One Month In

Straight off the bat, I just want to thank all of you who are supporting me and/or are taking the time to read my updates! I'm not sure exactly how I want to format this blog, so if you have any feedback or ideas, please feel free to let me know.

Personal Updates:

My first month is in the books! So far there's been a lot of training and meetings to attend as I learn all of the backend systems that FOCUS uses to support the logistics of running a nonprofit ministry. It's still exciting to me to think that I'm working for an organization that I truly believe in and I'm so happy that y'all are taking part in this with me.

I also had the privilege of going on a trip to Colorado with some of the other guys on staff to get to know them better before the next school year starts, two of which were incoming apprentices. And can I tell you, how reassuring it is to know that these guys will be "out" on the campuses reaching out to the students. (I put quotes around 'out' because we're not entirely sure what that will look like next year.) You won't meet a group of guys more genuine in their faith and servant-hearted in nature, a heart for God and a heart for people.

Ministry Updates:

Currently, we are only broadcasting our services online, through a streaming platform and a video conferencing platform. However, we are wrestling with the idea of offering our students an in-person option, with heightened attention on minimizing their risk and exposure to COVID. We recently had a student commit suicide due to the isolation and depression that was onset from the shelter-in-place order. With this in mind, I believe that we must take seriously the threat of the virus, but also be wary of our students' mental wellbeing, which is why I think offering an in-person option is valuable.

As the summer rolls on, we need to also look ahead towards the next school year and what that might look like. More and more schools are announcing what their plan is for the 2020-2021 school year. As these plans come out, we must continually rethink how we can adapt and meet the incoming students in some semblance of student life and how to engage with our students in a way that excites them and helps build community.

If you would, please pray about the following:

- That we can develop a plan to safely bring our students back together.

- That our students will be in community, wherever they are.

- That we can adapt to the obstacles of this next school year and reach out to the incoming students.

I'm reading this book with a few people on staff with FOCUS. Rather than it wholly arguing what the author thinks what a pastor should look like, the book leads you through what the role of a pastor has looked like in the past and what it's like now, and it helps you think critically of your role in your ministry.

A panorama at Lower Crystal Lake in Colorado. This is the most grueling hike I have been on, where you hike uphill for almost 2.5 miles. But the view speaks for itself.

This is me (left) and Jalen (right), one of our campus ministers at UT Arlington, on a hike in Colorado. He has been a good friend to me since I moved to Texas in 2016!

This is me (left) and Hannah (right), the incumbent administrator, in the FOCUS office. She is such a joy to work with and will be training me through the end of August.

We have a student or alumni testimony every month that I will include at the bottom of my posts!