College Ministry Starts With Teen Ministry/ The Joys of Community College

August 13, 2022

Howdy and howdy! I am feeling mighty pumped up because we are so close to the beginning of the semester! Not only are we so close, but God has shown me some really encouraging things this past month. Each event just gets me so excited for new students to be met and join in what Christ is already doing on campus. Let me be less general and go into more of the specifics of how I have been encouraged.

Group photo from Teen Camp

Emily and I got to attend our body of churches teen camp. While Arlington Central Church has no teens because of how young we are, it was really sweet to see a vision of what our church could look like in years to come. These are all the teens from our Garland and Wylie churches.

While this is not FOCUS or even college ministry, this is kingdom work being sown. These are the churches that invest in our students the most, the ones that see the vision for what Christ has been doing on college campus for years and years. Beyond just reinvesting in the body of believers that cares for our college students so well, a good majority of the high schoolers in this picture are going to college, and a majority within that group are going to join a FOCUS ministry their freshman year.

I read somewhere (sorry I do not have a reference for this number, but I don't find it hard to believe) that 70% of high school Christians entering college leave their faith before graduating. This, if true, is an egregious loss on behalf of the Church. The idea of meeting these students now and helping them transition into healthy Christian community in college was so worth a week of my Summer break.

Worship at Teen Camp. Nothing more exciting than seeing a 15 year uninhibited, worshipping God.

My week with these teens was so encouraging. I wish I was asked the types of questions they are when I was a high schooler. Likewise, I wish I asked the types of questions they do when I was a high schooler. "What does it mean to be on mission for Christ?" "How do I share my faith with my school friends?"

The Garland Church teens followed the sermon theme of "Called by Name" from Isaiah 43. I got to share a sermon with them about my journey of being called by Christ and how he led me to campus ministry.

Be praying for these teens as they go back into the school year that they might hold their hearts to what they learned at this camp. Also be praying for the seniors transitioning into college.

TCC Student lead worship night

I cannot stress enough how sweet this night was. Three of our new student leaders hosted a worship night at their house. We got to fellowship, eat some pizza, and just praise God as a body of believers. To be a part of such a small campus plant is one thing special. To have the students in your recent campus plant be on fire for God and for community is another.

A clip from one of the worship songs

In other TCC news, I am beyond encouraged to say that we have four students, three of which went to SICM in May, that have committed to being student leaders this upcoming year at TCC. This looks like them hosting small groups together, meeting with students, studying scripture with students one on one, and living a life that models Christ. We have two guys and two girls. Eldrian and Colton are the two guys and I will get to serve with them this year. Be praying for these two guys. As they learn to be disciples, and learn how to disciple others, pray they are humble and teachable, constantly relying on the Spirit to work through them.