Greeting,
Chuck here with another update on the amazing work that Jesus is doing in the hearts and minds of college students at the University of Maine at Farmington through InterVarsity.
It has definitely been an interesting semester both for myself and for the students. On a personal level I went through one of the most difficult Spiritual droughts that I have encountered in my time as a Christian. During this same time I heard that this was not something that simply I was going through but that a number of the students in the fellowship were also experiencing trying times in their faith. What was particularly interesting about all this is what God was able to do in the midst.
At the end of last year we were averaging around 30 students in attendance at our large group meetings but we had around 10 students who were moving on to bigger and better things and some of them very integral members of the group. So coming into the semester I had now idea what to expect, especially considering the fact that my spiritual drought had begun in force just before the semester began. So the semester began and right away we were averaging 30 students and we had a number of freshmen and transfer students get connected and involved in the life of the fellowship quite quickly giving a much needed boost of energy to those who were weary.
One of the most exciting and encouraging things that God did this semester was drawing his lost sons and daughters unto himself. Not only did we have many students coming to InterVarsity on a regular basis but also a number of them were non-Christians interested in checking out what this Christian group on campus was all about. Prior to the semester I felt challenged by the Holy Spirit to pray for a particular number of students to become Christians and so as I sought the Lord the number that he revealed to me was 10 for the whole school year. In the first few weeks of the semester we saw two students become Christians and as the semester progressed another two became Christians. While numbers very clearly are not the most important matter and while it is also just as important to teach and train current believers how to live the Christian life as it is to see conversions it was particularly important and exciting for me because we have been able to disciple Christians but until recently we had seen very little in the realm of conversions. In fact I would say we've probably seen more people come to know Jesus in the past year (6 because we had two during our trip to New Orleans) than in all of my time being involved in InterVarsity (approximately 8 years).
In addition to this we have begun preparation for KRUP 2012 (Katrina Relief Urban Project) both in fund-raising and recruiting and have 30-40 students hoping to go, around half of whom are unbelievers, some of which it is clear to me are seeking. And so I ask that you would be in prayer for this trip as it has the potential to be a life-changing trip for many students both Christian and non-Christian at seeing a larger picture of the world and hopefully growing closer to the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of that world. Pray also for myself and the leadership as we prepare for a new semester, that our plans would be in line with what it is God has in mind both for us and the campus. Lastly pray for the finances of both the trip to New Orleans and the ministry expenses themselves. During this holiday season I would ask that you might consider a gift to the work that Jesus is doing here at UMF either for the ministry itself or for the trip to New Orleans. If you are interested in giving to the general ministry fund follow this link: https://donate.intervarsity.org/. If you would like to give towards the trip to New Orleans please write your check payable to InterVarsity and send it to me at:
Chuck Ellis
116 Hammond Rd
Farmington, ME 04938
I have been blessed over the past year and many people have increased their support of the ministry and new people have begun supporting. I am incredibly thankful for this especially in the midst of difficult economic times. Your gifts are evidence of your faith not in the American economy but in God's economy. Additionally I want to thank our prayer warriors who lift up the ministry before God and without whom I don't know where we would be. Thank you all so much! Merry Christmas!
Your Fellow Worker In Christ Jesus
Charles William Ellis
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
First couple of weeks
Greetings,
I felt it would be a good time to update you on all that Jesus is doing and has already done on campus in the first couple of weeks of the semester.
Before the semester even started I got together with 4 CA's(Community Assistants formerly known as RA's) who were in the midst of CA training and already they were mentioning that there were 2-4 CA's who have been at UMF now for at least a couple years but had not gotten involved were hoping to be able to attend this year. In addition to this just about everyone who had been involved last year and was coming back all seemed really excited in what God is planning to do on campus this semester and this year. And what is really exciting is that these students are taking some ownership for themselves, they aren't saying "Hey Chuck it would be cool if you..." instead they are thinking about what we as a club can do and are even trying to figure out what part they can play, where God is leading them.
As a result we have 3 students right now who are all trying to figure out what it is that God has in store for them, at the moment they are praying through the idea of leading what we call a GIG(Group Investigating God), which is essentially an Evangelistic Bible Study for people who don't yet know Jesus. But the exciting thing isn't necessarily the study itself, though that would be exciting, but more importantly these students are praying to God to ask Him for guidance and leading in how they can join Him in his work of drawing His lost sons and daughters unto Himself.
On Tuesday August 30th we had a gathering of all of the returning InterVarsity students for a time of fellowship with their brothers and sisters that they had not seen for the whole summer, for a time of worship through song with these same brothers and sisters, and for a time of focusing and being reminded what it is that God is calling them to do while here on campus. This reunion was suggested by one of our students in order to allow returning students to connect with one another prior to our Ice Cream Social outreach event in order that when the event came (which was the following day) returning students wouldn't simply be talking to one another but would instead be connecting with incoming students and being hospitable.
So came the Ice Cream Social on the following day. It was exciting for many reasons. First of all there were a bunch of students who came from all different backgrounds. We had freshmen Christians, freshmen who weren't, transfer students, some who didn't really know what they were, some who were really excited to be there and learn and grow in their relationship with Jesus, some there because their friends had brought them, some who were not freshmen but were finally deciding to check out the group. All in all we have 50-60 students show up and probably around 40 stuck around, hung out, and got to know people and as I looked around the room I saw that in every group of people interacting that there was a mix of both non-InterVarsity students and InterVarsity students.
The following Tuesday we had our first Core Group meeting, which is essentially the time where we gather all those who want to join more into the mission of InterVarsity and offer idea's and input as to how we can do it better. In this first Core Group Meeting we had 10 students show up and all of them had much to offer and we were able to come up with some good idea's on things we can do on campus as a group and individually in order to further the Kingdom of God on campus. We spent a great deal of time talking through the barriers that we all have to sharing Christ well with those around us and how we can overcome those barriers.
On Wednesday we had our first "regular" InterVarsity meeting and had about 35 students in attendance with about 15 of those being new students, some Christian and some not. With all of this there were around 10 or more IV regulars who were unable to make this meeting for various reasons. And just before this first meeting one of the students shared with me that a freshmen student had just the night before asked Jesus to be her Savior and Lord! Praise God, and pray that this would be the beginning, the firstfruits, of what might be an incredible semester.
All in all this semester has started off very well and I would ask and pray that you would continue to keep InterVarsity in your prayers. It is exciting to have so many people involved and God has clearly drawn then, please pray that he would guide is in how we might be faithful with those the Lord is draw in to us. Pray that through these students God would be brought glory on campus and that His lost sons and daughters would come to know Him.
Grace and Peace!
I felt it would be a good time to update you on all that Jesus is doing and has already done on campus in the first couple of weeks of the semester.
Before the semester even started I got together with 4 CA's(Community Assistants formerly known as RA's) who were in the midst of CA training and already they were mentioning that there were 2-4 CA's who have been at UMF now for at least a couple years but had not gotten involved were hoping to be able to attend this year. In addition to this just about everyone who had been involved last year and was coming back all seemed really excited in what God is planning to do on campus this semester and this year. And what is really exciting is that these students are taking some ownership for themselves, they aren't saying "Hey Chuck it would be cool if you..." instead they are thinking about what we as a club can do and are even trying to figure out what part they can play, where God is leading them.
As a result we have 3 students right now who are all trying to figure out what it is that God has in store for them, at the moment they are praying through the idea of leading what we call a GIG(Group Investigating God), which is essentially an Evangelistic Bible Study for people who don't yet know Jesus. But the exciting thing isn't necessarily the study itself, though that would be exciting, but more importantly these students are praying to God to ask Him for guidance and leading in how they can join Him in his work of drawing His lost sons and daughters unto Himself.
On Tuesday August 30th we had a gathering of all of the returning InterVarsity students for a time of fellowship with their brothers and sisters that they had not seen for the whole summer, for a time of worship through song with these same brothers and sisters, and for a time of focusing and being reminded what it is that God is calling them to do while here on campus. This reunion was suggested by one of our students in order to allow returning students to connect with one another prior to our Ice Cream Social outreach event in order that when the event came (which was the following day) returning students wouldn't simply be talking to one another but would instead be connecting with incoming students and being hospitable.
So came the Ice Cream Social on the following day. It was exciting for many reasons. First of all there were a bunch of students who came from all different backgrounds. We had freshmen Christians, freshmen who weren't, transfer students, some who didn't really know what they were, some who were really excited to be there and learn and grow in their relationship with Jesus, some there because their friends had brought them, some who were not freshmen but were finally deciding to check out the group. All in all we have 50-60 students show up and probably around 40 stuck around, hung out, and got to know people and as I looked around the room I saw that in every group of people interacting that there was a mix of both non-InterVarsity students and InterVarsity students.
The following Tuesday we had our first Core Group meeting, which is essentially the time where we gather all those who want to join more into the mission of InterVarsity and offer idea's and input as to how we can do it better. In this first Core Group Meeting we had 10 students show up and all of them had much to offer and we were able to come up with some good idea's on things we can do on campus as a group and individually in order to further the Kingdom of God on campus. We spent a great deal of time talking through the barriers that we all have to sharing Christ well with those around us and how we can overcome those barriers.
On Wednesday we had our first "regular" InterVarsity meeting and had about 35 students in attendance with about 15 of those being new students, some Christian and some not. With all of this there were around 10 or more IV regulars who were unable to make this meeting for various reasons. And just before this first meeting one of the students shared with me that a freshmen student had just the night before asked Jesus to be her Savior and Lord! Praise God, and pray that this would be the beginning, the firstfruits, of what might be an incredible semester.
All in all this semester has started off very well and I would ask and pray that you would continue to keep InterVarsity in your prayers. It is exciting to have so many people involved and God has clearly drawn then, please pray that he would guide is in how we might be faithful with those the Lord is draw in to us. Pray that through these students God would be brought glory on campus and that His lost sons and daughters would come to know Him.
Grace and Peace!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Events to be praying for
Hi all,
Chuck here with another prayer request. The semester is fast approaching and the student leaders and I are already busy beginning to plan for upcoming events. Please be in prayer especially for the beginning of the semester as that is the most important time to connect with students. During the first few weeks of the semester students are more open to doing different things and going to events and meeting new people as they have yet to solidify a schedule and a friend network. As a result please be praying that we would be able to connect with students early on and get them connected to the group both through our events as well as through students personal interactions. We have a number of events in particular that you could be praying for.
On Wednesday August 30th (the first day of classes) at 6:30pm we will be having our annual Ice Cream Social in the student center. Historically this has been very successful at getting new Christian students connected to the fellowship, please pray that this continues but that we are effective at connecting with everyone who comes and that IV members don't simply come to the social to connect with their friends that they haven't seen all summer.
On Tuesday September 13th at 7pm also in the UMF Student Center we're going to be hosting a campus-wide event called: How can a good God allow pain, suffering, and evil? featuring Maine Apologist Daryl Whitmer who heads up AIIA Institute which is dedicated to the defense of the faith in Maine (http://aiia.christiananswers.net/about/).
On Monday September 26th at 7pm we will be hosting Invisible Children (http://www.invisiblechildren.com/) who will be sharing on their work combating the Human Slave trade, in particular they fight against Child Soldiering in Africa lead by Joseph Kony.
We are hoping to start some Alpha groups (evangelistic Bible Studies: http://alphausa.org/Groups/1000065342/Alt_Home_page.aspx). Please pray that students volunteer to lead these and do the work of inviting their non-Christian friends that they may hear the gospel.
All of this and more, please continue to be in prayer for all facets of the ministry. Thank you all for your continued prayer and financial support of the work that Jesus is doing at UMF.
Chuck here with another prayer request. The semester is fast approaching and the student leaders and I are already busy beginning to plan for upcoming events. Please be in prayer especially for the beginning of the semester as that is the most important time to connect with students. During the first few weeks of the semester students are more open to doing different things and going to events and meeting new people as they have yet to solidify a schedule and a friend network. As a result please be praying that we would be able to connect with students early on and get them connected to the group both through our events as well as through students personal interactions. We have a number of events in particular that you could be praying for.
On Wednesday August 30th (the first day of classes) at 6:30pm we will be having our annual Ice Cream Social in the student center. Historically this has been very successful at getting new Christian students connected to the fellowship, please pray that this continues but that we are effective at connecting with everyone who comes and that IV members don't simply come to the social to connect with their friends that they haven't seen all summer.
On Tuesday September 13th at 7pm also in the UMF Student Center we're going to be hosting a campus-wide event called: How can a good God allow pain, suffering, and evil? featuring Maine Apologist Daryl Whitmer who heads up AIIA Institute which is dedicated to the defense of the faith in Maine (http://aiia.christiananswers.net/about/).
On Monday September 26th at 7pm we will be hosting Invisible Children (http://www.invisiblechildren.com/) who will be sharing on their work combating the Human Slave trade, in particular they fight against Child Soldiering in Africa lead by Joseph Kony.
We are hoping to start some Alpha groups (evangelistic Bible Studies: http://alphausa.org/Groups/1000065342/Alt_Home_page.aspx). Please pray that students volunteer to lead these and do the work of inviting their non-Christian friends that they may hear the gospel.
All of this and more, please continue to be in prayer for all facets of the ministry. Thank you all for your continued prayer and financial support of the work that Jesus is doing at UMF.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Funding and summer prayer request
Hi everyone,
The summer continues and I hope everyone thoroughly enjoyed the 4th of July weekend and the beautiful weather that came with it. I wanted to update everyone and thank you all so very much for your prayer and donations to the ministry. Coming into the last month of our fiscal year which runs July-June I was looking at having a $1500 deficit going in to next year and thanks to your generous support both financially and prayerfully that gap appears to have been fulfilled. Praise God for his constant faithfulness.
As the summer continues please be in prayer for the upcoming semester in all of the following: That God would send Christian students who are ready to jump in and join the mission of InterVarsity here at UMF; That God would grant both myself and the student leadership his vision for the upcoming semester that we might bring Him glory through all that we do and that through our work His lost sons and daughters unto Himself; Pray also for the students who are away from campus doing other things that Jesus might continually be at work in them growing them in love for Him and working through them but also preparing them for the work that He has called them to do on campus; Pray also for Unity College and the work that was done there this past semester that God might lead and guide both Christian Carlson and myself as we try to figure out what campus ministry looks like on that particular campus. Thank You all and God bless!
Chuck
The summer continues and I hope everyone thoroughly enjoyed the 4th of July weekend and the beautiful weather that came with it. I wanted to update everyone and thank you all so very much for your prayer and donations to the ministry. Coming into the last month of our fiscal year which runs July-June I was looking at having a $1500 deficit going in to next year and thanks to your generous support both financially and prayerfully that gap appears to have been fulfilled. Praise God for his constant faithfulness.
As the summer continues please be in prayer for the upcoming semester in all of the following: That God would send Christian students who are ready to jump in and join the mission of InterVarsity here at UMF; That God would grant both myself and the student leadership his vision for the upcoming semester that we might bring Him glory through all that we do and that through our work His lost sons and daughters unto Himself; Pray also for the students who are away from campus doing other things that Jesus might continually be at work in them growing them in love for Him and working through them but also preparing them for the work that He has called them to do on campus; Pray also for Unity College and the work that was done there this past semester that God might lead and guide both Christian Carlson and myself as we try to figure out what campus ministry looks like on that particular campus. Thank You all and God bless!
Chuck
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Newsletter June 2011
Greetings,
Chuck here with another update on the work that Jesus is doing in the hearts and minds of college students through the work of InterVarsity at the University of Maine at Farmington, but also as a recent development Unity College. God is alive and at work on our college campuses, even here in Maine. This past semester was amazing in a number of different ways. As I mentioned in my last newsletter we had 19 students from UMF go down and do work in New Orleans and spend time in the scriptures while there wrestling over the intersection between faith and justice and as a result of this time we saw 2 students make professions of faith and 1 student decide that she wanted to investigate more seriously the truths of the scriptures.
Additionally the group of Christians who went developed a deeper relationship with God and one another and carried that back with them to campus helping to transform the fellowship into a more intimate community which was as well more mission oriented as was seen by the fact the group grew with non-Christians and Christians who hadn't already been involved getting involved and by the end of the semester we were averaging 35 students a week at our weekly Large Group meeting.
Following the trip to New Orleans we had a retreat which attracted about 20 students which addressed our relational brokenness with God as a result of the fall in Genesis 3 as well as the hope of restoration that we get through Jesus which then informs all of our relationships with one another. This time also contributed to deepening students in their relationship with God and again with one another.
Throughout the course of the semester in my conversations both with young Christians and non-Christians I noticed that students were wrestling with the question of how can we be certain the the Bible is the word of God and thus I asked Ryan Goding, a local pastor, to come and address this question. We advertized on campus and had about 60 students attend as Ryan gave proofs from history and archeology demonstrating that the Bible does stand up to criticism as well as allowing time for questions. Many of these students were not InterVarsity members or connected to InterVarsity in any way shape or form but appeared to be seriously wrestling with this issue considering its validity and many Christian students I talked to were encouraged to know that what they believed actually does stand up to secular criticism.
Lastly we ended the semester well with our annual BBQ, to which 40 people attended, and even though it rained outdoors our spirits were not dampened and we had a great time celebrating all that Jesus had done over the course of the year taking us from a group that had shrunk to around 12 students to about 3 times that many in one short year as well as saying goodbye to our seniors and those who are transferring away. All in all it was a great blessing to me as well as the students and a great way to finish the semester.
In addition to the work that Jesus has been doing at UMF, or perhaps in part as a result of it, something amazing happened at Unity College this year. About 3 years ago I was speaking at a Church out in Newport Maine about InterVarsity at UMF and after the service one of members of the church came to me to ask about Unity College and if I remember correctly one of her children or close family members had at some point attended there, and she commented on how dark a campus it was and inquired as to whether or not there was any Christian organization meeting on campus. And to my knowledge there wasn't. Fast forward to fall semester of this past year (2010) I sat down to meet with Robert, who was a sophomore who had just recently gotten involved with InterVarsity and by this time I had been meeting with him every couple of weeks for discipleship when he mentioned he was hoping to transfer in the spring to Unity College. When he said this is reminded me of the conversation I had had about 2 years prior about Unity and so I asked if he would pray and consider trying to help get something going at Unity. And so eventually Robert confirmed that he would be attending Unity and that we both believed he was not going to Unity simply to get an education but that God was sending him there for a another purpose as well.
Around October I was at a meeting for training leaders in the church in Pittsfield, ME and I decided to ask a young guy who I thought might be interested in helping get something started at Unity as he was a little closer than me. As we were talking another young man named Christian was walking by and happened to hear that we were talking about Unity. “Wait are you guys talking about Unity College?” He asked, “I live like 5 miles down the road and I would love to be part of something there.” So from then on I began to plan to have Christian lead this group. So the week that classes started at Unity I got together with Robert to pray and the following Sunday Christian invited me to make an announcement at his church about getting a Bible started on campus as there were some Unity students who went there. I was able to connect there with two young girls and we planned to have a meeting on campus that Thursday. Thursday came and 8 students showed up along with Christian and myself and as far as I could tell half of them were Christians. They decided at that point to meet for Bible Study once a week and that Christian would lead them through it. As the semester progressed I met with them 2 more times leading the study when I came, taking them through Genesis 1 and 2. I was honored to be able to lead them as the group continued to maintain more non-Christians than Christian all of whom were wrestling with whether or not Christianity was true and real, and the group grew from the original 8 to an average of 15-20 weekly on a campus of only 550 students.
At the end of the semester students gathered at the house of a local couple to watch the passion of the Christ of good Friday. I was again able to be there and witness as these students wrestled on a deep spiritual and emotional level all that Jesus had done for them, and the weight of the love that he has for them. As of yet I have not been informed of any other these students making professions of faith but I do know that even though school is not in session these students and still wrestling with faith in Jesus and in regular communication with Christian and his wife, not to mention that the Christians involved were greatly encouraged in their faith as they have seen God work in the hearts and lives of their fellow classmates.
I again want to thank you all for your continued prayer for the work that God is doing, please know and believe that your prayer and financial support is as important and valuable as my time on campus, especially as without it I would be unable to be on campus. So thank you all for all that you do.
Financial Update: God has provided in ways that I never would have expected all year round and I have raised thus far around $19,500 but am still in need of approximately $1,500. I say this not to put pressure on you to give but in order that you might know how to pray and that if you feel called you might help narrow this gap. Thank You all so much again for you faithful prayers and support. Grace and Peace!
Your Fellow Worker In Christ Jesus,
Charles William Ellis
Chuck here with another update on the work that Jesus is doing in the hearts and minds of college students through the work of InterVarsity at the University of Maine at Farmington, but also as a recent development Unity College. God is alive and at work on our college campuses, even here in Maine. This past semester was amazing in a number of different ways. As I mentioned in my last newsletter we had 19 students from UMF go down and do work in New Orleans and spend time in the scriptures while there wrestling over the intersection between faith and justice and as a result of this time we saw 2 students make professions of faith and 1 student decide that she wanted to investigate more seriously the truths of the scriptures.
Additionally the group of Christians who went developed a deeper relationship with God and one another and carried that back with them to campus helping to transform the fellowship into a more intimate community which was as well more mission oriented as was seen by the fact the group grew with non-Christians and Christians who hadn't already been involved getting involved and by the end of the semester we were averaging 35 students a week at our weekly Large Group meeting.
Following the trip to New Orleans we had a retreat which attracted about 20 students which addressed our relational brokenness with God as a result of the fall in Genesis 3 as well as the hope of restoration that we get through Jesus which then informs all of our relationships with one another. This time also contributed to deepening students in their relationship with God and again with one another.
Throughout the course of the semester in my conversations both with young Christians and non-Christians I noticed that students were wrestling with the question of how can we be certain the the Bible is the word of God and thus I asked Ryan Goding, a local pastor, to come and address this question. We advertized on campus and had about 60 students attend as Ryan gave proofs from history and archeology demonstrating that the Bible does stand up to criticism as well as allowing time for questions. Many of these students were not InterVarsity members or connected to InterVarsity in any way shape or form but appeared to be seriously wrestling with this issue considering its validity and many Christian students I talked to were encouraged to know that what they believed actually does stand up to secular criticism.
Lastly we ended the semester well with our annual BBQ, to which 40 people attended, and even though it rained outdoors our spirits were not dampened and we had a great time celebrating all that Jesus had done over the course of the year taking us from a group that had shrunk to around 12 students to about 3 times that many in one short year as well as saying goodbye to our seniors and those who are transferring away. All in all it was a great blessing to me as well as the students and a great way to finish the semester.
In addition to the work that Jesus has been doing at UMF, or perhaps in part as a result of it, something amazing happened at Unity College this year. About 3 years ago I was speaking at a Church out in Newport Maine about InterVarsity at UMF and after the service one of members of the church came to me to ask about Unity College and if I remember correctly one of her children or close family members had at some point attended there, and she commented on how dark a campus it was and inquired as to whether or not there was any Christian organization meeting on campus. And to my knowledge there wasn't. Fast forward to fall semester of this past year (2010) I sat down to meet with Robert, who was a sophomore who had just recently gotten involved with InterVarsity and by this time I had been meeting with him every couple of weeks for discipleship when he mentioned he was hoping to transfer in the spring to Unity College. When he said this is reminded me of the conversation I had had about 2 years prior about Unity and so I asked if he would pray and consider trying to help get something going at Unity. And so eventually Robert confirmed that he would be attending Unity and that we both believed he was not going to Unity simply to get an education but that God was sending him there for a another purpose as well.
Around October I was at a meeting for training leaders in the church in Pittsfield, ME and I decided to ask a young guy who I thought might be interested in helping get something started at Unity as he was a little closer than me. As we were talking another young man named Christian was walking by and happened to hear that we were talking about Unity. “Wait are you guys talking about Unity College?” He asked, “I live like 5 miles down the road and I would love to be part of something there.” So from then on I began to plan to have Christian lead this group. So the week that classes started at Unity I got together with Robert to pray and the following Sunday Christian invited me to make an announcement at his church about getting a Bible started on campus as there were some Unity students who went there. I was able to connect there with two young girls and we planned to have a meeting on campus that Thursday. Thursday came and 8 students showed up along with Christian and myself and as far as I could tell half of them were Christians. They decided at that point to meet for Bible Study once a week and that Christian would lead them through it. As the semester progressed I met with them 2 more times leading the study when I came, taking them through Genesis 1 and 2. I was honored to be able to lead them as the group continued to maintain more non-Christians than Christian all of whom were wrestling with whether or not Christianity was true and real, and the group grew from the original 8 to an average of 15-20 weekly on a campus of only 550 students.
At the end of the semester students gathered at the house of a local couple to watch the passion of the Christ of good Friday. I was again able to be there and witness as these students wrestled on a deep spiritual and emotional level all that Jesus had done for them, and the weight of the love that he has for them. As of yet I have not been informed of any other these students making professions of faith but I do know that even though school is not in session these students and still wrestling with faith in Jesus and in regular communication with Christian and his wife, not to mention that the Christians involved were greatly encouraged in their faith as they have seen God work in the hearts and lives of their fellow classmates.
I again want to thank you all for your continued prayer for the work that God is doing, please know and believe that your prayer and financial support is as important and valuable as my time on campus, especially as without it I would be unable to be on campus. So thank you all for all that you do.
Financial Update: God has provided in ways that I never would have expected all year round and I have raised thus far around $19,500 but am still in need of approximately $1,500. I say this not to put pressure on you to give but in order that you might know how to pray and that if you feel called you might help narrow this gap. Thank You all so much again for you faithful prayers and support. Grace and Peace!
Your Fellow Worker In Christ Jesus,
Charles William Ellis
UMF IVCF
Hi all,
Chuck here and at the request of a number of those who support both financially and prayerfully the work of InterVarsity at UMF I have decided to begin a blog and I will try to post on a weekly basis the things that are going on and how God is working on campus. During the summer months though I would not expect to post that often though we will see. In addition to posting weekly updates I will also include newsletters when they come out. Thanks and I hope that this is a blessing!
Chuck Ellis
CSM
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
Chuck here and at the request of a number of those who support both financially and prayerfully the work of InterVarsity at UMF I have decided to begin a blog and I will try to post on a weekly basis the things that are going on and how God is working on campus. During the summer months though I would not expect to post that often though we will see. In addition to posting weekly updates I will also include newsletters when they come out. Thanks and I hope that this is a blessing!
Chuck Ellis
CSM
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
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