September Update

Things are in full swing at Reach Out on Campus and Ohio University. As I write to you, we are officially 4 weeks into the semester. The past month has literally been a blur of activities such as church visits, outreach events, service days, and of course Crosswalk (our weekly worship gathering). One of the most exciting parts of this semester has been seeing the way our community has grown. Although we’ve definitely grown in numbers this year, it’s also been encouraging to see the ways that our community has grown together and grown deeper in their faith. It’s certainly an exciting time to sit in the Director’s seat to watch our students embrace the mission of ROC. 

With the present growth in the ministry, it has become abundantly clear that in order for ROC to continue to grow, our ministry staff needs to grow as well. That’s why I am excited to announce that at the encouragement of the ROC Board of Directors we are welcoming back former ROC intern Noah Mulvaney who will be joining us at the beginning of spring semester to serve as ROC’s Associate Campus Minister. Noah was a huge blessing to the community during the semester that he served here with us, and when the reality set in that we needed another staff member to meet the ever-increasing needs of the community, it became clear that Noah was a natural fit. 

Make sure you take a moment to read about Noah and his heart for the ministry of ROC in this month’s Spotlight feature. Noah will initially be working with ROC part time while we continue to work on support raising for this position. We are incredibly excited about bringing Noah back to serve with us, and I personally can’t wait to see the ways that God will be using him to continue to grow and bless our community. 

Speaking of other exciting things, I can’t believe that we are already planning for ROC’s annual Halloween Hotdog Outreach. If you’ve been following the ministry of ROC, you’re likely aware that each year for the past 3 years, ROC students and volunteers from the local churches have endeavored to reach students during the Athens Block Party. This year we are once again planning to invade the Block Party to let people know that they are loved by Jesus. Our goal is to once again hand out 1,000 hotdogs; each wrapped with a card that explains why the hotdog is free and also contains our contact information.

Here is where you come in… this is a MAJOR undertaking, so we can’t do this alone. Would you consider helping us love on people in Jesus’ name, by first and foremost praying for the outreach? We want to assemble a team of people from all over the state and country who would be praying that God would bless this event and allow the seeds that we sow to take root. Second, consider donating toward the cost of the hotdogs and supplies. Perhaps your church’s youth group or Sunday school class could even make this an offering. Finally, we are on the hunt for some of the larger chest coolers. You’d be surprised how many coolers we need to transport the hotdogs and keep them warm. If you have one we can borrow or know where we can find some, please contact us and let us know!