April 2009

Synergy

     Every year in the beginning of April the staff hosts an event for the student leaders called Synergy.  During this time, the students can reflect on what happened at their schools over the past year and spend time planning out the first six weeks of the fall semester.  The beginning of the new school year is the most critical time for college ministries because momentum is at its greatest.  The theme of this year's Synergy was "Running the Race".  Monique will be the head of the Christian Fellowship at Marist next fall, so she and I spent a lot of the weekend dreaming about what ministry could look like.  It was Monique's idea to plan an outreach event for each month to keep the group focussed on loving the campus well and giving them more opportunities to share their faith.  She will also be raising up a new leader, Aaron.  Praise God for male leadership!

Coming up this summer

     I am so excited for the summer!  I will be spending the majority of the month of May working on developing funds for next year.  Because of the current economic climate many missionaries are having difficulty funding their ministries, and many have even had to leave the field.  I have funds that will last through the middle of June, but please join me in praying that God will provide the additional $750/month I will need so that I will not have to leave the summer project and will be able to report to campus on time in the fall.  I already have 10% of my goal!

     From the beginning of June through the middle of July I will be staffing a summer project here in New York.  Students from all over the country come to spend their summer in the city doing campus ministry, arts ministry, ethnic ministry, and inner city ministry.  I will be working with the inner city track serving the urban poor.  Most of the students I will work with have never seen poverty.  They will get the chance to experience homelessness and have the opportunity to minister to the poor by providing for some of their most basic needs.  We will also meet in smaller groups for discipleship and bible study.  Please pray that God will use this experience to grow these students and to give them a heart for the weak and down-trodden!

Thank you so much for joining me in building the kingdom of God in New York City!

Grace and peace to you,

Laura

Prayer Requests

* Praise for the success of Synergy!

* Pray for Shannon and Kate as they spend the summer doing research in their fields

* Pray for Janice as she prepares to study abroad in Florence, Italy, next fall

* Pray for efficient and abundant fund development

* Pray for the students headed to NYC for sumer project

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21

Letters from Monique and Janice

These emails are from Monique and Janice, two of the students who went on Big Break.  Thank you so much for your commitment to this ministry!  Because of your faithfulness, young people like Monique and Janice are seeing God work in their lives in powerful and lasting ways!

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Hello from Marist!

These past couple of weeks I have been back at school thinking about my time spent in Panama City Beach over spring break.  Big Break ’09 was one of the best experiences I have had in a long time. 

In preparation for the trip I really had to put my trust in God for fund raising for the trip.  I prayed and trusted God and he lead me on this wonderful adventure and provided me with all of the funding I needed.  He even put it into the heart of my friend, Janice, to go as well.  

The whole week we had morning and evening meetings where we did worship with a live band from Iowa State University, learned new techniques to share our faith, laughed as our MC sang parodies of pop songs, and listened to two amazing speakers-Jen Smoker and Roger Hershey.  From them we learned about Gods love, giving up our rights to God and being a warrior for God and what that looks like manifested in our lives.  During the days, which were BEAUTIFUL with 75-79 degree weather, each group was assigned to a different spot on the 6-mile stretch of beach and we shared our faith with people on the beach.

I was very nervous every day but God gave me opportunities to speak with different people. Over the whole week my partners and myself spoke with at least 14 people, having long and deep conversation with each of them. I learned how to use this really awesome thing called Soularium (mysoularium.com) to share my faith. I got the opportunity to make 13 new close friends from the NYC metro ministry. Even though it has only been a week since the trip we have kept a constant facebook thread with each other and we are even planning a reunion! 

God really worked through this trip in my life. He worked through my NYC metro team, through the speakers, through the worship, and even through the people who we spoke to. He helped me to see how much people need his grace and forgiveness as well as how unique people are and how much they have to offer. I really loved the experience and I hope I can apply what I learned to my life back on campus. I am really excited to see if I am able to go again next year and I am excited to see what else God will do in my life. 
-- Monique

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I just want to thank you so incredibly much for your part in bringing me down to Florida for Big Break with Campus Crusade for Christ.  My week down in Florida was absolutely amazing. I never knew that there was a place filled with so many college students, alcohol, and clubs, until I was in Panama City. Yet, I have never felt as on fire for the lord as I have that week.

Sharing my faith with random people is still incredibly frightening and slightly awkward, but it grew much easier after each conversation I had with others. I had some absolutely amazing conversations with people, and shared the gospel with quite a few of them.

There were around 975 kids from colleges ALL over the US, who had spring break that week that were there. I never knew how amazing it would feel to be just surrounded by people who were all there for the same reason and with the same love for God in their hearts. The community of people that we hung out with all week, the NYC Metro - made up of college students from NYU, Columbia, and Pace was fantastic. I have never felt as close to a group of people in one week than I ever thought I would.

The trip on a whole was really just exactly what I needed to push me further in my faith and it was definitely an answer to my prayers. Thank you so much again for providing me with such an amazing and enriching experience.

Love,

Janice

March 2009

Big Break!

     During the week of March 14-21, 13 students and 2 staff headed down to Panama City Beach, 

FL, for Big Break.  Big Break is an annual spring break conference where students learn how to grow in their relationship with God and practice sharing their faith on the beach.  Two Marist students, Janice and Monique, decided last minute to go.  Even though they were scared about raising the money and sharing their faith, they trusted God.  He provided all the funding they needed in two days, and used the trip to grow them in some exciting ways.  Please take a moment to read the letters (in the next post) from Janice and Monique about how this trip impacted their lives.  Thank you for your part in ministering to these young women!

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)

     There has been incredible student response to the launch of FCA at Wagner.  About 20 students, mostly football players, attend every week.  I have been in contact with Steve, the NYC Metro Director, and we are both happy to have this partnership to better serve the student body.  Kate, a student leader of the Wagner Christian Fellowship, has told me about how the things Steve is sharing with the students has already impacted her attitude on and off the softball field, and that there are 3 guys co-leading FCA with her.  Praise God that He is raising up men at Wagner!  Please continue to pray for the athletes at Wagner, and for a powerful partnership between the two clubs.

Coming up this semester

     The first weekend in April will be our annual planning event for student leaders called Synergy.  This is when we look ahead to the beginning of the fall semester, and new student leaders are introduced to their positions.  After Synergy, I will be meeting with the leaders from Wagner and Marist for further leadership development.  We will spend a day learning about their personal strengths and spiritual gifts and how they can apply and use them to work more effectively as a team to and to reach their campus.

     After this weekend, the semester is nearly over.  While I will continue to meet with my student leaders, I will be starting the process of  developing funds for next year.  Please pray that God will provide richly so that I can continue working this summer and into the fall without any lapses.

     My summer assignment is the staff the summer project here in New York that serves the urban poor.  For six weeks students from around the country will come to the city to experience poverty and have the opportunity to minister to the poor by meeting some of their most basic needs.  Please pray that it will be a powerful experience for them!

Thank you so much for joining me in building the kingdom of God in New York City!

Grace and peace to you,

Laura

Prayer Requests

* Praise for a great experience at Big Break for Janice and Monique!

* Praise for the success of FCA at Wagner!

* Pray for the continued growth of the athletes

* Pray for a strong relationship between the Wagner Christian Fellowship and FCA

* Pray for the success of Synergy and the leadership development event

* Pray for efficient and abundant provision in fund development

* Pray for the students headed to NYC for summer project

Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

January 2009

This post (originally posted early February 2009) was accidently deleted and is being reposted.

Boston Winter Conference

The theme on this year's Boston Winter Conference was Kingdom Come.  The speakers and worship were fabulous, but for me the highlight of the conference was a lunch with several students and couple of other staff members from New York City, talking about how they were enjoying the conference.  Many Christian students in NYC often feel discouraged and isolated because the city can seem so spiritually dark.  Conferences like BWC where there are hundreds of young Christians having fellowship together are a source of much encouragement and pump them up for the upcoming semester.  It was great to hear about what they were learning and how they were planning on applying it to their lives.

Staff Evangelism Day

Once a month, the staff team breaks into groups to visit a handful of campuses around the city to do evangelism.  This month my group went to the Fashion Institute of Technology.  We did a survey about life and spirituality called Soularium, developed a few years ago by some arts students on a NYC summer project.  The 5 questions are answered using images rather than cold answers.  The first people we approached were two girls in their second year at FIT.  When we completed the surey, we asked them if they would like to hear more about they could know God in a personal way.  We shared the gospel with them, and one of the girls, Emily, indicated that she was really interested in talking more about Jesus, and asked if she could come to a Campus Fellowship meeting!  Praise God that He is moving at FIT!  (For more information and to see what the survey looks like, visit mysoularium.com).

Coming up this semester

This semester is going to be exciting.  The students at both Wagner and Marist will be participating in the 30-hour famine.  The girls at Wagner have invited Hillel (the Jewish student club) to join them, and it looks like they will!  Praise God!  The Wagner Christian Fellowship is also hosting some events to reach the men on campus.  One will be a video game party, and the other will be a new breakfast small group for athletes and early birds.

Conversations with people like Emily at FIT are refreshing reminders that students in NYC are hungry for God.  Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry!  You play a significant role in advancing the kingdom of God in a crucial and amazing city.

Grace and peace to you,

Laura

Prayer Requests

* Praise God for the success of Boston Winter Conference

* Praise for a great conversation with Emily at FIT

* Pray that Emily will go to the Campus Christian Fellowship meeting and come to know the Lord

* Pray for the 30-hour Famine, that it would be a powerful time of prayer and fasting for the students

* Pray that Hillel will join the Wagner Christian Fellowship in the 30-hour famine, and that great conversations and a strong relationship would be the result

* Pray that there will be a bunch of interest in the new morning small group at Wagner

February 2009

New Believers!

This month our team went to Hunter College for our staff evangelism day.  Because there is no official movement there (only two students meet with a staff member to pray for the school each week), we spent the day getting some visibility by doing surveys on relationships and love, and setting up a table in the main building with free materials.  Lots of people expressed interest in the group, and we collected nearly 100 surveys.  One of the surveys led to a deeper conversation with a girl named Ashley.  Ashley had been wondering just the night before what it meant to be a Christian, so when we shared the gospel with her, she immediately wanted to pray to receive Christ!  Praise God!

There is also a new believer at Cooper Union.  Kemi and Sarah are both engineering students, and Kemi invited Sarah to a couple of outreach events organized by the Christian group on campus.  During the second outreach, Sarah and Kemi were talking about all the stress they were under, and Sarah wanted to know how Kemi handled it.  Kemi shared the gospel with her, and Sarah decided right there to follow Christ!  It is so exciting when new Spiritual lives begin!  Please pray for both these students as they begin their walks with the Lord.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)

We have been in the process of starting a new small group for athletes at Wagner for the past month.  A few weeks ago, Kate (one of the leaders of the Wagner Christian Fellowship) was approached by one of her softball teammates Jessica about starting a new chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Wagner.  She was very excited to hear that I would be available to offer guidance and resources to her.  Please pray for that group as we work to get the ball rolling on that over the next month.

Coming up this semester

There are several Spring Break trips that are coming to the city from around the country, and our team hosts and guides them around the city.  In addition, there are three Spring Break trips that leave the city.  I, with two other staff, will be leading a team of up to 30 students from the city to New Orleans for continued Hurricane Katrina relief in April

On a personal note, Josh has completed his formal training, and will now be teaching two classes at the school and painting full-time at home.  In order that he will have enough space for a proper studio, we are looking to move some time in the next couple of 

months.  Please pray that we find the right space!

Thank you so much for joining me in building the kingdom of God in New York City.

Grace and peace to you,

Laura

Prayer Requests

* Praise for two new believers, Ashley and Sarah!

* Pray for Ashley and Sarah as they grow in their new relationship with God

* Praise for great interest in a Christian athletes group at Wagner!

* Pray that the group will be up and running soon

* Pray for students during their Spring Break trips

* Pray for the trip to New Orleans, for safety and growth

* Praise that Josh has completed his formal training!

* Pray that we will find a good studio space or him, and that his career will get off to a great start

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever...To him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever.  

Psalm 136:1,4

October Update

This update is long overdue.  I'm sorry for not being good about updating!  I will be sure to do better in the future.

     October was a busy but really fun month.  The weekend of the 17-19 was our NYC Metro Fall Retreat.  Around 90 students and staff all trucked up to beautiful Warwick, NY, and enjoyed a weekend of rest, fellowship, and learning with the theme of “A Hero’s Heart”.  Our speaker, Holly Shelden, shared with the students what it means to live a life devoted to the kingdom of God.  The weekend was really helpful for students to reestablish their goals for ministry on campus.

    This month I got to visit the Campus Christian Fellowship at Marist College for the first time.  The student leaders (Jordie, Janice, Monique, and Victoria) are all super excited to be discipled them and get leadership training.  The CCF has a weekly Bible study and regular campus outreaches and prayer walks.  Please pray that God would orchestrate lots of great gospel conversations as they take part in an interfaith discussion with the other religious clubs at Marist later this semester.   

The Wagner Christian Fellowship is also planning an interfaith event.  They will be having a 30-Hour Famine in February, and are inviting the Catholic Club, Hillel (Jewish club), and Middle Eastern Students Club to join them for 30 hours of fasting and prayer.  (30-Hour Famine is an international event organized by World Vision to raise awareness and money to end child hunger in the world).  This has the potential to be a powerful tool for building bridges between these clubs on campus, and presents the opportunity to have great spiritual conversations. I can’t wait to see how God uses it!

     The WCF has been having a weekly small group meeting with a few members of the Catholic club on campus to talk about spiritual issues, study scripture, and grow in their faith together. They group has been growing and there is increasing interest in small groups of this type on campus. They are considering starting a second group to bring more people into the discussions.  Praise God for this partnership!

      This month Josh will be going on a mission trip to Mexico with his father, we have a regional staff conference just before Thanksgiving, and the team at Wagner has a Thanksgiving outreach planned.  Thank you for your prayers and your partnership in the gospel!  Please let me know how I can pray for you this month.  Laura.LaRock@uscm.org

Let's get to know each other!

Hi partners!

I am so excited that you have decided to join me in making disciples of New York City's college students.  Some of you I know really well, and some of you I have never met face to face!  But I want to get to know all of you better, so please take a few moments to email me some information about you and your family.  These are the things I'm interested in learning...

Your:

• Names (You, your spouse, your kids, even pets, if you'd like!)
  
• Mailing Address
  
• Email Address
  
• Home Phone
  
• Mobile Phone
  
• Family Birthdays
  
• Anniversary
  
• Church
  
• Profession(s) (you, spouse, kids)
  
• Hobbies

You can send this information to me at Laura.LaRock@uscm.org.  I would also love to have a picture of your family, if you have one to email to me.

I am so looking forward to doing this ministry with you!

Grace and peace,

Laura