Happy New Year! I hope you and your loved ones are all doing well as we enter 2024. I'm grateful as always for your ongoing prayers and financial support.
Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to InterVarsity's National Staff Conference in Orlando, FL. It's a big deal for me, as two of my three projects launch there! Please pray for me to lead well, be fully present and filled with God's peace, and stay healthy. This conference happens every 3 years, but with COVID, it's been 4. Please also pray for the ~1,200 attendees—for traveling mercies, health protection, and most importantly that we would hear from God as a community and follow Jesus together.
One highlight of this fall was the release of "Understanding Human Sexuality and God's Big Story," which is a Ministry Playbook course that aims to lay a foundation for all students and staff as they engage in discipleship around sexuality. It's meant to be pastoral and formational, not argumentative or a comprehensive biblical apologetic. We're receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback so far, and lots of interest in a 201-level course. It's very thoughtfully done and I've found it helpful—plus it's free! So, you're welcome to check it out if you're interested in this hot topic issue.
I was part of a 2-year leadership development cohort focused on investing in Black, Latino, and women leaders, and we met in Madison this past October (pictured above). It was a joy to get to have many rich conversations, develop new friendships, and learn more about how others are experiencing campus ministry across the organization.
As a #1 Relator in Clifton Strengths (aka StrengthsFinder), having close friends that I get to work with significantly increases my enjoyment and motivation. So, as I look back on 2023, I'm very grateful for the wonderful friendships God has provided me with through my job and for a job that utilizes my strengths on a daily basis.
Project updates
Here are updates and prayer requests for the 3 projects I've been leading:
1. Campus Ministry 101 (developing online and in-person training for campus ministers)
Our 6 core courses have gone through first round testing, and now we're tightening the course objectives, creating self-assessments, and developing a ministry planning resource. Please pray for clarity and elegant simplicity as we refine the training. This is not an easy task!
2. Coaching Café (equipping campus staff at our national staff conference in January)
We successfully trained our 50 coaches and have finalized all the major logistics. This project has taken a lot of thought and energy this fall, so I'm excited and nervous for how it will go. The space will be open 1/3 and 1/5. Please pray that staff will come to receive coaching and that the coaches will be guided by the Holy Spirit to help them find a next step.
3. Strategic Plan landing page (communicating IV's organizational priorities to the rest of the movement)
This project had its share of bumps, but we're successfully ready to share version 1.0 at Staff Conference, where we'll introduce our 3 main priorities of developing student leaders, planting witnessing communities, and mobilizing harvest workers. I'll be working with the team to design a fuller version 1.1 in this next quarter. Please pray for staff to be encouraged and feel supported, as we're in this together desiring to have God's heart for the campus.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I could not do what I do without it, and you're impacting so many staff, students, and campuses.
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