March 2016 Update

It’s the first full week of March in Athens, which means a couple things for us here at ROC. First it means that we have all returned from Spring Break and a fantastic Service Trip (more on that later). Secondly it means that we are now over halfway through another semester and effectively ¾ of the way through another academic year. Finally it means a dizzying pace of life through the end of the semester! (I am very thankful for God’s gift of caffeine inside that little cacao bean.)

We’ve certainly been busy since last month’s update. In the past month we’ve enjoyed an amazing winter retreat with our sister ministries at Ohio State, Bowling Green, and University of Toledo. This was held at Lake James Christian Assembly in Angola, Indiana and was a fantastic weekend for our group.

The following weekend was the ROC leadership retreat. We took our student leaders to Columbus to participate in an “Escape the Room” challenge. Escape the room was recently voted one of the top corporate team builders in the nation. It certainly was a great experience for our team and generated lots of great conversations about leadership within the community.

Finally last week was ROC’s Spring Break Service Trip. We had a group of 13 serving at the Latrobe Street Mission in Parkersburg, WV from Wednesday through Sunday. Our students loaded donations, sorted donations, cleaned, organized, worked in the thrift shop, and even changed oil in the Mission’s van, and had a great time doing it. The folks at Latrobe Street were fantastic to work with and were genuinely appreciative of all of our efforts.  

It has been a great year so far and I can’t wait to see how God uses the rest of this semester. The ROC community is looking forward to several things over the coming weeks. First our students will be leading a workshop at Ohio Teens for Christ and talking to high school students about Campus Ministry. ROC will also be the mission spotlight for Glouster Church of Christ’s Faith Promise Rally in April. I’m really excited to be speaking each evening of the rally, and appreciate Glouster’s partnership in ministry with ROC.

Finally, before we close out the semester we are calling on all of our alumni and ROC supporters to come to the ROC Alumni and Donor Appreciation dinner on April 23^rd at 5pm at the Athens Church of Christ. We began this tradition last year as a way to connect those who support and pray for our ministry with our current students. It’s a terrific way to hear first hand about the ministry of ROC and the difference it is making in the lives of our students. Please make plans to join us. You can RSVP to reachohio@gmail.com with a number of people who will be attending the dinner.

 

It’s crazy to think that I am writing to you about end of the year events, but our time with another generation of students is drawing close to an end. We have been so incredibly blessed by the class of 2016 and look forward to seeing how God will use them in the future. As ROC supporters I’m asking for you to join me in praying for our students who will be leaving us at the end of the semester. For me, this is such a bittersweet time, as I will miss each and every one of them, yet I know that God has great things planned for them as well.

ROC's Spring Break Service Trip Team at Latrobe Street Mission

Thank you all for your support and care for our students and the ROC community. You’re ongoing prayers and support allow us to continue to form and develop relationships where Christ is exalted.

Many Blessings,

-Dodger