Kevin Pike Ministry Blog #14

 July Fun 

    Hello everyone! Hope y'all have been enjoying Barbie, Oppenheimer, and the new Mission Impossible movies! Not only has this month been great for films, but this past month with ministry has also been exciting!

    Summer TNF (Thursday Night Fellowship):

    Next week is the last Summer TNF of 2023, which is sad to see. It has been so great to meet students from other campuses and get to say hi to the familiar UNT student that I used to hang with back when I was there. But, it is also exciting to realize that the school year is about to start up again and that our staff team will come across hundreds of new students to meet and invite to know Jesus! Once August comes around, we'll host our own TNF which is for the Collin students only.

    This picture below shows the night when we were lucky enough to have a large choir group sing for worship which was amazing! We even had a guest piano and guitar player who are professional musicians play with us as well. It was absolutely movin' and groovin' that night, so cool!

    Ministry:

    Getting time with students this summer has been a great joy! It is so much easier to get more frequent time with them since they have been taking a break from school. It is also easier to coordinate basketball, frisbee, and soccer games. The picture below is from one of our basketball hangouts with our small group from last year. These guys got some serious moves in the paint and on the three pointer line. 

    One student I've been getting time with, who is also going to be a student leader this upcoming semester, has reminded me why I love being a college minister recently. I met him during the first week of the school semester last year and have seen him grow in his faith exponentially. He has gone from not caring much about anything besides video games and girls, to now actively going out and trying to enrich his faith in every way possible. Before the summer started, he began a Bible-in-a-year reading challenge which he has faithfully stayed to. He also seeks out conversations about his faith with his coworkers at his job. I love getting time with him every week and continue to be so blessed to see his growth and love for Jesus multiply!

    Update to the Legal Case with Collin College:

    A couple of months ago I sent an individual email, asking for prayers because this past year at Collin College, us FOCUS staff members have had some trouble outreaching and hosting events on campus. This got to a point where FOCUS hired lawyers to take up our case and seek to make sure our first amendment rights were not being infringed upon. Last month, we sent Collin College a letter that stated our grievances and told them that if they did not change their policies, we would take this to court. 

    God heard our prayers and we received a great letter back from Collin College apologizing and willing to change policies to comply with the first amendment. This is a huge win not only for FOCUS but also for the other student organizations on campus that have not been able to thrive because of the policies of the school. 

    I just want to say thank you so much for your prayers as they genuinely helped our mission to evangelize and create Jesus-loving communities on campus for this upcoming year. This is a great example of how nothing can get in the way of God's mission. God is good! 

    Thank You: 

    Thank you all so much for your support of my ministry. I could not be doing what I feel called to do without your support. It is such a blessing to be able to meet up with all these students and give my full-time attention to them. Your gifts have greatly impacted many students at Collin College and have had an immense imprint on the students' lives for years to come. Your generosity is what keeps FOCUS going, thank you all so much, and may God bless y'all! 

    Prayer Requests: 

    If you could be praying for the students that coming to campus this fall. That their hearts will be open to learning about Jesus. Also, be praying for our ministers with FOCUS, that we will be ready to hit the campuses during Welcome Week and that we will be energized, joyful, and ready to meet as many students as possible. Glory to God forever!

    P.S. This is an alumni's testimony about how FOCUS has impacted her life. Your donations impact people like her and help me to continue to find people who are in need of community and Jesus.