Reach Out on Campus at OU: June Update

Ever wonder what happens in the ministry of ROC during the summer? This month I am going to give you an inside look at all the things happening in and around the ministry during those months when the population of Athens decreases and the temperature rises!

Let’s begin with our students. ROC students have been on the move this month! Christina Hemsath spoke to the VBS crowd at the Athens Church of Christ on Monday, June 13 about ROC. Christina shared about ROC’s ministry and led the students in a brief time of worship. I was blessed to hear that she even had the opportunity to share with the students about the significance of baptism when several of them asked her about a picture that showed a baptism we performed last year!

Courtney Clark and Aerin Hemsath are working at Ohio Valley Christian Camp this week as Camp Counselors for Junior High week of camp. I stopped out by the camp today to visit them and hear about how their week had been going. Matt Shiflet was asked to preach on Sunday, June 12 at Tabor Ridge Church of Christ (about 45 minutes from Athens). Finally, Darrin Will is joining me this evening (June 14) as I present at Athens Church of Christ’s VBS program about ROC.

Additionally, many of you are already aware that ROC’s very own Jessica Brantmeier is currently serving overseas as a missionary for two months this summer with a missions organization called Team Expansion, based out of Louisville, KY. We were blessed to have Jessica Skype into “Mission Time” at Senior High camp to share with the campers about what she is doing on the mission field and how her time with ROC has helped to prepare her for the field.

Several ROC students, and ROC undergrad volunteer Cara Lawless, will be joining me and about 25 other people from several different churches on the mission field in New Orleans July 23^rd – 31^st. This will be the second year in a row that ROC students have joined with the group heading to NOLA to work with Crossroads Missions doing outreach, evangelism, and some manual labor.

ROC’s Grad and Young Professionals group took a brief break after the end of Spring Semester and are now meeting each Thursday under the leadership of ROC volunteers Jeremy and Sally Hatfield. Did you know that ROC’s Grad group is the only one of its kind at OU? We are pretty proud of that, and are excited to see all the hard work that the Hatfields have invested in the group paying off in the form of new faces, deepening relationships, and growing energy within the group.

It has really been a blessing for me to be able to see the way so many of our students and volunteers have used this summer as an opportunity to participate in building up the kingdom in so many different ways. I have to admit that when I first began my time with ROC, I didn’t fully realize the scope of what investing our resources into the lives of college students could mean to the kingdom of God. Obviously there is the difference that it makes in the lives of each student that we minister to, but now looking at the multiplying effect that this investment has when these same students go out to invest in others really has me excited.

As people who participate in this investment, let me simply say “thank you.” I am continually humbled and amazed at your faithfulness to helping us provide these types of experiences for students, and in turn helping us propel those same students to invest in the lives of others! How cool is it that God allows us to be a part of such an amazing process? Thank you for your role in that.