I am writing to you from the first day of a new year! Last night the
Vaughan family celebrated another year of God’s blessings and faithfulness
along with friends and loved ones. As always, I never cease to be amazed at how
good God is! We are also incredibly thankful to all of you who have faithfully
supported the ministry of Reach Out on Campus this past year.
As I look forward to a new year of ministry on the campus of Ohio
University and another year of leading the ministry of ROC, I am reminded of
how important new beginnings can be. For followers of Christ, new beginnings
are a part of our identity. 2 Corinthians 5:17&18 describe it like this. “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is
here! All this is from
God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation:”
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ROC Students at the Mountain Mission School in Grundy, VA |
ROC holds among its
core values the desire to join other believers in this “ministry of
reconciliation.” As the world gathers together to celebrate the start of a new
year and looks forward to the new beginnings that a new year brings, I am
reminded of the importance of this mission that we all share. I believe that
this desire for a new beginning has been hardwired into our spiritual DNA. Our
souls long to be renewed and reunited with our creator. This makes our mission
to point people to the cross and invite them to join us in this “ministry of reconciliation”
that much more important.
Call me a little
biased, but I believe that our college campuses happen to be a field ripened
for this message of a new beginning. Furthermore, including our college
students in this “ministry of reconciliation” is the only way that sweeping
revival will ever happen in our nation. (All prior religious awakenings have
begun with young people.) This is why the staff and volunteers at ROC believe
that God has given us an incredible opportunity at Ohio University.
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I promise, we were stopped and the van was in park! |
As the beginning of
a new semester approaches, I am excited about all the opportunities that God
has blessed ROC with. As you read this, a group of students will be joining me
in a winter service trip at the Mountain Mission School in Grundy, VA. Shortly
after we return, we will be kicking off a new semester of Crosswalk, Bible
Studies, Discovery Workshop (New Believer workshop), and Leadership Training.
Another highlight of second semester is ROC’s Winter Retreat with our friends
from SCF at Ohio State and ACT at Bowling Green and University of Toledo.
The student leaders
have filled the calendar with lots of great events for the new semester. As
supporters of ROC, I would encourage you to join us in praying that these
events not only go well, but more importantly, that God would be glorified and
people would come to know Him through our efforts. At the end of the day,
that’s what we strive towards always.
As I mentioned from
the beginning, we are so thankful for you and your faithful support. We pray
that this new year would be a year filled with God’s blessings for our
supporters. Thank you for partnering with us in ministry.
In the love of
Christ,
-Dodger