United Campus Ministry Connections – May 2019

Congratulations to our Seniors: Hunt, Preston, Luke, Taylor and Mishann United Campus Ministry Connections May 2019 UCM Student Participation Has Increased 41%! The building during finals weeks can attest to the fact that UCM has more students than ever participating. There were students in every part of the building during the week before and the week of finals. There was food & fellowship, some corners for studying or sleeping and lots of de-stressing fun happening. In the 2018-2019 school year, we tracked a forty-one percent increase in students participating in weekly programming over the previous school year. This does not take into account the students who regularly study here or spend time here talking to students and staff. We also track unique students served and this academic year there was a total of 1429 visits to scheduled programming. The Third Annual UCM Bike-a-thon  It was a very nice and also very windy day on April 27, for our third bike-a-thon. We are so grateful for the largest student participation yet and for the community members who rode and supported our ride. We had parents who came into the town to ride and help with the luncheon. Thank you Dan & Mary Yarbrough and Amy & Chris Wycoff. We had four pastors ride: Becky Purcell from First Presbyterian, Prairie Grove; Phil Butin from First United Presbyterian, Fayetteville; and Dennis Ritchie and Ronnie Prevost from Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista.  Our student leader, Chloe, involved many students as both riders and food station helpers. We are grateful for support from many of our NWA churches, as well as friends and family of our students. Our students really raised the bar with the amount of support they received. The money raised is helping UCM with our matching portion of the Lilly Sustainability Grant, which continues the Leadership Initiative Intern program.  The Leadership Initiative is one of the primary reasons for the growth of the ministry. Students having the opportunity to grow in leadership has truly enriched and extended the ministry to other students. Lilly Leadership Initiative Intern Spotlight This month we feature Jack Gordon, one of our Lilly Leadership Initiative Interns. Jack has just finished his first year at the U of A and his first semester as a Lilly Intern. He is a marketing major from Rockwall, Texas. Welcoming the Opportunity: After meeting and talking with Jack, we were excited for him to be able to continue his Presbyterian connections in college. UCM has a great community feel and we were happy for Jack to build relationships as a Freshman that will likely carry him throughout his college career. Jack shared with us: “I wanted to find a good group of friends while getting more involved in college ministry.” Highlights: Jack’s first semester as an intern has been very active and he has played a critical role in a number of initiatives. He has represented UCM on recruiting trips to the Grace Presbytery Senior High Youth Connection and Senior High Youthquake in the Presbytery of Arkansas, helped lead worship at First United Presbyterian Church, and has spearheaded the UCM attendance analytics project first spotting our growth trajectory. Jack has invested deeply in the intern experience this semester fully embracing all of the opportunities offered and building strong relationships with the other interns that extend outside of scheduled programming. Jack shared: “I really enjoyed recruiting incoming freshman to join UCM at events like SHYC and Senior High Youthquake.” Looking Forward: We, at UCM, are looking forward to seeing Jack continue to grow and develop his leadership gifts as an officer of the UCM Registered Student Organization and a Lilly Intern. Looking ahead to next fall, Jack said: “I am excited for all of the new events we have planned for next semester like the new Wednesday night Bible Study and Parent’s Weekend.” You can become a partner in our Year of Growth!

 

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