Reach Out on Campus at OU: May Update

Another year is in the books! We’ve said our good-bye’s to most of the ROC community for the summer and watched our seniors pack-up and leave for careers and the next phase of life. What a crazy, exciting, and amazing ministry to be a part of. We are constantly meeting new people, welcoming new members into the community, and before you know it, watching them go out into the world equipped with the Gospel of Christ.

The amazing thing for me to see however, are the bonds that are formed in the short period of time that students are part of the ROC community. From my vantage point, these bonds formed through Christ are really what make this place special. The hours spent alongside one another in worship, learning, and service add up to much more than just weeks and months, they add up to memories, spiritual growth, and life change. God blesses us in amazing ways through the community here.

As people who love community, ROC certainly didn’t miss a single opportunity to fellowship together as the year came to a close. Whether it was fellowshipping with one another at year-end bash, with our alumni and donors at a dinner in their honor, or with our friends from Student Christian Fellowship at Ohio State, we’ve certainly invested in relationships the past month.

If you think that life around the ROC community slows down now, you’re mistaken! We are eagerly anticipating meeting the class of 2020 this summer as they arrive on Campus in June for Bobcat Student Orientation. This is our first opportunity to “reach out” to incoming Freshmen and their parents. Additionally ROC students will be joining me once again this summer on the mission field in New Orleans as we continue serving with our friends in ministry at Crossroads missions. Add to the mix some church visits, a few church camps, and a fundraising road trip or two and summer is going to fly by!

I’m really excited about a couple opportunities for ROC in particular this summer. First, Ohio Valley Christian Assembly has made ROC the mission for high school week of church camp. I’ll be leading a week of adventure camp at the same time so I’ll be taking occasions to share with the OVCA campers about the values and ministry of ROC. Along those same lines Athens Church of Christ has also selected ROC to be the mission of the week for Vacation Bible School. I’ll be spending evenings at ACC sharing videos and stories from the ROC community with this amazing crew. I am so honored that both groups have chosen to partner with ROC in the ministry that God has blessed us with.

As we gear up for another year of ministry on the campus of OU, may I ask that you join us in praying for ROC, ROC Students, and the campus of Ohio University? Our goal for this coming year is to really invest in community building. Community has always been ROC’s strong suit, and we believe, as I mentioned before, that it is vital to spiritual growth, discipleship, and kingdom building. This coming year we really want to prune away things that aren’t helping us to become the kind of community where people meet Jesus and are forever changed. If you could join us in praying for clarity, focus, and perseverance in this mission, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for choosing to partner with us as we seek to expand the kingdom by meeting people where they are and introducing them to Christ.

Colossians 4:2-6 “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”