God continues to do great things in ACCESS218. It is crazy to hear how the work that goes on in our little office at CRC reaches so many people. I could share with you many stories of God moving in the lives of college students and young adults. There's nothing like worshipping with just under 100 college-aged young adults each week at the Main Gathering, the growing post-college/young professional community of Forward, and the special thing we have through our campus ministries at UNF and JU. Add in our work with the Florida Conference in gathering young adults across the state through Reclaim and our Launches (sort of like mission trips) around the world, we are a busy bunch of folks. And we love it! All we really wanna do is make Jesus famous on campuses and throughout Northeast Florida, in this generation and throughout the world. Again, the best is yet to come...
In the last several months, we started to see the potential to reach even more college-aged young adults on campuses and throughout Northeast Florida. We believe that an opportuntity to reach this generation may be a upon us like never before...a chance to make Jesus famous through more intentional ministry and outreach to the 250,000+ eighteen - twentysomethings in this area.
Furthermore, I've personally gained clarity in the last year concerning my calling. More and more, my heart beats for this generation. I feel drawn to pour more energy and time into reaching 18-twentysomethings that are not connected to local churches and not sure about faith in Jesus Christ. I have a dream to see this generation gathered and mobilized to be a relevant expression of the Church...to and for the world. This pull and this dream is what keeps me up at night and wakes me up in the morning. I can't shake it.
On March 8, I explained all of this and more to the participants of ACCESS218. After months of conversation, Gee Sprague (pastor of CrossRoad UMC) and I agreed that we are now in a season where the campus ministry that CRC had been providing to UNF and JU was at a place where it could begin to function independently of ACCESS218 at CRC. The plan now is to create a new ministry devoted to reaching college-aged students on campuses and throughout Northeast Florida. Lots of details that I won't share here, but what it all means is some time this summer, I will be leaving my position as Director of College/Young Adult Ministries of CRC (which includes ACCESS218 and Forward) to lead this new ministry.
Over the next few months, the ministry of ACCESS218, Forward, and our campus ministries will continue as normal. Launches will still happen as planned. As I transition into my new role, I still plan on hanging around CRC. I'll become a 'member with a ministry' at CRC, participating in Forward and contributing when and where I am asked as much as I am able. I do love my church. The next few months will be bittersweet for me. I am excited about the future of campus ministry in our area and hopeful for the future of college/young adult ministry in my church.
I appreciate and ask for your prayers as we spend the next few months transitioning and planning. I will post updates on the progress of the new 'yet to be named' ministry as often as I can. You'll definitely hear from me soon in regards to a fundraising effort we'll be promoting this April called the 218 Campaign. But at the end of the day, all we really want to do is make Jesus famous. I will miss doing this through my ministry position at CRC, but I am stoked for the opportunity to focus more energy in reaching this generation.
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