November Ministry Update

 Happy November! 

    Only a month and a half left until the end of the Fall semester! Time has flown! In this month's update, I will be talking about our Fall Camp and our upcoming organization-wide annual fundraiser. Let's jump into it!

Fall Camp

    On October 8th and 9th, we had Fall Camp! Fall Camp is done at Mt. Lebanon which is about a 45-minute drive from Richland campus. It's so fun and bonding opportunity because we get to spend about 24-hours together which is more time together than we do in a normal week. I always had fond memories of Fall Camp because it was a time to get to know my small group members better, other people in the ministry, and away from the busyness of life. 

Students playing dominos

    About 20 students came to Fall Camp from Richland campus this year! Let me share what we did during the camp. When we got to the camp and got settled in our respective cabins, it was free time. Some students played dominos, Uno, or Mario Kart that one of the students brought. Later we all went outside and played nine-square which was fun to watch because a few of our students got very competitive! Dinner rolled around where we all talked and had fun together trying to see who can hit the highest note. 

Me, Connor, and Bryan playing Mario Kart

Students playing nine-square

Students playing Uno

    After dinner, we did worship, communion, and a student sharing time. We asked some of our student leaders to share testimonies on how community has been life-changing and then encourage the other students to take advantage of the community they are involved in now. Here is a little bit of Erika's (my co-small group leader) testimony: 

            Before my life in FOCUS, I was really lonely and had no self-worth. I hated myself and the life God gave me cause of my struggles and sufferings by dealing with mental illness, a broken dysfunctional family, and loneliness. In response, I tried to live life to the full by being in a codependent relationship and stretching myself thin by being too involved in extracurriculars. After graduating high school with losing my friends, I came to Richland. At first, I detested being at Richland cause I thought I was missing out on living life at a university and things going a certain way. I viewed Richland as this temporary obstacle; an inconvenience that I could just work my way through only taking classes and not get close to anyone- cause why bother?

Focus turned this idea I had upside down and showed me that in order for me to live a truly full life I need be present in the present moment and learn to love God, myself, and my friends fully. In order to do that, I had to sacrifice my pride and put to rest some ideas I had about myself and God. In return, I have a community that is my home and family and have become a new creation in Christ.

    During communion, we opened the floor to students to share what they think when they remember Jesus. It was such a sweet time! One of our students (I'll call him Student M), who is not Christian but continues to come and loves the friends he has made, shared. He said doesn't know if he believes in a God but he is so thankful for this community and for how loving and welcoming we are even though he isn't Christian. Student M is one of our most loyal, engaging, and consistent student in our ministry! I believe God is working in and through him. So blessed to have him a part of our ministry!

    Later that night, we did a fire pit with s'mores and free time until bedtime. The next morning, we had worship, took a group picture, packed up, and went home.

Keep Focus Growing

    Every year, we do an organizational-wide fundraiser called 'Keep Focus Growing'. As you know, we raise their own support, but that doesn’t provide money for evangelistic events and materials, administrative costs, or money to seize new opportunities that come up during the year. The extra investments from the annual fundraiser make sure we are poised and ready for what God is doing on campuses around the DFW area. 

    I want to personally share this with you to give you the opportunity to either give specifically to the fundraiser if you feel so called or to share this with others around you! Some of our generous donors have banded together and agreed to match up to $50,000 in total donations during the campaign. So if we receive $50,000 in total contributions, they will kick in a SECOND $50,000! Your first chance to give will be on November 30th! 

    The best way to give is on the FOCUS Facebook page on the 30th which you can find @anyfocusministries. You can also give by:

-check to put 'KFG' in the memo and mail it to Northeast Church (318 N Shiloh Rd Garland, TX 75042)

-online at anyfocus.churchcenter.com by selecting 'Keep FOCUS Growing 2021' or 

-make a pledge by emailing casey@anyfocus.org. 

    If you have any questions about this fundraiser, feel free to visit our KFG page at anyfocus.org/kfg, or ask me directly. 

    Thank you for being on my support team! The students are so blessed by your support and prayers. I can't thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to join God in his work on Richland Campus.

In Christ, 

Claire