May Ministry Updates

Happy Summer!

     Tuesday, May 31st was the last official day of the apprenticeship! I am now on full-time staff for the next 3 years! These past 10 months flew by. Thank you for partnering with me these past 10 months. Without your generosity, I would not have been able to have this opportunity to learn and grow the ways I did and am continuing to.

    As always, feel free to send any prayer requests you might have or ask any questions.

Fundraising Update

    I can't even begin to explain how thankful I am for your partnership in campus ministry. Now in my second year of fundraising, I often think it is only a necessary part of doing ministry and am entirely too focused on how I feel uncomfortable instead of seeing it as an extension of my ministry and blessing others. The Lord is changing my heart towards fundraising and I'm so thankful He is doing so. In the words of Nouwen "It is a way of announcing our vision and inviting other people into our mission. Vision and mission are so central to the life of God’s people that without vision we perish and without mission, we lose our way". 

    Thank you for being part of that vision! 

    I am now in the full swing of fundraising for the school year and I am currently at 50% of my goal! This Summer, if 18 people join my support team at $100 a month I would reach my goal for the year. 

    It would be awesome if you can join me in praying for these 18 ministry partners! I don't have many new people to ask but I trust that the Lord is calling people to give to campus ministry. If you have any people in your life - friends, family, or co-workers that would be interested in college missions that you think I should reach out to please let me know.

    If you are interested in increasing your giving please let me know. I am so thankful for you! 

Student Insitute of Campus Ministry (SICM)

    At the beginning of May, we sent 6 students from Richland to SICM for a week-long leadership conference in Bellingham, Washington. From across all of the FOCUS ministries, we took over 90 students! There they learned about how to become missionaries on their college campuses. It really is so exciting to think about over 90 students will be going onto their campus this coming Fall on fire for Jesus and ready to bring his kingdom to those around them. 

All the SICM students!

Our Richland students at SICM! From the left: Tyler, Sandra (staff), Yoni, Manuel, Haylee, and Bryan.

End of Year

    At the end of the apprenticeship, we are given the task to share three takeaways from the year that God has been teaching us. The takeaways can be about what we learned in classes, from working on our campuses or working on our staff teams. We were given 20-25 mins to share these takeaways. 

    The link below is my sermon. If you click it, it should take you to the video and automatically start at the time I start speaking. I will give my sermon and then get feedback from my staff team, fellow apprentices, and other FOCUS staff. 

    I hope my sermon ministers to you as much as it ministered to me as I wrote it and gave it.


In Christ,
Claire Umstead

This month's student testimony is from my co-small group leader this past school year!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

April Ministry Update

Image
Our small group! From Left to Right: Taniha, Dakota, Rebecca, Quincy, Me, Sandra, and Trang in the very front. Love these girls!!! Hello! The end of the school year is here and summer is upon us! Thank you so much for supporting me and my mission on the Richland campus. I reached out last week to hopefully get time with you to share what God has been doing at the Richland campus and in me. I hope to hear from you soon! We did a photoshoot for our leader team at the end of the year. Trang is a fantastic photographer and sweetly came and took some pictures for us! Below are some of those and all of us just goofing off together. Below are pictures from when we put on a couple of fundraisers for our students that are going to SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry). It is a week-long leadership conference in Bellingham, Washington. Six of our students went this year! From our two fundraisers, we raised about $1800! We are so thankful for how generous our community is. Below is a pic of
Read more

May Ministry Updates

Image
  Our students at the End of Year Party! I has been such a sweet year! Here is the serious one haha. One of our students posted this on their Instagram! SICM - Student Institute of Campus Minstry Six of our students went to a week-long student leader conference in Bellingham, Washington. Below are some pictures of them there!    Summer Focus!!! Summer Focus is where all the students that are still in town during the summer come to CARE Church in Richardson for fellowship and worship!  The theme this summer has been "Repent and Believe the Good News!" You can join us on Thursdays at 7:30p at CARE Church in Richardson or watch here on the live stream!  Summer Focus Live Stream You can also go back and listen to any of the past messages here on Spotify. They are called "Summer tnf: (sermon title)" Summer Focus Sermons I have been teaching Devereaux how to drive! She has been doing so good and I have been learning how to explain driving well, as it is just 2nd-nature to
Read more

December & January Ministry Update

Image
The Richland Team!!! Hello! Happy New Year!! Can you believe we are in 2023 now? I pray that all of you have had a good start to the year. I want to share this scripture in hopes of encouragement and comfort. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:16-19 If you haven't read through the book of Ephesians before, I highly encourage it! It is a book of encouragement and sweet reminders of the truth. I have been reading through it with a student this semester so I wanted to share with you what has been laid on my heart.  Christmas Party and Wi
Read more