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Kelly, Trey, and Jessica work the ROC
table during the involvement fair. |
What an exciting time around campus! In case you haven’t
been through Athens the past couple weeks, students have once again returned to
campus and a new group of freshmen have found their way to OU’s campus (this
year even beats last year’s record for the largest enrollment in the history of
the university). For the ROC community this has been an incredibly busy, yet
incredibly fruitful time.
As many of you may already be aware, ROC has always taken
advantage of this time to try and meet as many people as possible and extend to
them an invitation to join our community. Generous donations of cookies from
our supporting churches help us in this endeavor. Our student leaders did a
fantastic job in engaging people and talking with them about Jesus and the ROC
community. As a result we have been seeing new faces each week at Bible Study
and Crosswalk!
Likewise our grad and young professional group has been growing as well. Jeremy
Hatfield, long-time member of the grad group, has volunteered to the lead the
group this year, and has been doing a splendid job. Speaking of the grad group,
were you aware that our grad ministry is the only one of its kind on OU’s
campus? We believe that for this reason, this is an exceptionally important
part of ROC’s ministry.
As I write this letter and think about the people we’ve met the past couple
weeks and the opportunity that God has blessed us with to “Reach Out” to
students on OU’s campus I am reminded of Acts 17:26-28. From one man he made all the
nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries
of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach
out for him and find him, though he is not far from any
one of us. ‘For in him we live
and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his
offspring.’
As I
read this passage of Scripture it becomes increasingly clear that it’s no
accident that ROC is on OU’s campus. It’s no accident that we’ve met new people
each week and many are finding a home within the community. All of this has
been a fulfillment of God’s plan. We look at these meetings, as divine
appointments. Even ones that seem almost accidental, like a conversation that I
had with a young man on Court Street that turned into a meet up for coffee
which in turn led to him getting involved in ROC’s praise band.
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| Dodger is very excited about all the cookies! |
So, what is your role in this process as a supporter of the ministry? First and
foremost, please continue praying for these opportunities. Each year as a new
group of students enters the ministry another group leaves. Without these
divine appointments ROC quite simply does not exist. So please continue to pray
that our ongoing outreach efforts are fruitful. Secondly, help us facilitate
these meetings. Help promote ROC within your church, within your youth group.
Provide us with contact information for students coming to OU. Finally,
continue to provide for the needs of the ministry as you have been faithfully
doing. ROC’s partnership with churches, alumni, and individuals help provide
for the needs of the community and allow for ROC to continue offering a variety
of ministry opportunities for students to connect with. You really are a vital
part of ministry! We continually thank God for the partnerships He has blessed
us with.
Please join me in praying for a new year of ministry on the Campus of Ohio
University. The staff, student leaders, volunteers, and the entire community
are excited to see what God has in store for us this year. God truly is good!
In
Christ,
-Dodger
