UCM Ministry Connections- March 2019

UCM Ministry Connections- March 2019 UCM Students are Leading Worship   Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista- March 10, 2019 First United Presbyterian, Fayetteville, February 17, 2019 We have been excited to share with local congregations about the growth of UCM during this interim time. The students have really stepped up in their leadership, have taken ownership of the ministry and are inviting others to join us at Monday Lunch and Thursday Dinner and Discussion.  Students have also increased the amount of time they come to the building just to hang out, grab a snack and study. Supporting UCM The time is now to join in our Year of Growth Campaign  as we pave the path to hiring a new campus minister this year! Rev. Susan Rose grew the ministry dramatically in her 9 years from involving 10 students the first year to involving 100 students in our programming in 2018. At the end of December 2019, Susan moved on to live in Florida and pursue doctoral work. We are so very grateful to her for the devotion to the ministry and all the things she did to make it stronger for the students. Over the last few years 18 students have served as interns. This has had significant impact on the growth of the ministry. The interns have been able to engage their friends and other students in programming of UCM. We are growing, even in this time of transition. As we are now a few months into the interim period of seeking to hire a new campus minister, what we know for sure is that this ministry needs full-time leadership, funded with full time pay and benefits. To thrive and grow this well-established ministry, it needs to continue to have someone at the campus center most weekdays, evenings and many weekends, to help engage students where they are in their academic, emotional and spiritual lives and to connect them with loving congregations where they can find a church home. In her time here, Susan wrote several grants and worked very hard to provide the resources and funding to increase the outreach and programming for students while herself taking only a part-time salary. We are grateful and those efforts have gotten us to the place where we are thriving today. However, it is time to take the investment in United Campus Ministry to the next level.  We are asking congregations and individuals throughout Arkansas and Texas to consider begin monthly sustaining pledges to the ministry for the next five years. Sustaining gifts make planning for the future very clear. While we know that no one congregation or individual can fund this full-time position and the growing ministry of United Campus Ministry alone, we do know that many combined gifts will make the difference. Our mission at UCM is to engage, equip, and empower leaders for the church and the world and we think that this is something many people in Presbyterian congregations will be excited to support. We are inviting people to think outside the box and to consider that everyone is the perfect person to begin a monthly donation of any size. Of UCM’s sustaining givers, only a handful are alums, and only one is the parent of a current student. The impact of this ministry goes beyond the four years a student it here. Our students are being equipped to be leaders in the church and the world. We believe that investing in ministry which connects students to their faith during these critical college years is exactly the kind of growth-oriented ministry you want to be part of. Make a Difference Today UCM is Participating in NWA Gives on April 4 SAVE THE DATE! Save the Date and Contribute to UCM’s Student Food Table and Pantry so that all students have access to food, no questions asked. Giving Link Lilly Intern Spotlight Chloe is one of three new Leadership Initiative interns for the spring of 2019. Chloe is a sophomore from Austin, TX.  She is a twin and her twin sister is a student at Mississippi State.  They also have a younger sister who is twelve. She is in the Kappa Delta sorority and is on the KD standards board. She is also on the sexual assault prevention committee for the Greek Life Facilitators. Chloe began coming to UCM with two friends during her freshman year, one a friend of her freshman year roommate and another who is part of her sorority.  She came some in the first semester of her freshman year and became much more active in the spring. Welcoming the Lilly Internship Opportunity: She wanted to be an intern because she wanted to be more involved in UCM.  She loves the people and it gives her a chance to do more.  It also allows her to combine her cycling training with her connection to UCM. Through her internship position, she is planning the Student Bike-a-thon Fundraisier. Chloe is also training for Pedal the Pacific for this summer.  This program raises money and awareness to fight child trafficking. She will bike 1700 miles from Seattle to San Diego beginning June 8th.  Highlights of the Internship:   “Leadership training has been great!”  The students meet together monthly and learn about themselves as leaders, how they function in groups and their results of personality inventories. She really likes this and what she is learning about herself through them. Identifying her values and how they fit into parts of her life has been a particular highlight.  Chloe has been able to preach twice.  She really appreciates having that opportunity and going through the process of preparing for and writing a sermon.  It gave her a new way to dive deeper into scripture. Looking Forward: Chloe is very excited for Bike-a-thon, which takes place on Saturday, April 27.  Last year she was a non-biking volunteer at the check-in rest station.  This year, she is the student coordinator of the event.  She acknowledges that going from not being willing to bike last year to preparing for a 1700 mile ride this summer, shows that God has a sense of humor.  The 12 to 20 mile bike-a-thon ride is now very short compared to what she is preparing to do!  She really loves UCM and is looking forward to the rest of the year.     Our Third Annual Student Led Bike-a-thon will be the morning of Saturday, April 27

 

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