It's time to "Mav Up!"

Now that I live in Arlington, I get to see the roller coasters at Six Flags almost every day as I drive around town.  It reminds me of a perfect analogy for my work in ministry: at this point in August, I and my fellow campus ministers feel like we're sitting in a roller coaster car at the very top of the Titan, the ratcheting sounds below us have slowed, and we're about to plunge screaming with delight into loops, twists, and turns on a wild ride.  Summer is almost over, new students are about to arrive, and we're ready to hit the ground running and "Mav up"!  That's what we say here to show our school spirit because we're the UTA Mavericks!

"So what do campus ministers do all summer?"

If you've wondered that question, let me tell you the answer: a lot!

Evangelism displays on campus

UTA has surprised me with the number of students who are on campus over the summer!  There are crowds of new students attending orientations once or twice a week all summer.  We've met hundreds of those new students at the "Involvement Fair," which is the portion of orientation that gives students the chance to connect with existing organizations on campus.  Many of them signed up to receive more information about FOCUS, so we will be inviting them to join our Cores and Thursday Night Fellowship meetings that will begin soon.

There are also many current students on campus taking summer classes, working at part-time jobs in the library and University Center, or doing research in the lab through special summer programs.  Our team has organized outreach events, like the one pictured above, to engage these students in spiritual conversations.  The goal of these times isn't to convert someone to Christ in a single conversation; rather, it's to encourage people to start thinking about the big questions in life and let them know that we are available to help them work through those questions in the context of one-on-one relationships.

FOCUS Staff at our ordination ceremony

Summer is also an important time for our staff, which changes every year.  On August 1, we welcomed seven new apprentices to our team.  They made a commitment to serve alongside us for ten months as they develop the skills of campus ministry.  The biggest task by far in preparing them for the apprenticeship is fundraising.  With coaching and direction from myself and others on staff, they worked hard and asked many people to invest in the vision of FOCUS.  Some of them are still seeking supporters who will pledge to fund their apprenticeship this school year, so please continue to pray for our fundraising efforts.

Mav Stampede

"Mav Stampede" begins on August 22 when new students move into on-campus housing at UTA.  The University hosts all kinds of events for the students to welcome them to campus.  There are informative events about the various departments, events with games and movies, and a ton of free food.  Most importantly, tons of students will be out on campus and open to making new friends.  Our student leaders will take advantage of this opportunity to meet new people and make friends.  Those new people we meet at Mav Stampede events will become UTA FOCUS members, student leaders, and maybe even staff in the years to come.  If we are faithful with this opportunity, I believe God will work amazing things through us.  Please pray for our student leaders as we prepare them for Mav Stampede; pray that they (and we) would have relentless energy and a keen sense of where the Spirit is leading us during this vitally important time.

Please be in prayer for us as we get ready for the roller coaster of the new semester.  Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support!

Student Spotlight: Brooklynn

Brooklynn, sophomore at UTA

This is Brooklynn, a current UTA student.  I'd like to share with you how God has worked in her life (in her own words):

"I grew up with a single mom and was privileged to grow up in a Christian household. Leaving for school was a big step for me, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Coming into college I felt I had two options: I could go off, explore the party scene, and be rebellious in way that I never really have, or I could pursue my faith. During welcome week I met some of the student leaders in FOCUS; they really seemed to be interested in my life and pursued my friendship in a way that I wasn’t used to. I took that as my sign. Since then, my corefas and the other leaders in FOCUS have taught me, and displayed what living life with Jesus as a disciple looks like. Prior to college I was a Christian, but I wouldn’t say I was a disciple. Studying FOJ challenged me in that aspect. I have come to know how freeing it is to give my life completely over to God and let him set my priorities. Most of my favorite memories from my freshman year have centered around, or at least involved, the friends I have made in FOCUS. I have made deep, meaningful, Christ‐centered relationships that I wouldn’t have found, or known how to find without community. FOCUS has loved me in a way that I haven’t experienced outside of my family, and as an orientation leader, I want all of my freshman orientees to have that as well."

Brooklynn's story is exciting to me because she is one of the students I'll be working with at UTA this fall.  I've already gotten to meet up with her a few times.  She has a humble heart and a lot of love for God and His people.  I can't wait to see how God works through her to impact this campus!

Urgent Prayer Request:
Our staff and upcoming apprentices have less than one month to finish raising their financial support for the coming school year.  Please pray that God will provide financially so that all of us can continue to do the work He has called us to do.  It is only through the generous support of our donors that we are able to spend our time ministering to students and making disciples on our campuses.

Ways You Can Help:
- Pray!  I believe that God hears our prayers and wants us to ask for His help during this season of support-raising.
- Give.  If you are not a current financial supporter, would you consider becoming one?  Our upcoming apprentices need supporters who are willing to give monthly over the course of their 10-month apprenticeship that starts August 1.  If you are interested in supporting an apprentice or giving to the FOCUS General Fund, please contact me at kelly@anyfocus.org.
- If you already give to FOCUS, thank you!  Would you consider increasing your current support by 5%-10%?  Even a small increase can help us cover our full budget for the coming 2016-2017 school year.  If you would like to increase your current donation, please contact me at kelly@anyfocus.org.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  Let me know if you have questions about FOCUS at UTA or if there is any way I can be praying for you.  I love hearing from you!

Summer - A Season of Transitions

This summer is a season of change for many of us in FOCUS.  The spring semester has ended, students are headed back home or starting summer jobs, and new graduates are discovering life after college for the first time.  Please pray for all our students over the summer - that they would make smooth transitions and use their summer break wisely.

It's also a time of transition for the FOCUS staff.  May 31 was the last day of the FOCUS Internship.  We gathered together to celebrate our fourteen interns and thank them for their service over the past ten months.  Of those fourteen, some already have new jobs lined up.  Others are still searching and waiting.  Some will pursue graduate education.  And four of our graduating interns will continue on as members of the FOCUS staff.  Please pray for all fourteen graduating interns; pray that God would guide them through the transitions they are facing and that they would continue to serve him faithfully wherever they go.

As you may remember, I will also be going through a major transition of my role in FOCUS.  Next Saturday, I will be packing up a truck and moving to Arlington!  I will be joining Sarah King, Austin Gage, and April Ashton on the FOCUS team at University of Texas at Arlington.  FOCUS has only existed at UTA for one school year.  It's a young group, but it's just bursting with enthusiasm for following Jesus and growing His kingdom on that campus!  Please pray for me and the UTA team as we get to know each other and work to prepare for the coming school year.  Please pray also for the Denton team that I am leaving.  They are losing me and Sarah Hubbard, but they will be gaining Danielle Rodriguez.

I am eager to get to know my new campus, and I hope you are, too.  Here are some quick facts about UTA so you will know the situation we are headed into.

- Founded as Arlington College in 1895
- Incorporated into the UT System in 1965
- Over 37,000 students currently attend classes on campus.
- 72% undergraduate students; 28% graduate students
- 12% of enrolled students are internationals!
- Popular fields of study include nursing, engineering, and public affairs.

I can't wait to start connecting with those students and introducing them to Jesus!

Please keep me, the FOCUS staff, and all our students in your prayers this summer.  I appreciate your support!

SICM - Student Institute of Campus Ministry

The photo above may not seem exciting to you, but it fills me with eager anticipation for what's to come!  That photo shows students in a session at SICM, the Student Institute of Campus Ministry.  They are diligently listening and taking notes as they learn how to make disciples of Jesus on their college campuses.  When they return home on Saturday, they will go back with new skills, new knowledge, and new enthusiasm to reach out in love to their classmates, roommates, professors, and friends.  God is working in the hearts and minds of these SICM students, and I can't wait to see what He does!

At our lunch break today, I got a chance to talk to one of our young men from UNT.  His attitude about this conference encouraged me so much.  He told me he is working hard (and drinking lots of coffee) to stay awake and alert during the classes.  He described this conference as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; he described the wise and experienced speakers as "diamonds," people with a rare and valuable gift to impart.

As our students continue their classes for the rest of the week, please pray with me that they would all have the humble heart and open mind of that young man.  Pray also that they would return to Texas filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to advance the kingdom of God on their campuses!

The End is Near

Don't be too shocked by the title, I'm only talking about the school year!  As I write this, many of our Denton students are studying for the finals they will take next week.  After that, some will graduate, others will move back home, and still others will stay in the DFW area to work, take summer classes, and participate in our summer FOCUS activities.

Spring Formal

Get used to seeing those beautiful people behind me and Miriam - those five will all be FOCUS Apprentices next school year!

To wrap up the 2015-2016 school year, we celebrated with Spring Formal.  We take this time at the end of each year to honor our graduates and to thank our Corefas, worship team, and other volunteers who have worked hard for God's kingdom on our campuses.  Pray with me for our many graduates from TWU and UNT who will be starting their careers for the first time.  It's a difficult transition for many of them, but I am confident that through FOCUS they have learned valuable lessons that will help them follow God's path in their futures.

Leader Team

This is our 2015-2016 Leader Team

Don't be deceived!  The silly looking people in the photo above are some of the hardest working, most competent, and deeply faithful college students you will ever meet.  Most of them served this year as Corefas (Core facilitators), working in pairs and trios to lead a same-gendered group of fellow students in the pursuit of Jesus.  A few others served as worship pastors; they spent time each week practicing their music and prayerfully considering how God wants them to lead our community in worship.  A handful of these fine people led the push to start FOCUS at NCTC (North Central Texas College), a community college in Corinth, south of Denton.  They spent time on campus weekly, meeting new people, building friendships, and engaging them in spiritual conversations.

I am tremendously grateful for the hard work and dedication of each person in the photo above.  It has been an honor to work alongside these students, many of whom volunteered fifteen hours or more per week to lead their Cores.  We are already thinking about the composition of our leader team for next school year, and I pray that we find even more students who are just as committed as those above!

SICM

In case you don't remember, here's a photo of our SICM students last year!

On May 12, FOCUS will be taking over 100 students from all our campuses to Washington for our annual SICM conference!  SICM stands for "Student Institute of Campus Ministry."  It's a week-long conference packed with intensive classes that teach our students how to reach out to their peers on campus, how to study the Bible deeply, how to teach others about the Gospel, and so much more.  The 100+ students we're taking to SICM have been specially selected for this conference because we believe that they have the potential to serve our community by leading Core or filling other leadership roles.  My prayer is that by the end of SICM, all of those students catch the vision for what God is doing on college campuses and see their crucial role in building His kingdom.

I want to mention a few things about how we selected the students we will take to SICM.  Some organizations ask for applications for leaders.  Others seek out and recruit people who are outgoing, put-together, or otherwise seem like "natural leaders."  In FOCUS, we use the FAITH acronym to determine who could become a leader:

F: Faithful to God and people.  Is this person faithfully devoted to Jesus?  Does this person keep the commitments he makes?
A: Available.  Has this person made herself available by attending community events?  Has he structured his life in such a way that he is available to serve and participate?
I: Initiative.  Does this person take initiative in leading and serving people around her, even without a formal leadership title?
T: Teachable.  Is this person humble and willing to listen when others correct him or share differing views?  Has this person actively sought to grow and improve?
H: Heart for God and people.  Does this person have a passion for serving God and others?  Does this person have an internal motivation rooted in love?

Jesus surrounded himself with twelve disciples who didn't look too impressive to their society.  He didn't pick twelve valedictorians, or twelve all-star quarterbacks, or twelve Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, or twelve Senators.  He chose fishermen and tax collectors, unschooled, ordinary men.  But those twelve exemplified the same qualities depicted in the FAITH acronym.  Jesus chose them, lived His life together with them, and ultimately entrusted them with the task of spreading His message.  As we look forward to choosing our Corefas for the next year, we look for people who possess the same qualities, because they will be entrusted with the same vital mission.

Please pray now for the students we're sending to SICM.  Pray that they will learn and grow as the Spirit works in them, and pray that we as a FOCUS staff would choose wisely as we recruit a team of students who will continue the mission on their campuses.

Moving to Arlington

2015-2016 Denton FOCUS Staff

It has been my honor this past year to work with the gorgeous and gifted people above.  They deeply love our students and pour out their hearts to help them grow.  They work long hours doing work that is sometimes physically demanding and other times heartbreaking.  They don't get paid nearly enough.  And they've spent the year patiently tolerating my nit-picking, sarcasm, and occasional tearful outbursts.  I thank God for these beautiful people and the blessing I have found in them.

Matt and I are now in the process of selling our house in The Colony, and we will move to an apartment in Arlington in June.  There, I will join a new team of co-ministers at UT Arlington.  I'm certain I will love and respect that new group just as much, but I will certainly miss the people in the photo above.  It is with a mixture of sadness and eager expectation that I end this phase of life and begin a new one.  I'm so excited to see what God has in store for me in Arlington!

I ask that you pray for everything going on in the life of FOCUS, and I thank you for your faithful gifts that help us answer God's call to reach college campuses in the DFW area.

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!