September

Hello!

Almost two full months on campus have come and gone. August was full of outreach, and September has been full of starting up our small group again and beginning my one on one Bible studies. I meet so many people during the first two months of school, it can be difficult juggling so many different relationships and conversations while integrating them with friendships formed last year. In my time with God this month, I have been reminded of how He describes himself in Exodus 3 as the faithful " I AM". Knowing that He is the "I AM" who will be there with me as I am moving about campus or going to meet with someone. But what a good reminder that without God, nothing can grow from the seeds I plant. No matter what conversation I have, questions I ask, or meetings I plan. God provides the growth (1 Cor 3).

Our core group this year! We are probably sitting at around 25 people with 3/4ths of them being new to our ministry.

We call the small groups of our ministry "cores". The one I co-lead with Felipe is on Wednesday nights again this year. We meet in an apartment on campus for now, but will have to consider in the coming weeks if that is the best place to meet because we want to allow there to be room to grow throughout the year! Having a few sophomores in our core this year that are returning from being in it last year definitely helped create a welcoming culture right from the jump. Ours guys love to joke and talk throughout the night while also staying engaged to talk about the scripture we are reading or be vulnerable about their relationship with God. We are going through Ephesians 4 right now and spending some weeks highlighting the practical lifestyle instructions Paul gives. I'll include photos from some core hangouts this month!

In and Out!
Samuel (number 33), is just that guy and has been starting as a freshman for UTD's soccer team!

This is Walleyball (?). A unique mix of racquetball and volleyball. It's chaotic and loud lol.

Andy's after the Grove!

I have started 10 Focus on Jesus (FOJ) studies this semester. These are one on one studies that take us through different scriptures on topics like discipleship, sin, grace, and community, all through the lens of Jesus. When consistent, it lasts a minimum of ten weeks. But many good studies can take longer as the friendship starts to form! These studies are probably my favorite part of this job. I often struggle with wanting to fit as many as possible in my schedule while still needing to balance other responsibilities on campus or various committee meetings.

My goal on campus this year has been to be more aware of the Holy Spirit as I move around. It definitely does not come to me easy, and it's easy to be so distracted even just as you walk. But I have been reminded myself to not put in headphones, and listen instead to Him inside of me who might ask me to randomly stop and talk to someone. This is a habit I am learning to cultivate, but I am already seeing fruit grow just from me trying to be obedient.

 Our community has really been blessed by multiple families close to UTD who are so willing to welcome us into their homes. This is a lunch after church hosted by the Meskelis family. I got to try Brazilian style hotdogs while they also grilled out some hamburgers!


And we got to watch some Sunday night football at the Montee's! These types of hangouts outside of core do so much in building friendships between these guys, especially this early in the school year.


And here is a photo of all the men I get to work with this year at UTD! From left to right we have Brandon, Cody, Joey, Me, Peter, Cort, and Laurence. Cody is actually just volunteering some of his available time to do ministry with us (after leaving our some years back), and Joey made a lateral move from working at Richland College to coming to UTD.

Some prayer requests this month include:

  • Our Fall Retreat is next weekend (October 4th - 5th)! Please pray for the sermons, worship, and activities that our staff will be preparing this week, for the safety everyone there that weekend, and most importantly, that God will use that time to work in the lives of the students attending!
  • For this group of guys and all the other groups that meet at UTD. Pray that we continue to grow closer and can lead each other to looking more and more like Jesus.
  • We have some non - Christians who are coming to our group this year. Please pray that there is good soil in their hearts for these seeds to be planted in to. 
  • A personal one, my younger brother's wedding is in two weeks! Pray for their marriage and that it can be rooted in God and His scripture.
  • Like it says below, also be praying for the Holy Spirit to lead me to any students still looking for friendship, community, or are curious about God. I have already had so many neat encounters with students that I would love to tell you about if you reach out to me! Curiosity about Jesus is only growing more and more. Please pray for God to move on our campus.
  • And finally, please pray for my schedule as I balance class, meetings on campus, friendships, and family relationships. The semester will settle in soon, but there are still a lot of moving parts.


And finally, you may have received an email from our director of focus outlining some concerns we have with a new law that went into effect on September 1st that could impact our ability to do ministry on public universities in Texas. More can be read about it in this article from Christianity Today. Nothing has changed and we are still able to operate as normal, but please be praying for the lawmakers, lawyers, and student organizations involved. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post! I am so grateful for you all in partnering with me this year in ministry. As always, reach out if you want to hear more or have any questions from this. I may send some texts with photos from our fall retreat (we call it 'The Getaway'), since it isn't until next week. We already have around 200 people signed up! That is more than last year and we are still a week out.

With love,

Paul


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