Reach Out on Campus at OU: December Update

Merry Christmas from all of the staff, students and board members of Reach Out on Campus! We pray that your Christmas is filled with the blessings and awe of the Christmas season.

As I write this letter our students are busy finishing up final projects and preparing for exams next week. It’s funny how sometimes it seems like the semester is creeping by and at other times like it is flying past at a dizzying pace. From November on it has definitely seemed like the latter here.

One reason is that the past month been a busy one for ROC. Lots of church visits, outings, and events have made the time fly by. One such event was our annual student ministry day at OU. For the second year in a row we invited students from around the area to join us in a day of fellowship, worship, and teaching. This year we had students from 6 local churches / youth groups in attendance. It truly was a wonderful day. The best part was that it was 100% organized and led by our ROC Students. They really did a phenomenal job, and I couldn’t be more proud of them and their efforts.

One big “job” that our ROC Student leaders have each year is calendar planning. During the month of November our students sat down to plan out the direction of the ministry for spring semester. Every idea is ultimately tested against ROC’s 3 core values of “Belonging, Becoming, and Being Sent” before being placed on the calendar. As I’ve said before, the ROC community and calendar are ultimately a reflection of the students and what they are passionate about.

As we wrap up things here and prepare for a new year of ministry I am reminded of how faithful God has been. We’ve been so blessed and encouraged to see our community grow, both in numbers as well as in faith. We’ve been equally fortunate to begin new friendships with churches and individuals as well as maintain relationships with some of our long time supporters including our amazing ROC alumni! These relationships are the backbone of ROC and we are so grateful for them.

As we prepare for this Christmas I have been dwelling on John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” I pray that we never cease to be amazed by the fact that God put on flesh and made His dwelling amongst us in the most humble manner, in the form of a child. How amazing indeed!