Baby Dedication

A couple weeks ago, we had a dedication ceremony for our daughter, Eliza and Graham Schulz (son of Andrew and Kirstin). It was a simple piece that fit in the middle of one of our services with a couple different purposes.

To Celebrate. Having a little one in a college church is a unique thing, and something worth celebrating. As we embark on parenting, we are trying to minister to these students through a new facet of our lives. We hope to give them a window into the joys and trials of new parenting as we try to follow the Lord in this new phase.

To Submit. We can't save Eliza. The church can't save Eliza. Only Christ can save our daughter. With our dedication, it is a public declaration that we are going to do everything we can to point her to Jesus and we asked the church for help in that. This is not a baptism or a christening ceremony, but simply one that says with open hands, Lord take our daughter.

We are overwhelmed by the support of our friends, family and those who give and pray so that we can minister to the students here at Mizzou. Thank you for blessing our family with your kindness and Spirit-led submission to the Lord.

Fall Retreat 2014

Before I kick out a prayer letter, I thought I'd give you a look at our Fall Retreat.

Our prayer goal was 183 people. We had 186.

It was incredible, crazy, overwhelming and powerful. Here's a look in pictures.

We start off with a huge Thanksgiving style dinner

It was Eliza's first retreat!

We have three worship services

Our guest speaker, Dave Megill

The next day we play some crazy games.

One of our freshmen going nuts at four-way soccer.

One of our Community Groups was super excited.

We have baptisms later that day.

Our current Community Group, Aspen, made t-shirts!

Finally, a look at everyone who came!

I can't wait to share more about such a full month in my upcoming prayer letter!

For a full look at the retreat, check out our photo album.

Chris

Hey Day

One of our students, Joel, isn't a Mizzou student. He goes to another local college, Columbia College, which is less than a mile away from where I live and is about the same distance north of the MU campus. He saw a need for the gospel at his school of just of 3000 students and pursued launching a bible study that just got started this past Sunday. Recently, he applied for a spot for The Rock at their "Hey Day" event, which is essentially a student activities fair. Joel asked me and another student for some help working the event.

I spent my midday with him and Jacob passing out Icee Pops, handing out information on our church and having great conversations with students at Columbia College. We passed out about fifty flyers for his bible study and we have about as many people to contact about Community Group and church on Sunday.

It was a fun opportunity to help meet a need in a nearby campus. We're thanking the Lord for prompting Joel to reach out to his fellow classmates and I'd ask you to pray with me that the Lord stirs in the hearts of students at Columbia College.

September 2014 Prayer Letter

Click the picture above to see my latest prayer letter! We've had a busy past couple of weeks and I'm excited to share with you.

Chris

First Service

Just a quick update for you all! We have been working a ton since Move-In Week and the Lord brought 276 people to our first service last weekend! That's over 40 more than our highest attendance ever! We're so pumped. I can't wait to kick a prayer letter out soon but we're still spinning our wheels and hopefully I can get one out early next week.

Thanks for praying with us!

Rock Welcome Video

One of our students, Sarah Bell, created this Welcome Video for our church over the summer. She is a joy to work with and I'm really thankful for her to lend her creative eye and skills for us. Take a look!

Move-In Week 2014

Things are about to go nuts here at Mizzou. 7000 freshmen will begin pouring onto campus this week and we at The Rock will do a lot to try and reach them. Move-In Week creates so many opportunities for us to gather back together as a church, consider the new wave of students coming in and join in mission to do some heavy outreach as the new school year gets started.

Vision Night

We begin with Vision Night - an opportunity to reconnect as a church and dream about where the Lord might be taking our church this year. We roll out new outreach plans, goals for the year and train our students for what we will be doing the next couple weeks.

Survey Tables

 For three days straight, from 9am-4pm, we will set up a tent and pass out over 5000 icee pops (currently stored in various freezers, including our own) while we get 2200 students to fill out our Spiritual Interest Surveys.

Follow Ups

From there, we follow up with these students personally. I conduct a Welcome to Mizzou email, letting them know about events we have for the first couple of weeks. Each community group will send people out in pairs to visit the people who showed interest, about a couple hundred people in all. These visits are crucial for us, allowing us to meet freshmen early on, build friendships and invite them to our first few events.

Kick-Off Service

After various BBQs, dorm hangouts and games of ultimate Frisbee, we'll have our kick-off service. This year, we will begin looking at various encounters with Jesus throughout the gospels, asking students to consider what an encounter with Jesus might look like for them and to interpret what he might be trying to share with them as they begin a new school year.

Please be praying for these events! We can't wait to get started!

Staff Retreat 2014

Last week, fifteen of us gathered in Estes Park, Colorado for our annual Staff Retreat. Five paid staff and 10 associate (or volunteer) staff. Our goals were to connect, dream, plan and seek the Lord together as we approach another school year. We sought the Lord in prayer, had some honest conversation and brainstormed about two big ideas we have for this upcoming school year that the Lord has put on our hearts.

Eating at Poppy's Pizza is a tradition for the staff to do once we get into Estes

It was Eliza's first cross-country trip and she did so well (except for those times she was scream crying through congested Denver traffic - that was not such a fun moment). We got to bring her to the place that Aimee and I became good friends and first had thoughts of being together. It was so cool to be there with her, looking around at all the mountains Aimee and I had climbed together and to sit on the porch of the administration building where we had had many meaningful conversations that were foundational in our relationship together.

A little putt-putt tournament with mountains as the backdrop

I'm grateful for another opportunity to visit Colorado and to be with our staff. It was a timely chance for me to get refreshed and to really get thinking about the Fall. 

Please be praying for...

• Coffee Table. We're planning to pass out free coffee each week on campus as an opportunity to meet students and build relationships with those who wouldn't typically come to a church service. Please be praying that we solidify a spot on campus and develop this outreach opportunity well.
• The Well. We're seeking the Lord about using a discipleship curriculum that many of our sister churches use. Please be praying if this is the right fit for us and how we could incorporate it into our schedule.
• First Series. I'm currently leading the Creative Arts team in designing and dreaming through elements for our first series. Please be praying for creativity and clarity as we attempt to put the gospel on display for students at Mizzou this Fall.

June 2014 Prayer Letter

Here is a link to my latest prayer letter, including Eliza Rose, Summer Rock news and a support update. Enjoy!

Chris

April 2014 Prayer Letter

Whoops. I realized that I sent this out to everyone a couple weeks ago but I had not yet posted it here on the ministry blog. April was a busy month to say the least. We had our annual staff conference, went through a series that highlighted God as an artistic creator and had one of the girls in our small group put her faith in Christ!

Click the picture about or read about it here.

Seniors Dinner 2014

It's always tough to say goodbye. This year, we had 20 seniors (+1 high school senior, our pastor's daughter) come to our annual celebratory dinner to say goodbye and to thank them for their time at The Rock. These men and (mostly) women are some of the most influential Christ followers in our church. There are a lot of leaders from this bunch and each one is a life transformation.

We got to hear some of them share stories of how being a part of The Rock has affected their lives. The students you see here are more than just members of an organization - they are like family to us. I have sat down personally with several of them, navigating this stretch of life they've been on, trying to figure out how to trust God and celebrating where he has come through.

Some are sticking around next year and will continue to co-labor beside us for the gospel. Most, though, we are trusting God to take care of as they go to influence wherever they live next for his kingdom.

Please be praying for our seniors as they graduate and transition.

New Life

A few days ago I got a message on Facebook from Amy (dead center in the photo), a freshman girl who has been a part of our community group all year. It was a message to one of our new groups in which she shared with us that after church this Sunday, she was going to accept Christ. We all began writing back about how excited we were for her, proud of her and thankful for her friendship.

Just a few days ago I was talking with one of our girls who has been consistently meeting with Amy and continually been sharing the gospel with her. We were talking about how long it can take sometimes to see the fruit in our efforts to share Christ with others. I visited with Amy a couple months ago as we unpacked several things that had been holding her back from trusting Jesus. I remember thinking how close she was as that day she took one step closer to realizing that God is bigger than the objections that can really hang us up.

Then yesterday, while a crowd gathered outside after service, aided by John, she prayed aloud, declaring her trust in Jesus. It was a good day.

Collegiate Staff Conference 2014

I took a 10 hour road trip to Michigan this past weekend as over 140 staff from 16 different campus churches around the country gathered for our annual conference. Having been on the road so much this semester with raising support, it was a welcomed break to go get energized, refreshed and to reconnect with so many others who are co-laboring for the gospel.

The Lord was good to me in just showing me how good it is to reconnect with others who care tremendously about the gospel being brought to these campuses and lives being changed. I spent some time with some brothers from Texas, dreaming about how and when the bridge between Missouri and Texas could be filled with other campus churches. I heard stories of evangelism efforts from our close friend at the University of Pittsburgh and thought about different things that we could adopt at Mizzou. I got to visit with a couple from Illinois that we love on how crucial it is to humbly show vulnerability to students and when to realize the boundaries you set for your own lives are examples you're telling students to follow.

I caught up with staff that affected me greatly when I was a student, others who trudged through initial support raising with the same insecurities as me and met younger staff who are navigating the first few years of trying to figure out how to be effective at ministry and how to stay motivated when things are tough. And twenty hours in a car with two pastors meant a lot of brainstorming and dreaming about doing ministry here at Mizzou and how to be more effective next year.

One of the talks we heard was entitled, Reload. I feel like I did just that. Though I'm exhausted from the trip, I believe that overall God will use it to propel me in these final weeks of raising support before baby gets here. My prayer now is that he continues to remind me just how vital it is that we have a presence on campus and continue to make disciples of this generation.

Thank You!

I'm so honored and glad to send out some thank you cards tonight for so many new gifts set up within the past couple of days. Evidently with this storm rolling through Missouri, it's been a good night to set those up!

I'm coming back from a trip to Kansas City feeling refreshed and thankful to connect with some incredible people. Thank you so much to those who give, offer up their homes and for whom I've gotten to visit with over a meal or a cup of coffee. Your generosity, prayers and encouragement are so appreciated!

March 2014 Prayer Letter

In my newly redesigned prayer, I'm excited to share with you a support update, what's been going on at The Rock and a little about our Spring Break trips.

Please let me know what you think of the new format!

Chris

Visit to Soulfire Ministries

I had an incredible opportunity to get to speak at Soulfire Ministries last night in my high school town of Ash Grove. My long-time friend and supporter, Austin Houp, asked me months ago if I'd be interested in sharing and get to meet some of the folks involved there. Of course I jumped at the chance.

Started a couple years ago by Nic and Melissa Keith, Soulfire has become a growing outreach ministry in Ash Grove that serves the youth in the community and provides worship services and small group experiences for people to be a part of as well. I loved the chance to get to meet such a dynamic group of people and have a little time to try and unpack some Scripture with them.

I've been reading Philippians recently and just figured I'd share what the Lord has been revealing to me in this short letter. Paul writes this line early on which many of us have heard before. He writes, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Translating that as an instruction to become like Christ and to long to be with him, this changes our perspective of who we are, what we're meant to live for and how we are to treat others.

Please be praying for the youth, that the Lord spoke to their hearts last night. And if you want to check out what they're about, you can find their website here.

Praise, Worship & Communion

Last week, I was in town for a few days and got to go to one of our mid-week services. We had about 120 students pack into a room to sing praise, take Communion and hear a student's testimony and devotion. I loved the chance to reconnect with some of the students I haven't seen a lot of this semester and to get to worship together.

I was so excited to hear one of our students, a long-time friend now, share about his struggles with trusting God through years of self-hatred and many other lies he's battled. It was thrilling to see him share some of his hardest struggles with the church and to hear him share about the truth that God has been speaking to him about his identity through close friends and staff in the church.

These student testimonies are one of the highlights of my month. To see someone boldly share how God has met them and what they have been learning provides a unique insight for the rest of our church. They aren't teachings or lessons, but stories that others can relate to and take hope from. For me, it reminds me that God is at work here and that what we're doing in our little church matters.

Please be praying for my friend who shared and for others that they may find hope from his story.

February 2014 Prayer Letter

A little update from the road and some things I'm excited about for our students back in Columbia. I hope you're encouraged by this latest prayer letter! Click the picture to view the pdf.

Chris

New Staff: Joe Langworthy

Joe and I have known each other a few years now. He first showed up to The Rock during one of our smaller services, about three years ago. He decided to check it out after having a support appointment with Andrew and Kirstin Schulz, another couple on staff. Pretty quickly, he got involved with our small group and got plugged in pretty easily.

Ever since then, Joe's become a good friend and someone who has grown quite a bit. He really found a place in the Worship team and in leading our Community Group this past fall. He has developed a love for the church and a desire to share the Gospel with students at Mizzou. Being a Columbia native, Joe feels a conviction to preach the Gospel here in his hometown and has become a leader I can trust and one that I look forward to working with in the near future.

He recently went to staff training with GCM and is currently raising support to be on staff with us here at The Rock. We are praying that support raising goes well and goes quickly so we can have him back asap!

I'm super proud of him and hope you join me today in praying for his support raising efforts. 

The Coffee Shop Tour

For the next few months, I am taking a step back from my duties at The Rock (mostly) to focus on what lies ahead. Many of you saw this in my latest prayer letter. With a daughter on the way, Aimee and I are thinking about what this next phase of life is going to look like for us. Is The Rock still where I want to be? Is ministry able to be financially sustainable for us? Where is the Lord leading us next? All good questions - challenging questions - and ones that we are trusting the Lord to answer.

I strongly feel that the Lord wants to continue to use me at Mizzou. So, with the guidance of my pastors, I am raising support through August. My goal is to meet with 120 people by then and trusting God to raise the money. If 40 people joined the team at $50/month, that would be a $2000/month increase to my account with GCM. That would allow my to take my full salary and add our daughter to my insurance plan, hopefully letting Aimee spend more time at home during these early years. I'm working hard to get the appointments and letting the Lord do the rest.

My first trip was to my hometown of Springfield, MO last week. It was so encouraging getting to meet with supporters, friends, family. I wasn't in a coffee shop for every meeting but I traversed the city hitting up Panera, Starbucks, Mudhouse and Hebrews to work and connect with folks. I'm sure I'll be visiting those places. It's kind of a natural environment for a campus missionary.

I wanted to post about this trip because of the great encouragement I felt from that visit. Getting to reconnect with folks I haven't seen in a long time, sharing stories of ministry and family was truly refreshing for me. I got to meet new people and see the Spirit connect us through shared perspectives on how we are hoping to see the Lord move in our respective towns and in the lives of young people. I even got to visit with someone I hadn't seen in years and hear about the new life that the Lord has breathed into her.

Being away from Columbia, my wife and my church is hard but I felt so affirmed by the Lord and by those co-laboring for the Gospel in Springfield. Thank you for all of your support and the reminder that God is very much at work through his church. I look forward to my connections in the future.

Chris

Multiplication

Every year, it is our dream to multiply our community groups. For the past few years, we have specifically been asking God to grow our five groups to seven or eight. Specifically, this past August, we began praying to grow to eight by Fall of 2014.

It's been a long past few years as we've stayed at five for a while. Granted, we sent a church plant last fall, but still, we've been asking for a while. Well, a couple months ago, I asked our student leaders what they thought about finally taking the leap of faith. I've been convinced since September that our group was ready and that maybe we could spur on others to do the same.

I pitched it to the whole group after gathering support and, 10 days before Finals Week ended, they said they would support it. Thanks to a God who delivers and students who take risks for the Gospel, let me introduce you to two new Community Groups.

South Side Community Group

Aspen Community Group

I love these students and am so proud of their risk. Having more groups means getting to reach more dorms on campus. Having the semester to form a new identity, get united in purpose and build trust will help us tremendously when our Fall Evangelism Push hits again this August.

Please be praying...
for unity within each group.
for focus and vision for the leaders.
for growth, because that means more people are being reached.
for these students to already begin inviting their nonbelieving friends into these new families to learn about who God is.

January 2014 Prayer Letter

Hey all,

I'm excited to share with you all some big news for our family in this letter. A little reflection on our Christmas service went, our gender reveal and what's to come for this semester is all in this letter.

Thank you for your prayers and support,
Chris