Kevin Pike Ministry Blog #43

 January Update

    Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are staying warm, as the snow has arrived here in the DFW area! My wife and I went sledding one day, and it was a lot of fun :) Here is an update on what happened this January!

Winter Retreat 2026:

   Every year, we have our Winter Retreat the weekend before school starts so that our students can shake off the mildew of the break and start the semester intentionally spending time with God and friends. This year was a huge blast! We had a record-breaking and campground-maxing 830 students from our 14 different campuses that FOCUS is on around the DFW area! We had around 60 students come from our Collin campuses, which is such a blessing! All of the students I talked to had a wonderful time, and they can’t wait for next year.

This year, we had Marty Solomon come and speak to us for five one-hour sessions. He is the creator of the BEMA Podcast, which I highly recommend, and is a missionary for Impact Campus Ministries. Marty took us on a deep dive into the book of Genesis. The Old Testament is a specialty of his, as he believes there is so much in the OT that we are missing because we do not know the context, culture, and language of the Bible. We are often hesitant to read or study the OT because it is difficult, and much of what is happening does not make sense unless we understand the historical context.

Here is a link to the first session that Marty taught, if you are interested in hearing what he has to say:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DD1KnuGwj4rjNsufIo77H?si=ellCakuQQDaRs4Q-xM2uSw

    Winter Retreat is one of my favorite times of the year and this years was so special. Here are some pictures from the trip:

 

General Ministry: 

    For the first week back, we did another Welcome Week, similar to what we do in August, but this time during the first week of the spring semester. It was very cold, but we were able to meet students and let them know there is a Christian presence on campus. On Thursday, we had a grill-out for our students before the first TNF of the year. Here are some pictures from that:

    We grilled about 200 hot dogs that night, and the students devoured them all! We had a great first service and began our new sermon series. We want to remind students that we are not just a social club—we are a ministry on mission. We are here to spread the gospel, do evangelism, raise up leaders, and teach others about Jesus. This was a great way to start the semester and remind students why we are here. I am excited for the rest of the semester as we plan to do more outreach and experiment more with how we capture the attention of community college students.

This semester, I am starting an Exodus Bible study with some of our students who are serious about learning. Before inviting someone to this study, I make it clear that it is for students who truly want to learn the Bible. If someone misses two studies, they will be asked not to return. We believe students want to do hard things, and I believe these students have more determination than they realize. This is college—this is where they should be learning challenging things.

This study will focus heavily on learning the culture, the time period, and asking hard questions. I am using the BEMA Podcast that our Winter Retreat speaker hosts, along with a commentary on Exodus. I am very excited about this and curious to see how the students respond.

Prayer Requests:

    Please pray that the students we met during Welcome Week will come to our small group and large group events and that they will see their need for Jesus. Pray for our ministers—that we would find students who are open to knowing who Jesus is and that the topics we teach and preach would resonate with them.

Thank You: 

    I am deeply thankful for your generosity and faithful support of my ministry at Collin College. Your giving is a true blessing and plays a vital role in the lives of students as they grow in their relationship with Jesus, find meaningful community, and step into leadership. Because of you, lives are being changed and the gospel continues to spread on campus. I’m incredibly grateful for your partnership and the impact you are making for God’s kingdom.

P.S. Here is a student testimony from one of our students at the Richland Dallas College campus. Your generous donations help students like her find community and Jesus during one of the most important times in their lives—the college years. Students are being changed because of your support.