Kevin Pike Ministry Blog #18

 November Blog

    Hey everyone! Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving with tons of food, Christmas is right around the corner, what a great time of the year! Let's get into what's been going on in Collin this month! 

    Pizza Theology:

    Every semester, FOCUS hosts an event called Pizza Theology. This is where we choose a specific topic, Theology related, and take a deep dive into it. This Fall semester we had Ian Proven, who is a retired Regent School of Theology professor, come and talk to us about what it means to be human. He wrote a book on the subject called Cuckoos In Our Nest which was the outline for his talk. I highly recommend reading the book because the question, "What does it mean to be human?" is fundamentally crucial for churches and Christians to understand. If we do not have a strong, biblical foundation for that answer, then we are letting the world and modern society's morals influence our thinking which many of us are without realizing it. 

    We as a FOCUS staff were also very blessed to have Ian speak to us the next day in an amazing Q&A session. Here are some pictures of the event! 

    Small Group Update:

    Wednesday night's small group has been a blessing! Something that we do every year is QUASL (Qualities of a Spiritual Leader), this is a list of characteristics that generally make up a good spiritual leader which we then evaluate every guy in a small group to see where they are at in each characteristic. This helps us not only to determine who we should send to SICM during the summer but also to see if there are any areas of life that we have not talked about with them yet.

    My small group co-leader Cedric and I realized that we have not talked about finances, body stewardship, what exactly the Holy Spirit is, and how He is supposed to shape our lives. We have created some plans which we are excited to dive into and have an open discussion on! Here's a picture of us hanging out after seeing the new Five Nights at Freddy's movie:

    Outreach Update:

    Outreach at the Wylie campus has been going crazy recently, all in a very good way. We've been asking questions like, "What is power?" that get the students to think and realize that maybe the assumptions and certainties they've had about certain topics are not so certain anymore. 

    We also have been doing holiday-themed outreach, making turkeys out of hands just like the elementary school days which was surprisingly more fun than I thought. For this upcoming finals week, we are going to be writing encouragements that have scriptures on them to hand out to the tired and stressed students as they make the final push before Christmas break.

    I've been encouraged by the conversations that we have had with students. Many of them are open to learning more about who Jesus is and open to joining our community. I think many of the students on campus nowadays are more lonely than ever. One of the questions we ask is, "Have you made any friends so far at Collin?", many of them reply, "No" or "One or two" at most. Please be praying that these students find a community of some sort. 

Here are a couple pictures of our latest outreach:

    Prayer Requests:

    If you could be praying for the students as this is their finals week that in the midst of finals, they can remember to seek God out and spend time in prayer because that is where their true strength lies. Also, the students and we as staff may have a restful Christmas break that is not completely filled with Netflix and video games, but being with Jesus and spending time in His word. 

    Thank You: 

    Your financial support has been vital for our ability to create an environment where students not only know about Jesus but truly come to know Him intimately. Your donations have allowed our students to embark on a spiritual journey, deepening their understanding of faith and forging lasting connections within our community. Your commitment to our cause has not only helped students know Jesus more but has also extended a heartfelt invitation to them, welcoming them into a community that embodies love, acceptance, and shared spiritual growth. Your belief in our mission has been transformative, and we are profoundly grateful for the enduring impact your contributions have made on the lives of our students. Thank you for partnering with me in this incredible journey of faith and community!

    Hope y'all have a Merry Christmas! 

    P.S. Here is a student testimony from a young man whose life has been transformed by Jesus. Your support helps students like him get involved in community!