October Ministry Update

Happy October! 

    Fall is finally here! It's my favorite season because of the leaves changing and the crisp air (as crisp as you can get in Texas). As October hits, things are starting to wind down and get into a rhythm. In this month's update, I will be covering my class schedule, Richland's Org Fair, and my small group. As always, please let me know if you have any prayer requests so I can pray for you. 

My Classes!

    The semester is halfway over, which I still can't believe! Along with being a campus pastor on Richland campus, as apprentices, we are taking four classes per week. Some classes are only a few weeks long while others are for the whole semester. 

    On Mondays, we have Old Testament (OT) class and Ronnie's class. The OT class has the most homework of all the classes. Each week, just for OT class we have about 8 hours of homework. The homework consists of reading the assigned books of the Bible, academic articles, and listening to a lecture from Iain Proven's OT class. The OT class consists of discussion on what we read/listened to for that week. We really dig deep into the overarching concepts that can be seen throughout the Bible. For example, from the beginning, God's goodness has been emphasized. If we don't get that quality of God right, it can completely warp our reading of God's other qualities. Another concept is the Abrahamic Covenant. This is the main starting point that the Bible will continue to point back to and build off of. The concept of covenants in the Bible shows how God brings humanity into his plan of restoration from the Fall. The first promise is kept throughout but the way it will be carried out changes as the storyline goes on. 

    Ronnie's Class just consists of question time and lecture portion (if we get to it). Ronnie is one of the Elders and Senior Pastor at Northeast Garland Church, which is the church FOUCS came out of. Ronnie is so sweet, passionate, and wise. We can bring literally any question to him and he will do his best to answer and process it with us. We are so blessed by Ronnie and his love for campus ministry.

On Thursdays, we have Spiritual Disciplines or Leadership class, and Preaching Lab or Holy Spirit class. In the Spiritual Disciplines class, we have been trying out different spiritual disciplines like Lectio Davina, and Silence. I have been really enjoying trying out different ones. The Spiritual Leadership class has been interesting to me because we discuss a lot of concepts that the business world uses. I graduated with a business degree, so I know most of the things we are talking about but it has been cool to look at it from a Christian view. 

The Preaching Lab is where we are learning tools and tricks on how to write a sermon and give it well. We have had two of these classes so far and I have been really enjoying them. At the end of this semester, we will be giving a sermon! It's exciting but nerve-wracking. I will definitely let you know the date of that once it gets closer.

We are starting the Holy Spirit class this coming week.

Richland Org Fair

    On September 14th and 15th,  Richland held an Org Fair which consists of all the clubs and student organizations have a table that students can come look at and possibly join if they are interested. 

    For our table, we had a poster with the question, "What does it mean to have 'Life to the Full'?" and students could answer on a sticky note and put it on the poster. 'Life to the Full John 10:10' is our FOCUS-wide theme this year. (Pictured below.)

    Some of the answers were great, and others were expected of college students. A few of my favorites are "get to know a lot of people and have lots of adventures", "loving others", and "being willing to forgive." 

    We got to have some great conversations with students passing by. We also had a sign-up for our small groups on the table. About 20 students signed up and a good amount of those sign-ups joined our small groups! It was encouraging when a student would walk up and say "I've been looking for a Christian group to join!" 

Small Group

    About six girls some consistently to small group! As we have been getting to know each other, it has been cool to see how each girl is starting to feel more comfortable and open up from week to week. I still can't believe that I get to be a part of these girls' lives and to pastor them into a full life with God. 

    

    Outside of the small group, I am doing about 3 one-on-one bible studies with three of the girls. We have a saying in FOCUS "One-on-one is how it's done." It basically means one-on-one is where we do and get the most done with students. It's where we see the most growth and change because we are able to specialize the study to each girl and what they need most. This is my favorite part of my job! I remember when Darby, my first small group leader, did it with me and how impactful it was. I get to grow a deep friendship with the girls during the weekly one-on-one time and make them feel seen, known and loved. 

If you could be praying for the three girls that I am studying with, Haylee, Natallie, and Abigail. Pray that during our time together that they feel loved and will grow to love the Lord as we study together. I already love these girls so much!! I also want to thank you for being on my team and making these one-on-one's possible. You are a big part of why I am able to do what I do and I can't thank you enough. 

In Christ, 

Claire

    This month's Student Testimony is from, one of Richland's very own student leaders, Bryan!