October Ministry Update

    Hello! Happy November! really has flown this year. The picture above is from our Fall Camp this year! I talk about it more below. 

    Thank you for your continued support. As always, send me any prayer requests or updates on your lives. Let's jump in!

Keep Focus Growing

What is this about?

Our missionaries raise support, but it takes a lot more than that for us to do ministry! Outreach activities/materials, administrative support, planting new campuses, health/retirement benefits, etc. This is about being around for the long haul and expanding our reach.

What does our theme, “Faithfully Local,” mean?

One of our core convictions is that we go TO the students and do ministry where they live, eat, study, and play. We move into the neighborhood, so to speak. We contribute to the good of the campus, seeking to improve the culture and experience of each place, and we do so for the long-haul–something especially unique at community colleges that have few long-standing student organizations. 

When new students show up, we’re the locals ready to welcome them to the neighborhood. We train our students to do that well, knowing it’s something they can replicate in the future, wherever God leads them after college. 

Keep FOCUS Growing is about bringing vibrant Christian community to every campus in DFW, and ensuring that we can remain “Faithfully Local” to college and university students for decades to come. 

Some of our generous donors have banded together and agreed to match up to $54,000 in total donations during this campaign. So if we receive $54,000 in total contributions, they will kick in a SECOND $54,000! Your first chance to give will be on November 29th!

1. Facebook - Preferred because no fees. I will have one on my page or you can go to FOCUS' Facebook page. 

2. anyfocus.churchcenter.com

Fund: Keep FOCUS Growing (ACH or card)

3. Make a pledge by emailing casey@anyfocus.org

4. Mail a Check - Note KFG in Memo (P.O. Box 462171, Garland, TX 75046)

The Texas State Fair!!!

    The Richland team and a few students went to the Texas State Fair! It was so fun to hang out with these students almost all day. 

Fall Camp

    Each campus hosts a fall camp for its specific campus every fall semester. As a group, we spend about 24 hours together one weekend and always come away from it closer as a ministry. It's a great time to grow closer as a ministry and a fun getaway from the daily things of life. 

     We try to make the most of the 24 hours we have together. I was in charge of planned games and some were a hit some not so much. One of them was "Whose story is that?" where the students were split into teams and given a slip of paper to write a true story anonymously. Then each team had to guess whose story it was from a different team. It was a fun way to get to know each other! 

    In the evening we had a session for worship, four student testimonies, and open sharing on the question 'How has your perspective on who Jesus is changed? When you came to Jesus what were you expecting to find? What did you actually find?' 

     The student testimonies were from some of our student leaders and returning students. Each one shared a sermon from this year about how it has impacted them and how it has changed their thinking. One student, Devereaux who is new to exploring her faith shared about the sermon on "The importance of reading scripture." She shared that she had a lot of assumptions about Christians and what the Bible said. When she actually read it for herself, she realized her assumptions. Now Devereaux loves reading and learning more about the larger Biblical story! 

    Here are some more photos from the weekend!

Outreach

    My coworker Joey and I do outreach weekly on Wednesdays. This year we have tried to mix it up with what we do and where we do it. We have been doing tables out on the Breezeway, which is a bridge connecting the two sides of campus where a lot of foot traffic happens. We have been in El Paso Hall, which is where the cafeteria is, going up to students eating lunch or hanging out just starting conversations. 

    If you can be praying for outreach and specifically for women students that are receptive and interested to cross our path as we continue to do outreach. 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

In Christ, 

Claire