The Power of Fellowship

As we are drawing closer and closer to the end of the apprenticeship, I've been thinking more about how amazingly blessed I am to be able to have the opportunity to do this. I've learned and grown so much this year, and have been able to impact so many people on top of that. Thank you so much for being a part of that, and helping me to do what I feel like God is calling me to do. 

Tuesday Night Fellowship 

I wanted to take some time in this update to tell you a little about one of the highlights of each week, which is Tuesday Night Focus. This year at UTD we decided to experiment with having two different fellowship nights throughout the week. I've been on the Tuesday night team this year, and have absolutely loved it. Darby, Sarah, Jesse, and I plan our content and the format of the night. It's quite a bit different than our normal Friday Night Fellowship in terms of format. We start off with some worship songs, and then we typically have a large amount of scripture reading after that. We normally read at least 2 full chapters of whatever book we are going through at the time. Then we break into groups and discuss the chapters, as well as our topic. Then Sarah or one of the other staff will give a short little 10-15min sermon, then we break back into groups to discuss more questions that normally relate to the sermon/topic we are focusing on. This format has been working really well, and our students absolutely love it. It's normally a smaller group too, so that combined with this unique format makes for a lot of bonding between our students. Because so many of our students deal with some form of social anxiety, this smaller, more relational group is a safe place for them to find fellowship and community. It's become a really close knit group, and it is one where everyone can feel known. Our worship always feels really powerful and people get really into it, even if we only have a guitar and a couple singers! I've just been amazed by the group of students that come, and love getting the chance to really dive deep into scripture with them.

Ministering to Students

Another thing that was exciting this month was one of the guys I have been studying with for awhile seems to be really catching a vision for ministry and community. He has become more involved in his Core (small group) he has been going to, plus he has started coming to Friday Night Fellowship which is a big step for him. His heart for God and people is so inspiring. he is always offering to help with things and serve people. The first time he ever came to a fellowship night he saw a new person walk in late, and started looking for a way to go talk to the new person and make them feel welcome. Now that's the vision! I always feel so blessed when I am able to meet up and minister to guys like this, who just seem so on fire for God. I have high hopes for him in the future, so be praying that God keeps working in his life and that I can keep ministering to him and helping him grow in his faith!

Spring Showcase

Also, as a reminder, one of our biggest events of the year is right around the corner, it's an annual benefit concert that FOCUS organizes each year. This year the show is on April 6th at Bent Tree Fellowship Church in Carrollton. Performances are at 2:30 and 6:30. There’s an art sale between the shows at 5:30. All donations help send a group of future leaders on our campus to Student Institute of Campus Ministry in Bellingham, Washington where they spend over a week learning how to minister to their peers when they come back to their campus. Spring Showcase is filled with amazing performers and I think you would really have a great time on top of supporting this awesome cause. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and for the first time we have a limited number of special VIP tickets for $50. You can buy tickets, get info and make a donation at anyfocus.org/showcase. For VIP tickets the site is anyfocus.org/showcaseVIP. So if you're in town, or if you just want to support our future leaders on our campus, I encourage you to buy tickets, or make a donation!