Seven to Wheneven

When I pitched this name to the equippers at our meeting, it was mostly a joke. In the past, when canvas groups have began a regular dorm hang-out night, called it "Eight to Late", but "wheneven" isn't even a real word. Maybe they were only humoring me (probably) but they went for it. And, since I write the emails, we have officially begun a weekly night in the dorms that we affectionately call, "Seven to Wheneven."

As my generic picture of MU students will show you, studying is an essential to college life. Something I've learned since I've been a campus missionary is that ministering to students does not equal just inviting them to church but that you have to meet them where they are. As Aimee and I began the year we knew that getting into the dorms on a regular basis had to be something that our group made a priority. In the past, our canvas group has struggled with dorm outreach, so in an effort to change this, we encouraged following up with freshmen who filled out an interest survey and initiated a regular time of getting in the dorms.

Seven to Wheneven is a new thing and thus is still developing an identity. It's a strange mix of a study night and a hang out night. Some nights have been almost stuffy as a dozen people stare at laptops and feel the pressure of the first round of tests. Other nights have been super relaxed as we turn on Monday Night Football, pass out some day-old pastries that Aimee took home from her coffee shop job and enjoy each other's company. We're learning and trying to find the balance of what the night will look like each week. Our purpose is for it to be a common gathering that meets the needs of the students we are reaching out to in the dorms: a regular time for study and fellowship. We'll get there.

So pray for us. Pray that when the unexpected hall meeting shows up we are okay with moving to another close-by study lounge. Pray that we aren't so involved with our laptops and notebooks that we forget to build relationships. Pray that we make it something inevitable. Pray that we continue to get out of our comfort zones as we do our best to reach out to these students. I know God will show us the fruit of our efforts but we must always labor in prayer together.

God bless,

Chris

New Prayer Letter

Just posted the latest prayer letter: Check it out!

The Rock Gets a Shout Out

In GCM's most recent newsletter, Connect, they featured our ministry at Mizzou. We have an article written by our very own, Brandon Hoops, and a devotional by Pastor John Drage. Check it out here!

Recovery Ministry

Emotional health and spiritual health are often linked and dependent upon one another. Sometimes we have a tendency to pretend otherwise. This can happen especially when we find signs of compulsive behavior, lasting depression, unnatural fears or other emotional instability. It can be easy to think that whoever is experiencing these things really needs to improve their relationship with the Lord. And that is probably an accurate assumption. However, it can become dangerous and people can really begin thinking that something is fundamentally wrong with them if they believe that emotional problems have solely a spiritual cause.

I've begun the first class in a Recovery Ministry series with a couple other male staff from The Rock entitled Making Peace with Your Past. We are being lead by a leader in a local church who has lead and trained others to lead this course about a dozen times already. Here is a description of the course:

"This is a Life recovery study that offers practical, biblically based teaching to lead adults to identify, understand, and come to terms with the feelings and problems of growing up in a dysfunctional family. This course will help adults who grew up in a home in which one of the family members had emotional needs so strong that they disrupted the development of healthy relationships. Participants will understand problems from the past and identify and remove emotional, psychological, and spiritual barriers to fellowship with God."

I'm hoping that not only will it help me to take an honest look at my own past but that it will be a great tool of insight to help get started with a recovery ministry within The Rock. Many of our staff women (including Aimee) took this class last school year and they have been greatly blessed by it.

Again, emotional and spiritual health are closely linked I believe. Having unresolved emotional pain can be a hindrance to connecting with the Lord with freedom. I'm already learning a lot and am grateful to be taking this course.

Please be praying

- That I will make the time to thoroughly go through our daily homework

- That those of us in the class will be open to what God has to show us.

- That in the future this can be used as a tool to help other men in our church to make peace with their past.

Men's Study

This summer the men in our church are going through a study by Erwin McManus called "Chasing Daylight". Fellow missionary/ staffer Chad Clooten is leading the 10-week study with roughly 12-15 other men who are around Columbia this summer. The focus of the study seems to be on embracing each moment as we follow the life of Jonathan. It should be a great tool to help us embrace where we are and ruthlessly follow God's plan for us.

We had a really good first night as we adjusted to this new type of ministry for The Rock. To my knowledge, we've never had a men's study that includes a DVD teaching and workbook, so it's kind of an experiment for us as well. As I looked around the room I realized that I knew all of the men there but I wasn't so sure that they knew each other very well. I'm looking forward to seeing relationships begin and deepen as we open up our dreams that God has put on our hearts to one another.

Please be praying for our times on Monday nights. I have a deep passion for the men of the church to rise up and take their role as spiritual leaders. Pray that we would begin our stride in following more intimately with the Lord and this will happen naturally.