September Ministry Update


 Happy September and Labor Day! 

    I hope this long weekend has been as restful for you as it has been for me. Since my last update so much has happened and I am excited to share it with you. I'll be covering SICM, my first classes, Welcome week, our first TNT (Thursday Night Thunder), and the first core of the school year! As always, please let me know if you have any prayer requests so I can pray for you. 

    Let's jump into it!


Student Institute of Campus Ministry (SICM)

    It was a packed week! We had sessions from 9 am to 6 pm, just about every day. Some of the sessions covered Jesus' style of Discipleship, the Seasons of Discipleship, and the what and why of Evangelism. There was so much good truth and information that even now I continue to think about and utilize. I was one of the last groups that got to go to SICM up in Washington in the summer of 2019, and I got just as much out of it as I did last time.

    I can't begin to explain how amazing it was to see everybody, new and familiar faces. I got to see some of my girls from last year's core, that are now leading their own core this school year! I especially got to know the Richland students. We all rode in a bus together to SICM. It was fun to jam to music together, watch a movie, and just chat. (Pictured below)


     This team of students is a joy! There is so much laughter, love, and growth happening with these students. It is such a blessing to be working with them. Thank you for partnering with me and giving me the opportunity to work with these students!!

    In that group is my fellow corefa (core facilitator), Erika! (In the front crouching with the long dark brown hair.) Erika and I got to get to know each other better throughout this week and started to share our vision for core this year. Since I have met Erika at the beginning of the summer, she has blossomed and caught the vision for campus ministry! I am so excited to be leading with her and see what more God has in store for her.

My First Classes

    Almost as soon as we got back from SICM (8/13) our apprentice classes started (8/19). Our first class was Old Testament and we had about 12 hours of pre-work for just that class. Before every Old Testament class, we have pre-work of reading through the assigned bible books, listening to a lecture from Regent College, and reading any other required reading (articles, etc). It takes a lot of time but luckily we, apprentices, make it fun by taking turns reading and listening to the lectures together. 

    We took a break for Welcome Week then started again on 8/30. 

Welcome Week!!!! and the First TNT

    Welcome week is one of the busiest, if not busiest, weeks of the school year. At Richland, welcome week is the first week of classes. We use this time to get to know students, invite them to fun events we hold throughout the week, and get them connected to the community. It takes a lot out of you, especially being an introvert but it is worth it. I met so many students and all of them were excited about making friends and being able to be back on campus! It was also sweet to see our student leaders at work, meeting students, and sharing their stories. 

    We had our first TNT during welcome week. It stands for Thursday Night Thunder because Richland used to be the thunder ducks. TNT is our weekly big fellowship night where we worship and fellowship together. It was a great turnout with new and familiar faces! I want to extend an invitation to you to come and see what impact you have on campus through partnering with me. You are welcome to come to any TNT this school year. It happens on Thursdays at 7 pm on the Dallas College Richland campus. If you would like to come one time, let me know and I can give you more details!

The First Core


    I wish you could have been there! It was so sweet to see the eagerness of the girls to engage and share and ask questions. I can't wait to get to know them better. Our topic was Full Friendship which we start core with every year. Let me share the goal for this core with you. "Goal: To cast a vision for friendships that aren’t dependent on convenience or happenstance, but instead form, grow, and last out of choice and intentional, Christ-like love." We will continue to touch on this goal and topic throughout the school year because I think Christ works deeply through our friendships.

Thank you for praying for the incoming students and for us campus pastors and student leaders. God is working wonders this year and it is so exciting to be a part of it. Please be praying for Erika and me as we continue to lead core. Also, be praying for our other cores, two men's cores, and one other women's core. 

Thank you for being a partner in this mission with me on Richland campus. All of the things I talked about are possible because of your generosity. 

In Christ,

Claire Umstead



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