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