Biblical Partnership: Jars and Oil
It's hard to believe that we've already been here for a semester and the one we're currently in is whizzing by at an incredible rate! So far, for our first year here, we've:
- Found a church we enjoy and serve in (We do Sound and Media for Shoreline Community Church)
- Helped expand our Core Groups by doubling the frequency in which they occur
- Helped plan and execute our weekly large group meeting, Tuesday Night Live
- Started up "Strength and Encouragement" to supporters subscribed by email (Signup here for that)
- Had over 40 one-on-one appointments with students
- Helped plan and execute a winter retreat
- Witnessed a student decide to be a Christ-follower! (#whatupGod)
- Helped plan and execute a joint-worship event among other Christian fellowships
- Planned our first-ever Spring Mission trip (happening in March)
And this is just a few of the things that we have been involved in seeing happen. Honestly, it's overwhelming to see the goodness of God show up in incredible ways in our own personal lives and in the lives of the students we have the joy of ministering to on a regular basis.
I don't know if we can ever say this enough to our financial partners (who not only support us with finances to make this work a reality for us, but also go to God in prayer for us on a regular basis) but THANK YOU. Thank you for seeing the same thing we see when we communicated the need and vision for campus ministry here at Yale. We are blessed by you and faithfully working on your behalf to see Jesus exalted on the campus here.
When we first started making the transition to Yale, one of the things we needed to do was raise our budget from a Virginia-based income to a Connecticut-based income. Doing this meant that our budget was basically going to double (and then some). Though daunting at first, we trusted God, and God graciously made a way where we had raised enough support to be able to step on to campus and help accomplish some of those things you just read.
With a five year commitment ahead of us, we are excited to see what God is doing! Already, He has been making some BIG things happen in our ministry that we hope to share with you soon. We know He has brought us here for a reason, that He's placed us on a staff team that sees the fruitfulness of campus ministry as much as we do, and that He would be glorified through our living sacrificially so that those who have never heard of Him might have the opportunity to do so.
We praise God for His favor in our lives, and how He has blessed us financially and spiritually.
That being said, we also believe that God is able to provide the means for aspects of ministry that are before us. Each aspect is vital and important and we know that taking our needs before Him, they will be met.
It's in times like these that we find Scripture to be comforting and speaking to our very situation...
“2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” 3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” 5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. ”
Right now in our ministry, we have four jars that need to be filled. Unlike the widow, we don't have the oil to fill these jars. By faith and by our trust in God, we know that these jars will be filled, supplying our needs in going forward with the Gospel.
Jar #1: Monthly Support--You may have seen on our Facebook pages that we have right at $1000 in monthly support left to raise. I'm going to be honest and say that this has been the hardest part to raise, but just because it's hard doesn't mean God can't do it! We believe there are ten people who are going to step up with $100 in monthly support to partner with us in seeing the university impacted in such a great and awesome way for Jesus. We believe there are 20 people who are going to join our effort with $50 in monthly support to see God's kingdom continue to be built, brick-by-brick, on the campus at Yale.
Would you pray and consider partnering in a meaningful, powerful, work for Jesus on the third oldest college in the U.S.? Would you join in helping us raise our last $1000 in monthly support so that we can be "hands and feet" of Jesus here at Yale?
Jar #2: Mission Trip to Spain--There is a joyous moment happening. This moment (we believe) is going to add a drum-tank of fuel to the fire burning in our fellowship. We have the opportunity to lead a team of students on their first Chi Alpha trip to Granada, Spain, where we will be working with campus missionaries who are working to reach out to college students much in the same way that we are! There are great benefits to taking a team. Having led teams in the past, we know the value and benefit that these short-term trips can have on a student.
We are working to raise $700 in special gifts to make this happen on our end. Brooke will be traveling with the students, so $700 will cover the rest of her portion of the trip. By God's good grace and mercy, we've already raised $200 of that! So, only $500 left to raise! Would you consider being part of Yale Chi Alpha's first ever expedition to share Jesus in another country? (Click here to email us on how you want to help)
**Update 04/01: We raised enough for this to happen! Praise God, and thank you!!
Jar #3: INCITE '16--Throughout the school year, we are constantly investing and giving ourselves to the work of calling students to a deeper relationship with Christ. We help facilitate that through numerous events, powerful one-on-one appointments, and faith-building community gatherings such as our weekly large-group meeting, Tuesday Night Live. When summer comes around and the school year is done, we have a chance as nationally recognized staff of Chi Alpha to go to a conference where WE are invested in and have a chance to receive exceptional training before another school year starts back up in the Fall semester.
This conference is a week-long event where we hear from top-shelf speakers on today's topics of campus ministry, where we connect with other Chi Alpha ministers from the Northeast region of the United States to encourage, pray, and laugh with one another, and where we get resourced with material that replenishes our souls so that we don't experience burnout while doing the job we love doing.
For us to both participate in this event, we need to raise a total of $850 in special gifts. This will take care of our travel, room and board, material, and food. Would you pray and consider helping us go to the conference? (Click here to contact us on how to give to this need)
**Update 04/01: We received enough funds to make this happen! Praise God, and thank you!!
Jar #4: TWMS 4--The World Missions Summit is a once-in-a-college-student's-college-opportunity to go and participate. (Yeah, that was a long, hyphenated word that may not have been necessary.) Though this event is not happening until January 2017, we are working ahead to raise the money for this now.
This event is incredible for a number of reasons: Missionaries from all over the world will be coming to this conference to share their stories and testimonies with our students; Chi Alpha students across the nation will gather together as one to worship, pray, and encourage one another; Windows of ministry opportunity will be provided to students to help them process if being a missionary would be great for them.
We are projecting this event will cost us a total of $1200 in special gifts. This will cover our airfare (the conference is in Houston, TX, so we will need to fly), food, and lodging. Would you pray and consider helping us attend the conference along with our students? (Click here to contact us on how to give to this need)
Whew...that's a lot to ask for. It's great and vast and wide. But the great and incredible thing in all of this support raising we are doing is realizing that God knows our needs before we even ask Him! His love is greater, more vast, and wider than our needs. He knew that these events and conferences would be coming up. He knew that our dependency on Him would be increased by need to support raise for the needs you just read about. And you know what? He's not shaken by it. He's not the least bit worried because "the earth is his and everything in it." (Ps 24:1)
Therefore, we are not worried about it, either. We trust God for our monthly, basic needs. Surely we can trust Him for our bigger, greater needs!
