Kevin Pike Ministry Blog #39

 September Update 

    Hello all! I hope everything is going well, thank you all for taking the time to read this blog! This year at Collin has been going extremely well, I can't wait to share what has been happening! 

CORE (Small Groups):

    This year I am co-leading two Cores with my coworker, Mick, with one at the Plano campus and another at the Wylie campus. For both of the small groups, we have had a great, consistent turnout! There has been a consistent pattern with most of the guys that I am meeting up with. They tell me that they want to, "lock in" spiritually and that Core and FOJ (Focus on Jesus bible study) is a way they get to pursue that goal, so they are eager to come and commit. 

    We are currently doing a study of the book of James. Mick and I chose to go over this book because it is a very practical book. James talks about how without deeds and good works, our faith is dead. A common denominator between most of our guys is that yes, they want to be more committed to God, but they don't change anything in their lives to make more room for God. They still choose to work 40 hours a week, wait to do their homework last minute, spend five hours on their phone everyday, and complain they have no time for God or that they are too busy to come to anything. So we hope that through this study and our questions, we can help them see that if they plan their weeks well, they will be able to have plenty of time to pursue the Lord like they say they do. And that if they are going to take Christianity seriously, they need to make their pursuit of the Lord a daily part of their lives. We are very excited for the discussions that will come from this and pray that it will sink into their brains. Here are some pictures from our small groups:

TNF (Thursday Night Fellowship):

    

    At our last TNF on 9/25 since this blog, we had around 85 students come to our service which is such a blessing! We moved to a new location since the McKinney campus was too far for some of our students and a nearby church was gracious enough to host us every Thursday night. Lots of new faces, lots of people who are excited to be a part of our community. Here are some pictures from our past services at the new location:

    We are currently doing a sermon series on the book of 1 Peter. We decided to preach sermons on this book because 1 Peter is all about not letting the current times of the world draw us away from the message of Christ. While Peter was writing this letter, there was rampant persecution during turbulent and uncertain times. Peter writes, in such inspiring and beautiful ways, about standing firm and remembering the truth of the gospel. To continue to live pure and holy lives, to not be afraid and see any forms of hardship as ways to get closer to God so that we look different from the world in our sorrow. Something we hear our students talk about currents events and hardships in their lives, they seem to be bogged down by sorrow and forget who they serve. We want to help them realize that these hardships were already made known to us by Jesus who says in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We do not mean to belittle anyone's experience with suffering, we want to empower them in the way they see their hardships. We want our students to be an example of hope to those around them whenever crisis or hardship comes. 

General Ministry: 

    

    I am currently meeting up with six students every week to go through our FOJ (Focus on Jesus) bible study. These guys are all excited to be going through this study and are very consistent which is rare. It is also rare for them to be asking so many questions and reading the Bible on their own. It is so refreshing and fun to be doing this with guys who care. I do hope that the other guys in our small group see the importance of studying the Bible in some capacity as some of them do not want to study the Bible with either me or my co-leader. 

    Also, something that I find important is that the guys in our ministry hangout outside of our small groups or large group events. Sharing life together and hanging out are a big part of ministry too. We want them to develop lifelong friendships that have core memories of fun and good times together. I started a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition movie night every week because most of the guys have not seen the movie which is crazy to me. They are so long so it'll take many consecutive weeks to finish them but we are having a good time watching some of the greatest movies ever made. I also have been hosting "Cougar Ball" games, it is ultimate frisbee but with a football, as a way for us to hangout and do something sporty. A lot of guys are looking for something sports related to do so it is a great outreaching tool as well. Here is a picture of me and one of my students doing FOJ and also a picture of a recent Cougar Ball game:

Prayer Requests:

    Please be praying for our students that they are able to see the importance of community and pursuing Jesus at this time in their lives. Some of the guys in my small group are choosing to work more or "don't have enough time" to come to our events or Bible studies. Pray that they can see the importance of Jesus and also schedule their time better. Also be praying for our Fall Retreat that will happen this next month and that students will be deeply impacted by it. I can't wait to share about the fruit of this trip!

Thank You:

    Thank you so much for your generous support of my ministry at Collin College. Because of your giving, students are hearing the gospel, finding Christ-centered community, and growing into leaders who will impact their campuses and beyond. Your partnership is making an eternal difference, and I am truly grateful for the blessing you are to this mission.

P.S. This is a testimony from one of our very own students at Collin. She is an example of how your support gives hope and a chance for students like her to join a community of Jesus followers on campus.