Summer Newsletter

Hey there! 

Here's my summer newsletter! I wanted to give you a better insight into the campus I'll be serving this next year and how you can be praying for me and the students that will be walking through the doors come August 23rd, since that's been my focus lately anyway. 

Also, for those of you who have recently joined my ministry support team (or if you are continuing on since last year) -  Thank you so much for investing in the lives of college students and partnering with me in ministry for the next year! You are such a blessing to me as I literally couldn't be on campus without you backing me. I'm very grateful for your investment and I pray that God would work powerfully through our ministry to introduce many students to Jesus and make disciples out of the students who have already met Him.

(from left to right: Sandra, Connor, Claire, Sirak, me!)

    This is our Richland team for the year (except Connor will mostly be helping plant a ministry at another campus, Brookhaven)! This summer we have been meeting to get to know each other and begin strategizing for the year of ministry. I'm really excited to work for the Kingdom alongside them and for our friendships to keep growing. Also, I really think these are some of the best people on Earth, so I'm very grateful to be on the Richland team with them this next year. 

    If you don't already know them, now at least you've seen their faces and know their names so you can be praying for them as well this year. 

MOST COMMON RACE OR ETHNICITY

1. Hispanic or Latino
   7,946
2. White
   4,196
3. Black or African American
   3,826

    This is something that I'm thinking about a lot as I prepare to serve the students at Richland this next year. As you can see it's a very diverse campus. This last year I was at Collin community college in the Plano area, which has some diversity, but it's still a predominantly White school. Richland, on the other hand, has almost twice as many Hispanic students as white students and as many Black or African American students. I'm really excited about the opportunity to reach some of these students that don't look like me, but I know that cultural differences will bring an extra challenge in terms of relating to these students and meeting them where they are at.

    I definitely want to emphasize the amazing opportunity this diversity gives us as a ministry. I'm thinking about Revelations 7: 9-10, which says

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

You can join me in praying that:

1. I and our whole ministry would be effective despite the natural hurdles that diversity brings.
2. Our entire team would be able to present the gospel to the Richland students in a way that connects to them and moves their hearts closer to the Father.
3. That the Lord would continue preparing the harvest and moving at Richland throughout this next year - we certainly won't get anything done without Him working first.

    Another thing that you can be praying for is SICM (Student Insitute of Campus Ministry). SICM is a week long campus ministry training program that we send student leaders to every year, so they can really get the vision for building community and be equipped with the skills they need in order for them to minister to their peers and lead small groups. This week long training was immensely foundational to my development as a leader and disciple when I first went in Spring 2017, so I know how important it is for our ministry and it's next week (8/8 through 8/14) at a camp outside of San Antonio! We're sending 200 students that will have some kind of leadership role in our campus communities this year! 

    Please be praying that:

1. The Lord would use this time to prepare their hearts for all the challenges and opportunities this year brings.
2. We would all be safe and have an excellent experience at the camp this week.
3. The students going would get to know Jesus better and be able to represent them to their campuses more fully and passionately.

    Theme scripture for the month:

    "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

    

    

    Thanks for reading and supporting and praying for our ministry!

    

    Much love,

    Joey Thurston