Cleared to Report to Campus Full-time!

I realize that many of you might not be sure what it means that I have been given clearance to report to my field with Campus Ministry full-time so below I have clarified this statement with details in italics.

I have been cleared (given permission after my finances where assessed) by my support coach (the person responsible for holding me accountable to being financially responsible) to report to my field (work with students on campus & my team through prayer & wisdom) full-time (40+ hours/week). Thank you so much for your prayers, encouraging words & financial support that continues to help me stay "on campus" and be a full-time servant for the King!

For most of you who may not know what that looks like on a local level, check out the prezi on the right or come back to this blog for regular updates & insights to the life of a campus missionary.

Here is a picture of what typically happens the week after staff planning when students are moving into their dorms, coming our of freshmen orientation, or getting re-acquainted with campus life. Student Activity Fairs are where students (typically freshmen) learn about the different groups and clubs available on campus. Campus Crusade for Christ sets up a table (in the picture: on a HOT day at Montclair State University) and hand out FSK's (Freshmen Survival Kits) which are typically laundry bags stuffed with Bibles, books, water bottles, meeting times & other items with the gospel attached. Our students typically ask freshmen to fill out a 5 question survey that will give us a general idea of their spiritual status in exchange for an FSK.

Can't wait to see what God brings from this! :0)

March, 2010 Newsletter

What lasts in a changing world? What matters at the end of it all?

Our gifts and our work for the Kingdom! 

Thank you for having an eternal perspective in your giving!

A junior Psychology major, Suzanne Dematteo, has been fellowshipping with Cru at Montclair State University for some time now. As a commuter, there wasn’t much she could do to participate and give to the ministry. Here is her story about how she turned from a member to an involved active believer:

“At the end of last year Jonny (our Cru President) asked me to consider switching to the Prayer team. I thought & prayed about it over the summer and I really felt like I had to find a way to incorporate weekly prayer into all our lives without necessarily having a physical meeting. I am a commuter and I work so it is difficult for me to be on campus as much as everyone else. I started praying about different ways I could make prayer more visible in Cru. While I was praying I was also reading this book called, "31 Days of Prayer" by Ruth Meyers. It’s basically like a couple paragraphs of prayer on a certain theme for each day of the month. That is how God placed the idea of weekly prayer emails on my heart. I found that reading those prayers helped me to articulate what I wanted to pray about. It made my devotions and prayer life more productive because I could fit them easily into a day packed with other things. As college students I know it’s difficult to have regular devotion time and for new believers it’s also hard to know what or even how to pray. I thought the emails would be a good easy daily help and reminder for college students as well as a jumping point for other prayer ministries to get started. 

So that’s what got the emails started and encouragement from my friends and family as well as God giving me a heart to keep doing it is what makes me continue to write them! It really does amaze me though that people read them and are encouraged by them because honestly sometimes I just feel like I’m rambling on and no one will get what I’m praying. What I write in those emails is always what the Lord has been affecting me with in my own devotional time so I get nervous sometimes wondering what people think! But it’s for God's glory so I just leave it in His hands!”

This past month I moved back home with my parent’s in the Bronx of New York City to save money as I raise support. Left, I'm with my niece Gia and nephew Aaron. 

Please pray that as I am here, I can expand my network and meet new people to join our team as I sense the urgency to reach college student’s for Christ!

Proverbs 3:5, 6 reminds me that God always keeps His promises and like many Olympians I am confident that even though it can look like lost hope, as I persevere and finish the race, God will bring the reward.

Happy “month to celebrate the love of God”! :o)

Thanks again for all that you have done to partner with this ministry!

CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST

- JERSEY METRO -

February, 2010 - Volume 3, Issue 2

As most of you know, during my intern year with the Jersey Metro Campus Ministry, I worked at New Jersey City University (NJCU). Aside from helping train students to develop a firm foundation & knowledge of their faith, part of my job is to disciple students in small groups or one-on-one on a regular bases. Contrary to my other campuses, NJCU had more male students excited to lead the ministry. Coming from a student ministry where I had to take a lot of leadership responsibility, I was very encouraged to meet young men like Joey Sforza (pictured below). Joey is a student I knew should be invested into, but there was just one problem: as a woman, I would have no idea how to encourage him in becoming a man of God! Some of you have previously read in my letters about Joey & how one of my director’s, Mark Scott, has been able to come along side him & build into his life. Now hear what Joey has to say:

"To say CCC has helped me would be a major understatement. To put it visually, CCC is an anchor, a hook really, upon which Jesus keeps me steady in His love, along with the many other support hooks He has casted into my life's waters. I'm convinced that there is never a day in which staff overlook the Kingdom, with respect to outsiders as well as, and more centrally, those inside, training the daylights out of them (or me, really) so they're equipped and ready for a Jesus-oriented life, which must have a firm discipleship-anchor in the bed of Christian experience, or else the slightest wind will sweep it into unsafe waters. Anyway, Cru has helped me immensely."

Last year I spoke to a young lady from NJCU who was praying about God’s calling on her life in regards to staff and her boyfriend. Joey is now engaged to that young lady, Jennifer, and they have both felt the Lord calling them to join staff this summer! Praise God!


TABBIE's TAB
This past month I have been praying a lot about whether God will have me stay in NJ or move back home with my parent’s in the Bronx. I am currently at 72% of my monthly support goal and am running out of ideas. The house I currently live in is up for sale & I need to be able to move into a new place when it is sold, which means pay a deposit. I will most likely be moving back to the Bronx to save money since I don’t get full checks at 72%. Please pray for this process to go smoothly!

Prayer Closet:

*Please pray that I reach 100% soon so that I can return to my mission field!
*Pray for Joey and Jen as they prepare for marriage, to graduate NJCU and to apply for staff!
*Our Spring Break Conference for Students

Strategy10

STRATEGY10
So I've developed a new strategy to raise support. I actually just came off of a media fast for a week and may I say, it was refreshing. Not only did I hear clearly from the Lord, but God reaffirmed a few things I had been doubtfully praying through. (Shame on me for doubting-I know…but don't we all at some point?) Anyway, I love how God speaks sometimes and then when you do something like this fast you realize He is always speaking. Sometimes we are just too stuck in this communication-frantic world to listen, hear clearly and respond. :o)


So what's this Strategy10 thing all about? Well, it really has nothing to do with the fact that it's 2010, although now that you've brought it up, I think I like that idea...heehee...Anyway, it really has to do with the idea of raising support in a financially scary time. There are a few phrases people just don't like to hear this new year. Statements like "will you...?" or "prayerfully consider..." used to be followed by an intense look and listening ear. However in today’s boiling pot of an economy, it's not so welcomed in many cases. All I'm doing is asking that you consider the lost and confused young adults on the college campuses and prayerfully decide how much you can give to a fulltime ministry pursuing them for Christ.


Understanding the pressures of such an economy and the difficult intensity for so many to let go of their seeds, I decided to develop Strategy10. Strategy10 is the idea that everybody has $10 to give to a good cause (or even a good meal!) per month. All I have been asking the past month is if people would prayerfully consider whether the Lord is leading them to give a simple $10/month gift towards the spiritual health of the leading 1% of the population of the world. So far I have had 12 commitments to this Strategy10 partnership which has encouragingly brought me to 72% of my financial support!


Another part of this method of madness is to ask the 66/257 people who financially support me to increase $10/month. Considering the fact that most of them have been graciously giving a consistent monthly gift for over two years now, I'm assured by the Spirit that this is a legitimate ask. If each person I have asked (not all because every person and situation are different) will give that amount and the others will begin to give, I might very well be at 100% very soon!


If you'd like, you could be praying for me as I go through these next few weeks writing letters and calling friends to hop on the Strategy10 team. Or even better, join the team! Visit: the giving website, type in my full name and your gift intentions.


I know to some it might be a bizarre dream, but HEY! I don't worship a God who can't handle miracles. His job is the hearts of people! His most popular miracle is changing the hearts of unresponsive stubborn sinners into humble servants! Sure, He can't force anyone to do anything they don't want, including loving the millions of lost college students in this world, however, He can influence them as they go about their weeks and encounter the many college students who don't know Jesus Christ. Hey - Jesus Christ was a miracle!....Like Pastor Epstein says: "If God is truly God, then the virgin birth was just another day at the office!" Last I checked, my God can do it!


There is so much more to Strategy10 and how I believe He placed in on my heart, but I'm going to leave it here. Will you pray with me?