Currently, things are well.
Wesley is beginning to wind down as the semester ends. However we still have a couple of more services, a game night, and leadership interviews happening in the next week or two. Leadership interviews are for our students who are looking to get more involved, go deeper, and grow as leaders. Usually we only do these once a year during summer for the next school year, but this year we are taking on new leaders this winter as well. The interviews, are not really interviews so much as they are a time for us to ask them about themselves and ask them what they are interested in doing. After the interviews, they should feel excited and empowered for next semester. It’s actually a very exciting time because our leadership is going to almost double after these new students join. Which means we will be able to have more Community Group leaders, more on campus leaders, more students discipling other students, and very literally more of Jesus as we all grow together in community.
Also some other exciting happenings happened(…) last week. Wesley reserved the student stage in front of the UCF student union and for 4 hours we were out there talking, discussing, and praying with students on campus. It is amazing and interesting to me the response we got. In almost all cases people responded positively to us being out and active. What is really great is that I think we are not doing things the way people are used to. I say this because of some of the initial reactions I received. For example, I had one student come up to me and all he said was “Why am I wrong?” I was confused and told him I don’t think he is wrong, not knowing what he was talking about. We talked for a while and what he was getting at was that he is Jewish and he was asking me why I thought he was wrong. It’s amazing to me the negative impression the church has made on so many college students. This student thought that who he was was wrong in my eyes because I was a christian. I told him quickly that of course I don’t think he is wrong, I don’t think anyone is really wrong, I just think we don’t understand who Jesus really is. I told him I was not wrong when I went to church my whole life and didn’t understand God one iota more than an unchurched person. I told him the message is not who is wrong and who is right, but rather God loves us through it all, and he can take our lives and make t something truly new. He was taken aback a little and with a quick, “Well, OK” he asked if I would keep praying for him and he said he would keep praying for me.
This is just one experience out on campus that day, my hope is that by just being gentle, kind, and loving, we can begin to heal the wounds caused by the modern day church and reconcile ourselves back into the community. I can’t wait to get back out there next Wednesday.
Also check out the most recent Announcment video we put together, it is pretty fun I think.
