped illuminate how the first-century Jews experienced the ministry of Jesus, and how Jesus incorporated the message of the Old Testament in His life and teaching.

I have heard nothing but positive feedback from our students about their camp experience.  One student told me Rikk's talks inspired her to study the Scripture more deeply and look for connections that bridge the gap between Old Testament and New.  She also said she felt particularly challenged to look with mercy and grace on other people, just as Jesus showed tremendous grace to Zaccheus the tax collector.  Another student found our talk about dating for disciples provided a new perspective on relationships that she hadn't considered before.

Brandon and Garrett do a little role-play to illustrate a point in the dating talk

I don't know what I love more: meeting Rikk Watts or seeing our students learn so much from him!

SICM Invites

Each summer, we send promising young students to the Student Institute for Campus Ministry, an intense, week-long training conference where they learn the skills to minister to other students on their campuses.  The conference is in May, but we are already determining which students to invite to this special opportunity.  We're looking for students who exhibit faithfulness to God and to our community, who are already taking initiative to serve and lead, who humbly and eagerly desire to learn, and who make time for ministry and for their brothers and sisters in our community.  Many of these students will be asked to lead Cores next year, while others will bring the skills they learn to their classes and workplaces.  Please pray for our staff as we decide whom to invite to SICM; God often uses people who don't look like "leadership material" at first glance to do great things in His Kingdom, so pray that our eyes would be open to see God's plans for our students!

Apprenticeship Applications

As you know, I work closely with our FOCUS interns.  What you probably don't know is that we are renaming our internship.  It is now the Campus Ministry Apprenticeship.  We believe that the language we use matters, so I think this renaming will help us think differently about the program.  "Intern" conveys the idea of someone inexperienced, underpaid, and unskilled.  "Interns" make copies, get coffee, and rarely have any input into the way an organization operates.  "Apprentices" work closely with someone who is already engaged in a craft or profession, learning the necessary skills through hands-on experiences.

Our interns have never been copy-making, coffee-fetching, silent lackeys.  They are vital members of our team and spend their time on our staff learning the art of ministry by doing ministry.  Changing our language around this program more accurately reflects what we actually expect from these team members, and it will more accurately covey their level of experience to future employers.

With that said, now is the season of accepting applications and interviewing prospective apprentices.  Please pray fervently that God would send us the apprentices He wants on our team, and that we as a staff would be wise in making those hiring decisions.  The recent graduates applying to our apprenticeship now could be the ministers who carry FOCUS to new campuses in the decades to come.

Keep FOCUS Growing Initiative

We met our goal of $45,000!  THANK YOU for giving generously and for praying for this fundraising initiative.  Some of that money will help pay staff, some will cover our office expenses, some will help us get our students to events like Winter Camp and SICM.  But it's clear that ALL the money raised will help us make disciples for Jesus on all our campuses.

Christmas Blessings and New Beginnings

Happy New Year and welcome to 2016!  I hope each one of you enjoyed a special holiday season and took the time to reflect on the greatest Christmas gift any of us has received, namely the gift of Jesus Christ our Lord.

December was a time to celebrate many things:  Christmas, the close of the fall semester, and the blessing of family and community.  Let me share with you how I and the FOCUS community celebrated.

Our Denton Christmas Party

 Just before the chaos of final exams, our students gathered together to celebrate Christmas.  This was a time of laughter as our Cores performed silly skits to entertain their peers.  The skits had to incorporate a Christmas song and reflect the unique character of our Denton campuses.  My favorite was the performance put on by Darby, Katie, and Hanna's Core.  Their group re-wrote Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" into "All I Want for Christmas is the Union."  They sang about the new UNT Union that recently opened, and each of the girls dressed in a different costume to represent some aspect of the new building.  Everyone could see that those young women had not only school spirit but a lot of love for each other.  Those skits of course are not meant only for entertainment; we strategically ask our Cores to do something that requires planning, practice, and often a little embarrassment because it helps strengthen the bonds of friendship within each group.

After the silliness of our skits, the party took a more reflective tone.  I read many biblical passages aloud to our students and asked them to ponder the magnificent reality of Christmas.  I read from the Old Testament prophets who looked forward to the glorious coming Messiah and the universal victory of God's kingdom, and I read from the Gospels as they told the story of a baby born to an unwed teenager, surrounded by livestock in a stall.  The meaning of Christmas is tremendous: God has come to earth.  But the visible reality of Christmas is mundane: a Jewish child born into a common family while sheep slept under the watchful care of shepherds nearby.  I encourage you to ponder that paradox of Christmas and these words, spoken by Simeon over the infant Jesus: "For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.  This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed."

From left: Sarah K, Danielle, Miriam, and Debbie

After Christmas, while our students were still away relaxing with family and enjoying the break from school, the FOCUS staff and interns gathered together for a retreat.  We drove four hours to a remote bit of the Texas hill country and stayed in two huge rental houses (there were 30 of us on this trip).  For four days we learned, prayed, and spent much time preparing for the upcoming semester and the many exciting things we have planned.  We also had plenty of time to play together, enjoy each other's company, and strengthen the tight bonds of friendship that allow us as a staff to work together effectively.  As you look at these funny pictures, please pray for this team.  I am privileged to work with some of the most talented, intelligent, self-sacrificing and faithful people in the world.  Pray that God would keep us wholeheartedly committed to Him and that He would use us to bless college students at all of our campuses.

From left: Sirak, Sarah, and me

This is me with my fellow Denton pastor, Cody.  Please pray for the McCartys, as the family home where Cody celebrated Christmas was completely destroyed by the December 26 tornadoes.

From left: Garrett, Tana, and April (with Debbie in the background)

Finally, I am thrilled to tell you that our annual Winter Camp is quickly approaching!  Students from all the FOCUS campuses will gather from January 15-18 at Sky Ranch to worship, learn, and play together.  Please pray that camp will be a catalytic moment in the spiritual lives of these students.  Pray also for students who haven't yet decided to attend; sometimes it's the students who decide at the last minute who have the most meaningful camp experience.

If you would like to come to any part of Winter Camp, please let me know.  Many of our alumni and supporters come on Saturday to hear the lessons and meet the students they support.  I would be delighted to see you there.

Thank you for the prayers and support that enable me to keep making disciples on our campuses!

It's Worth It

The 2nd Annual Keep FOCUS Growing Initiative is in full swing.  Thank you to those of you who have already made a donation!  If you haven't heard about this fundraising campaign, please click here to learn more and watch the video below:

In this video, Sarah King, one of our campus pastors, shares stories of the UT Arlington students she spends her time with.  Let me tell you a few brief stories of the UNT students I have the privilege of ministering to:

On a Sunday in November, hundreds of our students gathered for Pizza Theology, a lecture and pizza dinner.  The lecture topic was How to Think Like a Christian, and it outlined a variety of perspectives on epistemology, the sources of our Christian theology, and ultimately how we as Christians should think about issues we face today that are never addressed in the Bible.  A young woman who has been a member of FOCUS since August was there.  She's told me a little bit about her upbringing; she was raised in a Christian denomination that she found close-minded and oppressive, so as a teenager she rebelled against her church's values and called herself agnostic.  In the few months she's been in FOCUS, she's been invited to ask questions and examine her own thoughts about God and the Bible.  At Pizza Theology, she said, "I can't imagine my old church ever doing anything like this.  We were never encouraged to think about things this way."  She had encountered a new way of thinking that both satisfied her desire for answers and allowed for a spectrum of different viewpoints.  Pray with me that she would make the choice to wholly devote herself to Jesus.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, many of our students returned to their hometowns to spend time with family.  One of our young men went "back home" to stay with his parents in another city and realized while he was there that he dearly missed the friends he's made in FOCUS.  He said that Denton has become "home" to him because of the meaningful relationships he's made with other followers of Jesus there.  He even posted an encouragement to other students on our FOCUS Facebook page: "God will make Denton your home if you let Him."  Pray with me that as our students return to their hometowns over the longer Christmas break that they would maintain the friendships they've made and that the break from school would not also be a break from spiritual growth.

I share these stories with you because I believe God is using campus ministry to change hearts and lives.  I believe it's worth it. 

The money we raise through our annual fundraiser and donations throughout the year will cover a variety of expenses, large and small, that help us reach students with the life-changing message of Jesus.  Your donations help us pay for:

- On-campus advertising.  Many FOCUS students and alumni (including my own husband, Matt Schlitz), have come to FOCUS because they saw a poster on campus advertising our meetings. 
- Focus on Jesus books.  FOJ is the curriculum we use to help students study the Bible one-on-one together.  The cost of one booklet is small, but the value of a semester spent studying the Bible with a caring mentor is priceless.
- Counseling services.  Some of our students face severe mental and emotional struggles that require the help of a trained counselor or psychiatrist.  When students can't afford to pay for these services, FOCUS helps them get the care they need.
- Camps and events.  We believe that disciples grow in their faith best when they're connected to a community of close friends who are also disciples.  The camps and events we host help students build and strengthen friendships that provide support and encouragement as they pursue a life devoted to Jesus.
- As well as many other needs that come up.

If you want to keep hearing stories like the ones above, please consider giving to the 2nd Annual Keep FOCUS Growing Initiative.  Your investment can help change lives.  It's worth it.

It's time for Fall

Hello friends!  I can't believe it's November already and our students only have about five weeks of school left this semester.  October was a busy month, but so many incredible things are happening at FOCUS!

UNT, TWU, and NCTC students at Fall Camp

 Fall Camp

I mentioned last month that we were getting ready for Fall Camp.  Well, it was a blast!  Our students spent a day and a night together strengthening friendships, worshiping Jesus, and having fun.  The them of the camp was Defining Moments.  We encouraged students to look back on moments in their lives when they made choices or experienced events that changed everything.  We challenged them to prepare themselves for upcoming defining moments by seeking earnestly after Jesus.  One of the statements made by Amy Knoles in her sermon was this: "You can't always plan for your defining moments before they come, but you can decide who you will be when they get here."  Our students were blessed by her sermon and the time they got to spend together.  I have already seen in the few weeks since Fall Camp how the relationships fostered there are impacting students in big ways.

Everyone at our annual Leadership Conference

UTA intern April sharing during worship at Leadership Conference

Leadership Conference
Each year, our family of churches and FOCUS ministries gather for a one-day Leadership Conference.  This is a moment to celebrate the ways we've grown and changed over the past year and to prepare ourselves to move forward.  We talked about the power of friendship to have a transformative impact on people's lives.  Jesus set the model for friendship in his own ministry.  He surrounded himself with twelve friends and lived his life in close contact with them.  They were transformed by that relationship, and after Jesus' death and resurrection, it was those twelve who carried the message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  Our goal is to follow the example of Jesus in every way we can, including our friend relationships.

The Leadership Conference was also an encouraging time to reconnect with friends from our different churches and campus ministries.  I think we all left feeling reinvigorated and inspired to build God's kingdom wherever he sends us.

Dating
Last Friday, I preached a sermon on dating relationships.  Our Cores also discussed the topic of dating and healthy relationships that week.  Every year, we talk about dating in FOCUS at least once (often more).  I sometimes hear students who have been in FOCUS say things like, "Didn't we just talk about dating last semester?"

We talk about dating a lot in college ministry because many of our students are actively dating, whether that's going on dates with different people or pursuing an exclusive relationship.  Many of our students (even those who aren't dating) want to get married within a few years of finishing college.  This topic matters because it has a direct bearing on the lives of all our students, and because dating is a confusing, emotionally fraught thing to do!  In my sermon and in our Core discussions, we called on people to love each other the way Jesus loves us, by sacrificing our own rights and preferences for the sake of what's best for others.  This is the attitude I believe we should take into every relationship, including dating and marriage.  We also encouraged our students to seek advice about relationships from wise, godly counselors.  Too often I ask students who their advisors are and find that they are asking advice from other 18- or 19-year-olds who don't have a track record of healthy dating.  We all need to seek advice from people who have wisdom, experience, and a true knowledge of God.

If you'd like to read some of the resources about dating that we recommend to our students, click here.

As we look to November and the end of the fall semester, I ask that you would pray sincerely for our students and the upcoming events that we are planning for them.  Please pray:
- that our students would be a blessing to their families as they travel home for Thanksgiving.
- for Pizza Theology as we guide our students in thinking critically about major issues in our culture today
- that our students would date in a way that blesses individuals, strengthens the community, and leads to healthy, God-honoring marriages.

Please keep an eye out for a series of videos to be released in conjunction with our 2nd Annual Keep FOCUS Growing Initiative.  You can Like our Facebook page here in order to see all the videos!

Denton campus pastors Sarah and Miriam dressed as Jessie and Mrs. Potato Head from Toy Story.  Hope you had a great Halloween!

Thanks for your prayers and support, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting into the groove

By this point in the semester, routines have calmed down and the various things we do in FOCUS are chugging along nicely... but there are still many exciting things to share with you!

First, I want to let you know about our #FOCUS140 fundraiser.  Almost one year ago, we raised over $31,000 through our 1st Annual Keep FOCUS Growing Initiative!  We are so grateful to all those who donated, and I am glad to update you on what that money has done in the past year.  With your help, we:

• Established a new campus ministry at UT Arlington and started groups at both NCTC and TWU Dallas as well.
• Finished establishing FOCUS as a separate church legally, which protects our assets and ensures they will be used for campus missions in the years to come. It also gives us increased flexibility to meet the specific needs of our mission field. 
• Launched a new website to meet administrative needs and better communicate with incoming students.  
• Welcomed 14 new full-time interns, our largest class to date.
• Trained more than 150 student small group leaders to be missionaries to their campuses!

If you'd like to see a more detailed breakdown of how we used those funds, click here to go to Brandon's blog.

Our 2nd Annual Keep FOCUS Growing Initiative will launch next month!

Next, I'd like to tell you about our Denton students.  We have lots of new and returning students who are enthusiastic about participating in Christian community and growing closer to God.

Me and Tifiny at Recycled Books #brownbagswag

With so many students attending our weekly Friday night meetings, it's easy for students to stick closely to people they already know and miss out on the chance to make new friends.  One way we help our students connect with new people is Brown Bag Buddies.  To participate in Brown Bag Buddies, students write their name and phone number on a slip of paper, drop it in the brown bag, and get randomly paired up with another student.  Brown Bag Buddies are encouraged to hang out with their partners at least once during the week.  They can do anything that sounds fun; some meet for lunch, study together, or attend campus events.  The picture above is of me and my Brown Bag Buddy at Recycled Books, a popular used bookstore in Denton.  If you'd like to see some of our other students' adventures, just click here: #brownbagswag

Denton Senior Staff

I also want to show you this incredible team of people that I get to work with every day.  These folks may be quirky, but they love Jesus and college students.  The people in the picture above are some of the hardest working, most talented people I have ever met, and it is an honor to work alongside them.  Please pray for these folks; pray that we would be able to lead our students toward Jesus and counsel them with wisdom and grace. 

UTD's Fall Camp - Ours is October 10-11

One last prayer request: our Fall Camp is quickly approaching!  Above is a picture of UTD's Fall Camp, which already happened.  In my next post, I will be able to share with you how our Denton Fall Camp went.  We do this event each year to help students build the relationships that will help them grow nearer to Christ throughout the year.  Please pray that our students would come to camp and be open to God's guidance while they are there.  I can't wait to tell you about another awesome Fall Camp!

Thank you for your prayers and continuing support!