It’s been two months since we officially launched as a church! The joy and excitement around starting
something new and the buzz that comes from it are still very present. Every Sunday when we meet for
church, I am always taken aback by how good God is and how faithful He’s been to us.
The best word to describe the last two months of ministry is “new.” New relationships, church
attendees, ministries, and evangelistic connections on and around campus. Every day, it feels like the
Lord is fostering new opportunities for connection. Whether it be through the friend of a friend, a social
media post, basketball, or, in my case, meeting someone in the student center, new relationships are
blossoming. For example, on Monday, I met a young man in the student center in passing. After a few
minutes of getting to know each other, God opened a door to talk about his life. This door prompted an
hour-long conversation about the Lord, the meaning of life, and God’s desire to touch this young man’s
heart! Praise the Lord!
In addition to new relationships, FCC has been working to create new ministry opportunities to develop
consistent ways to do outreach. One of these ways is through basketball! Three men in our church have
started a weekly open basketball night at a nearby elementary school. Weekly, they have over ten men
show up. What is the best part? Most men attending are not already a part of the church! Basketball has
been a fantastic platform for growth! We are currently finding another weekly event that will foster
different and new opportunities to connect.
Something that I value greatly about our ministry, and I value many things, is how we define success. It
is tempting, very tempting, to try to determine FCC’s success by Sunday attendance. It is the most
straightforward and easily observable metric. But FCC strives not to let that be what defines our success.
In our eyes, success is the kingdom growing and people using their giftings. Whether we get the credit or
not. One way that we live this out is by investing in the campus ministries at Oakland. We disciple and
provide leadership development training to individuals for three campus ministries and praise the Father
that the ministries are growing! In addition, we encourage our congregation to take leaps of faith and
step out into leadership positions. In our next sermon series, both elders will teach from the pulpit. Our
definition of success is kingdom growth; by that metric, we are on the right track!
As the new car smell goes away and we fall into rhythms, there is still much to do and learn. Currently,
our greatest need is “workers for the harvest.” Our desire to reach campus effectively and healthily
depends entirely on the Lord’s moving and our ability to develop and invest in relationships. As we all
can attest to, relationships take time and energy. The more people we have investing in relationships,
the greater the opportunity for impact. We are praying daily that the Lord will send more workers for
the harvest.
As we continue to move forward, I ask that you join us in this prayer that the Lord send harvesters
(Matthew 9:37-38). As we continue our ministry, your support and prayer are of immeasurable value to
us. Thank you for being a part of this ministry with us!
