Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)
Jen Lee November 3, 2023

Boston University:

Director and written by: Nathan Dicks

Dear Friends,

The semester has been flying by and there’s lots to report! Thanks for being a partner in this ministry to see students come to know Jesus and live for him at Boston University.

I’d like to invite you to pray for our London Missions Trip happening this coming week. Today, 8 students and 2 staff depart for a Spring Break missions trip with Serge. Would you please pray for these 8 students–that God would use this trip in their growth, in holiness and awareness of the work of God in the world?

Thanks for reading, praying, and giving to this work!

Mid-Semester Highlights
  • Our Ministry Team Retreat in Connecticut was an encouraging time of bonding and learning as a team. From fellowship over meals together, prayer for the ministry, and training in the RUF philosophy of ministry, the Lord used this time among our team.
  • We’ve had several new students join our group. It’s a joy to see our committed students engage in hospitality towards our new students.
  • We’ve started a Discipleship Training Cohort among students. Each of the seven students in the cohort is paired up with at least one other student to intentionally mentor in their relationship with Jesus.
How You Can Pray
  • London Missions Trip, 3/8-16: Pray for God to impact the ten students and staff on the team through the entire experience. Pray for unity on the team, God to use the relationships that are begun with locals to build the local churches, and for the students to grow in their heart for global missions.
  • Student Leaders: Pray for us as a staff as we discern and recruit student leaders for the next academic year. We have 5 seniors graduating from the team, so we are in need of some new students to join our team. This is critical for the health of our ministry in coming years.
  • Ministry to Men: As is the case in many Christian settings, we have mostly female students involved in our group. Please pray for me as I seek to reach out to and develop community among male students and equip them for reaching others at BU.

In Christ,
Nathan

 

 

Wellesley College: 

Director and written by: Catherine Perkins (April 2024 Update)

Missional Discipleship
Did you notice that the first student knew the women who were at the table with their Bibles open, but till that moment, didn’t know that they shared faith in Christ?Because some students believe that the Church subscribes to an ideology that is hateful and hurtful towards others, other students fear being widely known as Christians.  Several of the students in RUF have mentioned to me a fear of being “cancelled” on campus if they were to openly identify as Christian.Missional Discipleship
Did you notice that the first student knew the women who were at the table with their Bibles open, but till that moment, didn’t know that they shared faith in Christ?Because some students believe that the Church subscribes to an ideology that is hateful and hurtful towards others, other students fear being widely known as Christians.  Several of the students in RUF have mentioned to me a fear of being “cancelled” on campus if they were to openly identify as Christian.

I am praying that Christians at Wellesley can show up with love and speak the name of Christ unashamedly, while acknowledging that this comes with real risks at their campus.
In Bible study and one on ones, I have this in mind as I disciple students, encouraging them to be known as a Christian on campus and creating spaces where they can invite their unbelieving or isolated Christian friends to come and meet other Christians on campus.

Joy in Serving the Campus
To this end, we have been pursuing and you have been praying for a “Love Thy Campus” initiative in which we bring fun and celebration to the campus with open arms.  These events can be first touch points for students on campus where they meet someone who says, “yes, I am a Christian.”  It can also be a space where other isolated Christians have an “I’m not alone” moment. We did this with an easter egg hunt and with a hydration table where the Boston Marathon runs through campus.  No, the water and coffee was not for the runners, it was for the students who start drinking at 6 AM on Marathon Monday.

We met many students in different stages of inebriation and shared with them that we were a Bible Study on campus.  One student who hung out with us for a while shouted to one of our students “you are a cool Christian!” before heading back to the party.
Afterwards, our students remarked that they felt like they really got to serve their campus.
Praise God for pursuing students at Wellesley College!  Praise Him for giving us work to do in reaching students for Christ and equipping students to serve!

-Catherine Perkins