March 2024!
Hey everyone!!
I hope this update meets you well! Thank you so much for taking the time to read through this, supporting me on this journey of showing the love of God to college students!
I wanted to walk you through what a typical week looks like with campus ministry at Richland!
Monday Night Leader Meetings
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Each week, we meet with a select group of students - about 10 in total! - to train them up as leaders in our ministry. Some weeks we have everyone together - the 10 students and us for staff, while other weeks we split up by gender (the picture above is from our last Ladies Leader Meeting!).
What I love about FOCUS as a ministry is it's value of leadership development. As a UNT student, I attended leader meetings like this and got to lead small groups for 3 years while still in college. The FOCUS staff empowers students to live out 1 Timothy 4:12 - "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
I am so thankful for the several years that I was shaped as a leader and entrusted with the responsibility of leading a small group!
Now that I am on staff, I get to help lead these meetings. Each week, we go through a different leadership axiom. Some of them include Seek first to understand, then be understood; One-on-one is how it's done; Be their biggest fan, not their biggest critic; You can always say more, louder, later, but you can't take back something you have already said; Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness.
We apply these axioms to the day to day ministry as these students are navigating leading small groups and doing one-on-one minsitry for the first time.
Here is a copy of the leadership manual we use each week! The axioms are on the last few pages.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WOVUhZtfJd-rAabC0sTe8do39y5OPoUA/view
Core (Small Group Bible Studies)
I co-lead a small group (we call it Core) on Tuesday and Wednesday. They happen on campus and around 15 students come to each one! In our Tuesday co-ed core we have been going through the book of 1 Corinthians while our Wednesday women's core has been studying the book of John. Core is full of honest questions, outbursts of laughter, and often epiphanies and breakthroughs in understanding.
One of my favorite parts of core is how vulnerable the students are with one another. They share parts of their stories including their family background, their deepest fears, the areas of their life where they struggle to trust God, and the ways that they fall short. We pray for each other, keep one another accountable, and develop deep friendships. It is such a gift!
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| Students listening to a sermon from my coworker Joey |
Our Wednesday night services happen on campus as well and have a turn-out of around 40 students typically. We have a time of worship, a sermon, and a discussion. And of course, we always have an after event - whether it is karaoke and pizza, going out to eat, or even a time of reading large chunks of scripture aloud together. I love that we get to bring something akin to a church service to the campus!
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| On the left: After the service one week, we did a scripture reading of Luke chapters 21-24. I loved seeing how many students stuck around to read scripture. Middle and right photos: We did a speed-friending activity before one of our services to help students get to know people they don't know |
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If you are curious in looking through the Focus on Jesus booklet, here is an online version: https://anyfocus.org/focus-on-jesus-2022/
So, that's a little glimpse into the life of a college minister. It has been such a joy so far!
And I have some news... I am making a commitment to stay on-staff at Dallas College FOCUS for another school year after this one! I am excited to see the way God develops and matures all the good things within me and within these students over this past year.
Thank you guys for everything you do to support me! Love you all!
Veronica
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