Changing Perspectives through Love

I want to invite you and ask you to join us in praying for the largest outreach event we’ve ever thrown as Mountain View College Ministry.     

At the beginning of the semester, I wrote a blog asking for prayer for our Semester Kickoff Week (we call it Mission Trip to Campus). We went into the semester expectant to reach 60 freshmen… and that’s not what happened. In fact our outreach to freshmen has been more difficult and more discouraging than it’s ever been. Our campus is still lethargic and isolated in the midst of Covid which means freshmen rarely (if ever) leave their dorms for anything except class; we know they’re massively wrestling with loneliness and depression and have sunk into isolation and we have little opportunity to reach them. This is also the first year that has felt openly hostile (and not just indifferent) when it comes to some CSU administrators and the student body’s attitude towards churches. Due to a local church’s evangelistic efforts in the past few years that haven’t been done in love, the CSU administration and the student body government have closed doors and cancelled events that allow churches and campus ministries easy opportunities to meet new students. 

In the midst of that, God is still good and still working! Our upperclassmen in particular have done an amazing job reaching their peers and God has truly blessed their work. Our junior and senior classes continue to grow each week and we’ve celebrated 5-6 death to life stories of students this year! God’s also given us as a college staff team and a volunteer student new creativity in reaching students and God has met our prayers with a really exciting opportunity.

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On December 5th, MVCC and MVC College are throwing a large-scale appreciation and gratitude dinner for all CSU students who work in the CSU dorms – we’re talking 300+ students here! Resident Advisors, Front Desk Staff, Inclusive Community Assistants, and the executive housing student staff (RHA and NRHH).     We’ve never done anything like this before but God gave me a deep desire to care for the student housing staff after a conversation with the CSU student body president (who happened to occasionally come to my High School Small Group when I was a volunteer youth leader 6 years ago – praise God for youth ministry right?) 

The student housing staff at CSU is overworked, under appreciated, and quitting at high rates due to burnout and fatigue with an intense workload. We want these students to know that we see them and we care for them, and more importantly that God sees them and God cares for them. No other agenda besides that; we simply want to show appreciation and gratitude to high-level leaders on the CSU campus and Lord willing begin to change the perception that many on our campus have towards churches and towards Christ.

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With all of this in mind, would you pray for us?

1. Please pray for open doors and smooth communication channels. Pray that CSU aligns with us in ways they never have before and sends the invitation to dinner FOR us through their formal email and team channels. Pray that the Spirit goes before us and our grassroots effort to individually invite 300 students is successful.

2. Pray for funding. Pray that a coffee shop joyfully donates 300 $5 gift cards as part of each student’s gift. Pray that our current student ministry leaders and college alumni joyfully donate when we ask them to. 

3. Pray that students come. It’s a free catered dinner as well as a gift but the student body is super hostile to churches AND super lethargic to do anything in Covid. Pray that the Spirit overcomes!

4. Pray that God changes the hearts and minds of CSU administrators and student body leaders when it comes to their attitude and mindset towards churches. Pray this opens new doors for many churches and campus ministries (not just ours) to invest and care for CSU in significant ways. 

Thank you all! I probably referenced this verse last time I wrote as well. I think about it often when I think of you all and our network. 2 Corinthians 1:11 – You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Praying for many prayers, many thanks, and many blessings to come – all for the King!