Back to the Tables!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, Jabin (our new staff hire) and I reserved a table space at the UNO student center. The goal was to meet students and invite them to our InterVarsity events, which at this point, are the Monday bible study. 

To say that the engagement level was less than what we'd hoped for is a bit of an understatement. We were there for about 2 hours and interacted with MAYBE a dozen people. It wasn't huge. 

Was I discouraged by the turnout? Not really. If nothing else, it gave me a really good insight into how much things have changed since when I first started ministry. Here are a few observations: 

- Technology matters. There were maybe a hundred or so people who passed by the table during our time out there. Most of them were staring at phones or listening to something via the headphones in their ears. A few were with other people but generally, most folk were solo. This is a HUGE change from when I started doing college ministry. Just being present isn't enough. A table needs to have some sort of hook. This has always been true to a certain extent, but it seems even more true now as students just aren't looking around as much as they used to. 

- Timing matters. I said that we had maybe 100 students pass by during the 2 hours we were out there. For a campus of 15,000, that's pretty light traffic. We realized that we actually picked the wrong time. UNO isn't like WashU, where everyone was always on campus all the time. It isn't like Mizzou, where folk live off campus but the student center is still the center of life. UNO has a lot of students who go to class then go home. That means that timing is everything. The highest traffic times are from 11-1, when everyone gets out of their 10am class, then grabs lunch before their 1pm class. By the time we were out there, the campus was already starting to wind down.

- Conversations matter. Even though we didn't get to talk to a ton of folk, we were still able to have some good conversations. The truth about college ministry is that there have been a lot of changes but some things still stay the same. Students are looking for a sense of belonging. They're looking for community and for their place in the world. The work that we do is still important. 

We'll be tabling again a few more times in November. We're making a few changes to the format to try to attract more students. We'll see how it goes. If you have a moment, please be praying for us as we engage with the campus. We want students to know Jesus and get connected. May it be so. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Transitions...

Hello, friends! 

When I was younger, I developed some knee soreness (probably from not taking care of myself during cross country season). After college, I decided that marathon running was probably not in the cards for me but I wanted to challenge myself physically, so I took up triathlon training. It wouldn't be the same distance as running a marathon, but open water swimming, riding a bike, THEN running, seemed like a good way to spend a few hours. It's been a while since I've competed but occasionally I'll still do a triathlon at the Y on my Sabbath. 

One things that I learned about triathlons is that the prep for the race is actually a crucial part of the whole process. I don't mean the training (although that is important). I mean literally how you set up your station for the race. 

A triathlon consists of a swim, bike, and run leg. In between each of those legs is the Transition Area. Every athlete has a station where they put their gear. After the swim, you run to the Transition Area to take off your cap and goggles and grab your bike. After the bike leg, you go back to the same spot to drop off your bike, put on your running shoes, and finish the race. What I learned is that the transitions really matter. If you set up your transitions well, you barely lose any time and carry momentum into the next stage of the race. If your transition isn't set up well, you lose valuable time and you're very flustered going forward, which can affect how you race. 

These past few months have definitely been a season of transition on a number of different levels. Here are a few highlights:

- Transitioning from Sabbatical to "work mode"

- Transitioning from Regional MPD Coordinator to Area Ministry Director

- Transitioning to having a kid in middle school

- Transitioning from a Monday Sabbath to a Friday Sabbath because the MCC and UNO groups both meet on Mondays

- Transitioning from being a coach to a supervisor

- Transitioning out of our church to a new church (you can ask me about why if you'd like but I won't rehash everything here)

If I'm honest, it's been a lot. To continue to triathlon analogy, it feels a little like I'm trying to go from the swim to the bike but I'm not sure where my shoes are and my helmet isn't quitting quite right. Precious seconds are ticking away while I try to get myself ready to go. To take it one step further, since all these things are happening right now, it's like I'm trying to ride my bike while also tying my shoes and adjusting my helmet straps. We're moving, but I'm not comfortable and it's a little unnerving. 

Right now, I have a few options on to deal with these transitions: 

- I try to put everything on pause while I get myself situated. That is obviously out of the question, given that ministry continues to move forward

- I run the race without getting myself situated because time is ticking. I can't really do this either, since I know that following that path will lead to a crash, one way or another. 

- I try to get myself situated while peddling like crazy. This is the option that I've opted for. It's not ideal, but it's what needs to happen. 

I'm fairly confident that things will eventually work themselves out one way or another. I took this job knowing it was going to be a new thing. I don't doubt that this was the right decision at the time and I believe that it's still the right decision. God is with me and we've already seen some really cool things happen in Nebraska. It's here in this transition season that I have no choice but to trust in Jesus to get me through it. I'm sure he will. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Nebraska Road Trip!

Hello, friends! 

We're a little out of order since this happened before Fall Conference but I wanted to share about a road trip across Nebraska that I went on in September! 

One new part of my job is that I'm now responsible for the student ministry across the entire state of Nebraska. We have campus groups in Omaha but we also have groups in North Platte and Hastings, which are decidedly NOT in Omaha. North Platte is about 4 hours from Omaha and Hastings is about 2 hours from Omaha. Thankfully, they're both along the Interstate and their bible studies meet on consecutive days, which makes a road trip totally possible.

An added bonus was that Jabin, the staff we just hired in Omaha, was able to join me for my trip! Hooray for quality car time!  

Here was the gameplan: 

- Tuesday 11am: Pick up the rental car, grab some lunch, and head to North Platte

- Tuesday 5pm: Have dinner with Bobbi, our staff out in North Platte and her husband

- Tuesday 6pm: Watch the North Platte Knights women's volleyball team dominate in their match

- Tuesday 7:30pm: Join Light Co., the bible study that Bobbi helps lead, for their Tuesday night bible study

- Tuesday 9:30pm: Make our way to the hotel and call it a night

- Wednesday 9am: I lead my first ever Nebraska Area Team Meeting

- Wednesday 11am: Get some admin done (because there's ALWAYS admin to do)

- Wednesday 2pm: Head out to Hastings

- Wednesday 4pm: Arrive in Hastings and walk around the campus for a bit then head to dinner

- Wednesday 6pm: Join Central Community College for their bible study

- Wednesday 8pm: Head back to Omaha

- Wednesday 10pm: Return the rental car and catch a Lyft home

- Wednesday 11pm: Back home, a 36-hour road trip across Nebraska, done! 

You may be asking yourself, "Adam, what did you learn on this trip?" Well, I'm glad you asked! Here were a few things that I picked up:

- Rural Nebraska is VERY different from Omaha. North Platte is actually closer to Colorado than it is to Omaha. That fact became clear to me when I noticed that there were just as many students on the volleyball team from Colorado as there were from Nebraska. I'm going to have to keep that in mind as I plan state-wide events.

- College students are VERY similar everywhere. The day before our trip, I had bible study at MCC and UNO in Omaha. In all 4 spots, I saw students who wanted to be in community with one another. There are students who want to grow deeper in their faith. There are students who believe that God cares about their campus and wants to see the Gospel go to every corner of every campus. 

- Nebraska is kind of a boring state to drive through. When I was living in Missouri, I would drive across I-70 in both directions, to get to either St. Louis or Kansas City and it seemed like every 100 feet there was another billboard to read. Mind you, not all of these billboards were necessarily things I WANTED to read, but at least they were there. Driving through Nebraska along I-80, we saw a LOT of corn fields and not much else. 

My plan is to take a trip like that once a semester. I'm already very much looking forward to the next one. Please be praying for the WHOLE state of Nebraska, from Omaha to North Platte, and every spot in between. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Hooray for Fall Conference!!!

Hello, friends! 

Well, I'm back! After a wonderful weekend, another Fall Conference is in the books. The weather (mostly) cooperated), students had a good time, the Holy Spirit moved, and overall, it was a great experience. Here are a few highlights: 

- Nebraska Time: We actually only had 7 students from Nebraska attend. At first I was bummed but it actually worked out really well. I was hoping that Fall Conference would be an opportunity for us to build some "brand identity" with InterVarsity and boy did that happen! These 7 from North Platte, Kearney, Hastings, and Omaha (literally all over the state) spent so much time together and really got to know one another. It was such a blessing to see them all interact and build relationships. 

- Church Partnership: Fall Conference was at Living Hope in Blair, Nebraska, about 30 minutes north of Omaha. It got recommended to us by one of our volunteers (his dad is the pastor). It was such a blessing to partner with Pastor Pat. They were super welcoming and we had some great conversations about how much of a blessing it was to have us there for them too. 

Added to that, our worship team fell through so I had to scramble to find a worship leader. I asked my friend Eric if his church could do it. They couldn't but he met a guy who might be able to do it. Eric's guy couldn't but he contacted one of his friends who also couldn't do it but sent his intern to us. It was a wild ride but such great worship! 

- Staff Partnership: One of the things that I missed over Sabbatical was working with my coworkers. We have such a great staff team and Fall Conference was evidence of that. Staff led all sorts of things and they did it so well. We really couldn't have had a Fall Conference without everyone working together. 

By the numbers, we had 40 students attend. 3 made decisions to recommit their lives to Jesus and 27 committed to being on mission on campus. It was so wonderful to see students make those kinds of decisions. 

I've been telling folk that Fall Conference is very similar to the triathlons that I (used to) do. All the prep, the training runs/bikes/swims, the anticipation, even up to the race itself, is all terrible and no fun. Then, you cross the finish line and immediately think to yourself, "when's the next one?!" Fall Conference is a LOT of work and sometimes can be very frustrating. But then it happens, the Holy Spirit moves, and when it's over, you start counting down the days until the next one. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam