September Ministry Updates

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a good beginning to Fall! We are getting ready for Fall camp in a few weeks! I am so excited for our new students to get to experience it this year. We have experienced some good growth this year and they are all so sweet. I hope you enjoy this update

Last of Wedding Season

I got to be a bridesmaid for my sweet friend Emily! 

Welcome Week 

We had close to 150 students come out to our first TNF and we also got to do a petting Zoo event again this year which is always a highlight for me! I also get to lead core with Kenya who is in the middle down  below . Then this is a pic from our United Worship Night! 

Prayer Requests

- Could you be praying for our Fall Camp in a few weeks? Pray all of our students see it as important and that they want to come. Then also for the talks to excite them. 

- I am currently fundraising for a mission trip to Kenya for December, if you could be praying for me to fundraise and God to provide. 

- We have been experiencing some weird relationship issues admits new ministries that have shown up this year at UTA. Could you be praying for unity and peace at UTA? 

August Ministry Updates

 Hi everyone! Freshmen are moved in and we are getting ready for such a fun year of ministry to kick off officially. This past month has felt like a whirlwind with getting advertising ready, social media put tighter, and prepping our corefa team for this year! 

Friends got Married

Two of my good friends got married recently! I was so excited to participate in their wedding! 

Staff Retreat Fun

Going to staff retreat is always a highlight of the summer. We had really neat sessions on abiding in Jesus, and then just how that is impactful in ministry in a bunch of other areas. 

Life Updates 

I have been reading this book lately, it is very impactful. It is discussing God’s heart for sinners. Then that the first way Jesus is described is as gentle and lowly, that is how his heart is for people. It is really neat. 

I also wanted to share that I have the opportunity that I go to Kenya this December as apart of a mission trip with the organization Hope’s Promise! They help support the community in Kenya by working alongside different families and support systems to help provide care for foster kids, and other kids who have lost one or both family members. While there we are going to help the community put on something similar to VBS, and help the workers who run the community centers! If this interest you at all, here is a link to donate to the trip. 

Link to Kenya Trip

July Ministry Updates

 Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying these dog days of Summer and have been finding good ways to beat the heat. We have already started thinking about welcome week and what to do for incoming freshman! It is approaching so quickly. I can’t wait to meet all these new students. If you can be praying for this upcoming year that would be so great. These past few weeks have been so fun and so exciting! 

Spiritual Development 

Our church just finished a book club on Leading a Church in a Time of Sexual Questioning.Then I also have been reading 7 Myths about Singleness! I thought both were really impactful, and depicted neat things regarding relationships. 

This top picture is from TCC NE, every week we have been meeting there and prayer walking the campus. 

Fourth of July! 

I love getting to spend time with my church and my friends! We got to go to the parade Arlington does, which fun fact is the largest in TX and one of the largest in the US. Then saw fireworks and hung by the pool.

                                                       JAM Camp

Our family of churches puts on a camp for elementary kiddos and it is so sweet. I got to go this year, for the first year! It was the first time all of churches had volunteers and kids at JAM camp!

June Ministry Updates

 Hi everyone! This is a May/Half of June blog! Summer is so weird, because it starts off slow and then it gets busy busy! I am so excited to share some of the things that have been going on! 

Fundraising

 

Fundraising with baby Eli and Graham showing how he still doesn't know how to use chairs

Lake Trip

My sweet friends and I went to Lake Cypress Springs for Memorial Day. We stumbled upon this sculpture of Jesus washing Peter's feet. It was so neat, and what a neat thing to get to see it with friends. 

Summer FOCUS Started! 

We kicked off our Summer FOCUS, this is where all our campuses come together and have a weekly service. Our series is about Embracing Life. It is super neat, it is going to have moments about embracing God, Hope, your campus. I am excited about it! 

  

May Ministry Updates

 Hi everyone! Hope you are doing good, and enjoying the start of summer! I am excited for warmer weather and just to have a relaxed schedule. I have been getting to bake a lot more this week which is one of my favorite hobbies. I have been trying my hand at browning my own butter, and have really nailed down how to make bread. So it has been really good, and without further ado the highlights of April! 

Sweet Moments!

Top Left: Sam S, she is a fun student who I get to be friends with. This is us being silly at our favorite coffee shop as she shows me that she may be the only person left on Earth who still plays club penguin. 

Bottom Left: Sarah and I have been getting biweekly time to talk about everything from Taylor Swift, anxiety, and what does it look like to trust in God. She is such a good friend to me and it helps she loves the sun and açaí bowls almost as much as me.
Right: Two of my friends from freshman year and I got to reunite at a wedding! 

FOCUS Formal

We got to party it up for the EOY! It was so fun! I got pictures with my core, a couple of the girls I meet with weekly, and then our staff picture! We got to have it at Inclusion Coffee Shop, which is a staff and student favorite! 

Here is a picture of the girls leader team from this year at formal! These girls volunteer about 20 hours a week to lead one on one bible studies, small groups, and just to show Jesus to people in our ministry. 

THE SARAH WORSHAM AKA MY BOSS

Just a sweet little moment between my fun boss and I! We got to hang out with her niece, and so obviously we got to play with bubbles! So I don’t know who had more fun, us or her niece. 

SOLARBRATION

Did you even live in DFW in April if you didn’t watch the Solar Eclipse? 

SONG OF THE SEASON

One of my favorite things ever is Magnolias, especially when they are in bloom. I took this picture at UTA on the way to meeting up with a student because it was so beautiful to me. Then later that week heard this song by Jervis Campbell called Magnolia. It seriously was serendipitous, especially when the lyrics are talking about the grace and rest God offers.So if anyone is looking for a new song go check it out! 

Student Testimony 

April Ministry Updates

 Hi everyone! I hope you got to have a fun and joyous Easter. I don’t know if I was able to tell you this, but for Lent I gave up listening to Taylor Swift! It was challenging, but very rewarding. I also was doing a Lent devotional during this season and I wanted to share a thought from it. This chapter was focusing on communion, and that this was one of the last things Jesus chose to partake in with his disciples, which we get to partake in as part of remembering Him and what He did for us. This particular devotional was talking about that of course as people we find it hard to get along with one another even though Jesus commanded us to love one another, but communion is based on the reality that none of us have the strength to repair our internal wounds. We need Jesus for that. In response to our weakness, He has served a supernatural meal that is then eaten by those of us who are just attempting to do as He has asked.  This really struck me at the magnitude and simplicity of what communion and the Passover meal is. Jesus left that meal and went to die on a cross, and each week at church we get to remember that. It is so crazy! So praise God for Easter! 

Announcements: 

SICM

This stands for Student Institute of Campus Ministry! UTA is sending close to 20 students this year and if you are interested in giving a scholarship, it is much appreciated! It costs over a thousand dollars for these students to go to Washington to learn about how to be effective student leaders on their campus. We have been doing fundraisers and reaching out to different people. 

Go to this website for more information: https://anyfocus.org/sicm/

Fundraising:

I wanted to just initiate that if anyone is looking to increase their gift, or knows anyone who is interested in supporting a campus pastor I would love to talk with them. I am looking for 4 more ministry partners this year at $100 a month. Thank you so much for your work you do in catching the vision of college ministry. I could not do what I do if you did not bless me extravagantly the way you do.  

Student Testimony

 

March Ministry Updates

 Hi everyone! Hope you had a good February, and if you are in Texas have been able to get out and enjoy some of this warmer weather. My church I go to just did a disc golf tournament with some of the other churches! February has felt so busy and so fun at the same time! I am going to try a new format for blogs starting this month! Let me know what you think!