Reach Out on Campus at OU: November Update

Well it’s almost time to wrap it up and put a bow on another semester! As I write this, our ROC students are finishing up their final assignments and papers while preparing for exams next week. To help with the stress of finals week we will be transforming the ROC house into the “Finals Survival Station.” All next week we will be providing food (healthy, hearty, and junk food depending on your choice) to help students successfully navigate their way through their finals.

We’ve had a great semester, and I am literally reeling in amazement at how good God is. One reason for the success of our semester is due to our excellent volunteers who pour their time and energy into our students. With that in mind, this month we have decided to give a little credit where it is due, and spotlight a couple of our volunteers; Annie Holbert and Cara Lawless. I continue to be impressed by these ladies and the impact that they are making in the lives of our students.

November 19^th was ROC’s Day of Service. A group of our students traveled to Lifeline Christian Mission in Columbus and spent about half a day working in the warehouse. Our crew organized supplies, sorted through donations, and packed containers that will ultimately be shipped to missionaries and mission fields all around the world. This is the second year that we have served at Lifeline and have had such a great experience both times.

We were incredibly blessed to have some guests at Crosswalk over the course of the past month. First, we hosted our friends Donna and Al Hartson from Team Expansion in Louisville, KY. You may recall that Jessica Brantmeier served on the mission field in Bosnia last summer with Team Expansion. Al shared with our students about similar mission opportunities that centered around reaching unreached people groups with the Gospel of Christ. The following week another one of our ROC volunteers, Darren Jackson, shared with the community in my absence. Finally, my friend Matt Hayden from Tri-Village Christian Church in Pataskala came down to share with our students and participate in our Wednesday evening services.

As we finish another semester, I’d like to invite you to join the ROC students and staff in praying for a couple big events coming up. First we are a little less than 30 days from our departure date for the Dominican Republic. Please be praying for our team of 14 who will be spending a week serving there. We still have a few people trying to finish up their fundraising efforts, so prayers for support would be terrific! In addition we already have a group of 8-10 who have expressed interest in serving in New Orleans with Crossroads Missions over Spring Break 2017.

Also, I would ask that you continue to lift up the campus of Ohio State University as they continue to deal with the fallout from the attack that happened on campus this week. ROC’s good friends and partners in campus ministry Student Christian Fellowship at Ohio State are all safe following the attack. My counterpart at SCF, Seth Aldridge shared the following on his Facebook page following the attack: “I'm thankful for the many who have asked about us. There are always questions and uncertainties after these things happen, and we welcome your prayers as we and our Ohio State community sort through those in our hearts and minds and with each other. May the grace and truth of Jesus continue to come together in and through us.”

Thank you for your support of the ministry of Reach Out on Campus and for your love and concern for our students. We so greatly appreciate your support in helping us in our mission to expand the Kingdom of God here on the campus of Ohio University.