Of Leaders and Tables...

Hello, friends! 

After yesterday's wedding related post, I thought it would be good for me to post a little bit on the week(end) that was as well as the past few days.  After all, this is a ministry blog, right? 

This past weekend we had our Pre-Fall Retreat to get ready for the semester.  It wasn't meant to be a leaders retreat but somehow it turned into one because only the leaders were there.  You won't hear me complaining though.  We have some pretty great leaders.

I always think that it is important for retreats like this to have a theme of some sort.  A lot of times as staff I think we try to cram too much stuff into 24 hours and instead of students getting one lesson really well, they end up half understanding a bunch of things.  It seems to me like we'd be better served (and so would our students) if our students were able to understand a few concepts really well in thrive in those things.  But anyway, I digress.

Given that I am only going to be spending a few days a week in Columbia, I thought it would be a good idea if the theme for this weekend's retreat centered around teamwork.  These leaders are going to have to work together as a team and they are going to have to learn to rely on each other, especially since I am going to be 2 hours away most of the time.  We spent the weekend doing team building exercises, talking about personality types and team dynamics, as well as preparing for the semester ahead as small group leaders.  We also spent a good chunk of time preparing our hearts, spending time in reflection and prayer for ourselves and for the year.  All in all, it was a pretty great 24 hours.  Not only did the team get to reconnect and bond, but we also got some good work done and the students are definitely excited for the year. 

NSO, or New Student Outreach, usually leads with tabling, which is pretty much us hanging out in the student center with a bunch of goodies, trying to attract students to come check out all the cool ACF events we have going on these next few weeks.  On Friday we are going to be doing a prayer walk which will lead to our "Eat 'n Greet," which is pretty much an excuse for us to grill meat and hang out with each other.  Tabling is always a bit of a stretch for the ACFers.  Culturally, we aren't a super vocal people who like to call attention to ourselves.  Statistically, there aren't a ton of Asians on campus so it can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.  Spiritually, tabling brings up issues like fear of rejection, performance anxiety, and questions of how good we really think the Gospel is.  Today at the tables was not one of our most spectacular days but we made it through and we'll be back on Thursday (well, the students will.  I'll be in Saint Louis). 

So, my friends, please be praying for Mizzou this week.  Pray that we will meet students who not only are interested in our free goodies, but also in the free gift of salvation.  Pray that where there is fear God will instead put a spirit of boldness.  Pray that this week will lead to a semester of fruit. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam