The weather is warming up, plants are sprouting and flowers are blooming, and we are all eager to get outside and enjoy each other’s company together. The first weekend in April brought all of these things together as we held our annual Women’s Conference! College women from across Pennsylvania worshipped and learned together through live streamed teaching in Colossians on how we can be “Rooted” in Christ. With varying guidelines on each campus, we were able to offer in-person, "hybrid" events where students could gather in small groups on their campus to watch some content online, as well as participate in in-person small group discussions, workshops, and meals.
As DiscipleMakers' event planning manager, Kate was busy for weeks preparing and coordinating all the details of the many individual, hybrid events on each campus. her job included figuring out where we could hold the events, many lunch orders and snacks, how our Media team would stream the pre-recorded worship and teaching sessions, and generally how to make the in-person events a joy and encouragement. Then, during the event, she got a backstage view (right)! Read on for some photos, quotes from those who attended, and a story from a co-worker at Penn State University.
"Being in community with other students at my school really made the experience feel special. The teachings were so great and the worship made me want to cry tears of joy."
This map shows where students were watching from, either together in-person, or on their own!
One campus did an activity during one of the breaks to paint potted plants, really reinforcing the “Rooted” theme ;)
“It felt so nice to be able to talk to fellow Christian women about my walk with God. It also felt good to be able to relate with other people and feel less alone.”
This story comes from our co-worker, Jensica, who works full time on campus at Penn State University. We were able to connect the the student mentioned in this story with Jensica and the PSU fellowship. They've eagerly engaged and we praise God for the way He uses our various connections to bring students to know Him. (*Names changed for privacy)
“After the conference, Hannah*, a non-Christian who's been attending my small group Bible study, and I got together to talk about what she'd learned from the conference. Over dinner, we talked about the fact that Christians are called to honor the Lord in their work, but not idolize it by prioritizing it over the Lord. She said she is still questioning how her roles/responsibilities and her beliefs about science fit into Christianity, and that one of her friends invited her to a Science and the Bible barbecue event. She asked if I'd like to come.
I went with her and was pleasantly surprised that a retired Penn State chemistry professor and his wife were behind the "Scible" club, a pro-Bible and pro-science club at Penn State which encourages students to investigate and understand the connections between science and God's Word. While sitting on this professor's back porch, I found myself marveling at God's plan for Hannah*, who is becoming increasingly interested in Christianity. He has divinely placed DiscipleMakers, Christian friends, and even this faithful professor in her life. I was reminded of Paul's words to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:6: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."
Last week Hannah* excitedly shared with Jensica that she just finished transferring all her notes from Women's Conference and our small group Bible study into her journaling Bible. Over the summer, Jensica plans to challenge her to do a reading plan through the gospel of John and to invite her other friends to participate, as well. Please join us in praying that the Lord gives the growth in Hannah's* life, as well as her sister, Rebecca*, and their other friends who are considering how science and the Bible fit together. Pray even that Hannah's* other friends will get involved in a Bible study in the fall.
Students at the PSU watch party at a local church.
While Kate has been busy preparing events for students, TJ has been working hard on replacing our financial software with new software called Kardia that is specifically designed by a ministry for ministries. Have you ever worn shoes that were just slightly too small? Sure they fit, but after a while you start to feel that pain. Well that is how our current financial system is, we shoved it on to our metaphorical foot and are now starting to feel the pain. Switching to Kardia aims to solve this problem by being a better fit for the ministry as it is easily customized to our needs and easily updated as things change.
As this project progresses, we’ll be eager to share with you how these behind the scenes projects are impacting our ministry as a whole as we continue to reach the college campus with the gospel.
Personal Update
We’re married! We had a wonderful (though quite chilly) wedding on March 6th with our close family and friends. We praise God for our union and the opportunity to image the gospel to all who attended.
Praise God for a successful Women’s Conference! Pray for all the ladies who attended that they would continue to dwell on the truths they heard and remain deeply “Rooted” in Christ.
Pray for Hannah* and her sister Rebecca* that they would continue to seek to know Christ and the scriptures. Pray that the Lord would reveal his majesty through science. Pray that they may come to profess faith in Christ.
Pray for smooth installation of the Kardia software.
Praise God for our wedding! Pray for wisdom for us as we navigate the first few months of marriage and that we would continue to communicate well so that we may be unified in ministry and in life.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. If there are any ways that I can be praying for you, please let me know!
As DiscipleMakers' event planning manager, Kate was busy for weeks preparing and coordinating all the details of the many individual, hybrid events on each campus. her job included figuring out where we could hold the events, many lunch orders and snacks, how our Media team would stream the pre-recorded worship and teaching sessions, and generally how to make the in-person events a joy and encouragement. Then, during the event, she got a backstage view (right)! Read on for some photos, quotes from those who attended, and a story from a co-worker at Penn State University.
