Campus Ministry Update

It’s been a couple of weeks since we began meeting weekly at a local middle school, King-Chavez Academy of Excellence, for an after school character club and things have been going great. The momentum has begun and students are showing up and we are packing out the library we are using as our meeting space. One of the teachers has also volunteered to help and committed to keeping the club covered in prayer. On an interesting note, we have been given permission to have students serve their detention time with us. If that isn't awesome enough, just this past Tuesday we were granted access to Grossmont high school and we will now be a weekly presence there supporting, coaching, teaching and encouraging students during their lunch time Bible club. The club was started about a year ago and the students are passionate about God and desire to impact their campus. We briefly discussed some of the ideas they have come up with and we look forward to returning next week and seeing what God has in store.

                All of this has come two years after God put in my heart to begin ministering on campuses. There have been times I wondered if I heard God correctly and wondered why it was taking so long, but when it’s in God’s timing He opens the door and we can walk in with His favor and authority. It’s been an amazing process and after 15 years in youth ministry He is still teaching me. Here’s a few thing I’ve learned in all this.

·         Patience: God teaches patience by making us be patient. If He has spoken to you or promised you something you can be sure He will see it through. He doesn’t make mistakes and two words you will never hear God say is “uh oh”.

·         Preparation: Ephesians 4:1-4 is one of my favorite passages of scripture. Here Paul encourages us to “live worthy of the calling you have received.” What that means is even though you may not be in the position or location God has called you to, you should be doing everything possible to prepare yourself for the day God opens that door. During the two years we were waiting we prepared by encouraging students to support their bible clubs and look for opportunities to serve on campus. They know what we are doing on campuses in our area and are supporting and serving.

·         Trust: I had to learn to leave it in God’s hands until it was time when he placed it in mine to be the steward of it. It’s a hard thing to do and many times I was tempted to give up, but seeing God move in the administration staff of both campuses and how they literally opened the doors and welcomed us in was amazing.

·         His sovereignty: God is the one in ultimate control of the situation and sometimes we don’t realize that until after and we look back and begin to see how His hand and presence was there the whole time. Understanding the sovereignty of God brings confidence in knowing He is ultimately in control even when the situation seems hopeless. One of His greatest promises is that He will always be with us and never forget about us.