May 2013

Greetings, Chuck here with another update on the work that Jesus is doing at the University of Maine at Farmington. First I just want to thank you so much for all of your support that you give to the work that Jesus is doing at the University of Maine at Farmington through InterVarsity as it is greatly appreciated and things are looking well, though we could always use and would greatly appreciate any contribution you can offer to go toward Jesus work on campus.

I say the work that Jesus is doing and more than ever I am beginning to realize that that’s what it is. Jesus is at work in the hearts and minds of college students, Chuck is not, InterVarsity is not, its Jesus who works. Now I don't mean that God has not called InterVarsity and myself to join in the work that He is doing on campus, which is why I am here working with InterVarsity, but what the Lord has been pounding into me this last semester is that its not about me, its not about InterVarsity, its not about UMF, its about Jesus. Now that I'm paying attention I'm realizing he's been trying to get this across to me for the past few years I just wasn't listening.
We began this semester by going through the first chapter of the book of Ephesians as a large group. What I love about this chapter is that it very clearly indicates that the story of salvation is more about Jesus than it is about us. As we talked I told the students something revolutionary to them and even in practicality to me. The main character of the story of your life is not you, its Jesus. Jesus is the hero not only of the Bible and the salvation story for mankind but for me and for You. Its about Him. This is a hard pill to swallow because in our sinfulness we want it to be about us. In my work with InterVarsity over the years I noticed that when God was at work I took the credit, I would explain that the reason we were able to be as successful as we were was because of our magnificent strategies and that if other campuses or churches would just employ our strategies they could be successful too. At times I was wise enough to add on that God was the one who did the work but I'm not sure how much I actually believed it. The more time I spend in “ministry” the more clear Jesus becomes. When I'm doing something that is about me it fails, when its about Jesus, especially when its about Jesus and I don't want to do it, He works through me. Now God is gracious and fortunately even when its about us He does many times still work but as he's been teaching me that has come less and less in order that I might learn.

In those first couple large group meetings we made the decision that it wasn't about us and were reminded for what purpose we exist on campus that of growing in relationship with Jesus and reaching the lost. As a result we decided that there was a better strategy than the one we were currently employing to fulfill our purpose. Instead of following the normal pattern we've adopted for the entire time that I have been involved in InterVarsity at UMF both as a student and staff we stopped having weekly large group meetings and began meeting in small groups with the intent that these would be missional small groups. So we created teams of students who were tasked with inviting both Christians and non-Christians to them in order that people who are not currently in relationship with Jesus might come to know Him and those who do might come to know Him more fully. We had 3 small groups that met throughout the semester lead by 7 students. I met with these 7 students each week to train and equip them to be effective at reaching the campus. We saw a number of students who had never been involved in InterVarsity before begin attending and engaging with the gospel, some of these students had grown up in the church while others had not but all were engaging. Over the course of the semester we had 3 students who were seriously engaging with the gospel and who also went on our trip to New Orleans. Of these three students none have yet made decisions for Christ but we are hoping and praying that they will. Pray with us for these students!

At the student organization fair at the beginning of the semester a young girl named Kelsey who was a junior but didn't realize there was a Christian group on campus found us. She was so excited to find other Christians on campus that she quickly and boldly got involved in one of our small groups. As we got to know her she shared with us that she had a friend named Cecilia who, during fall semester, she had led to the Lord and a couple of weeks in to the spring semester Cecilia also got involved in one of our small groups and began to grow in her understanding of what it means to be a Christian as our students studied the book of Luke. She nearly stopped going to study after feeling like she wasn't a good enough Christian and didn't know the Bible well enough but when Erica the leader of that group found that out she reached our to Cecilia and encouraged her with the truth that none of us knows the Bible well enough or is a good enough Christian so she decided to keep going. Toward the end of the semester she ended up running into and going to church with another girl who was a student at UMF that had recently accepted Jesus into her heart and they went to church together. These stories are really exciting and fit the theme of the semester that its not about me. God is reminding us that he is the author of salvation not us and though He chooses to work through us he most definitely does not need us. Praise the Lord for all that he is doing and please continue to pray to Him for us and the students that are being impacted by the gospel. It is such a blessing to do the work that I do but it is impossible without your continued financial and prayerful support. God Bless!

                                                                                                       Your Fellow Worker In Christ,                                                                                                         Charles William Ellis

Charles W. Ellis October 29th 2012 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA 159 Perham St Apartment 1 Farmington, ME 04938 (207) 491-8964 Greetings, Chuck here with another update on the work that Jesus is doing in the hearts and minds of college students at the University Of Maine at Farmington through the work of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. This last year I committed the sin of using my student leaders for the sake of the mission and as a result 3 of the 4 leaders from last year have stepped down from leadership due to burnout. In the midst of this the Lord was gracious and worked mightily through our ill-conceived effort and drew more students unto himself than we had ever seen in one year in all the years that I've been involved with InterVarsity. But looking at what had happened I realized that I needed to be sure that my leaders were cared for, that I was making it my number one priority to be adequately discipling them in order that they might be able to lead with and within their gifting. One of the things I have learned over the years is that I am most frustrated when I am not working within my gifting but instead am doing things that I am not gifted in. There are times where we are called to act outside of our gifting but when we make it a regular practice it leads to frustration which we are trying to avoid in our leaders. Therefore one of the area's of discipleship I am going through with our current leaders is in the area of understanding Spiritual gifting and being sure to work with God rather than against him. This has been very fruitful this semester as it has freed students up to work more effectively where God is already calling them. I would ask that you continue to keep the student leaders in your prayers as we try to follow the Lord's leading. Despite moving away from an events focus to a discipleship focus we still have many things going on. Each week there are 4-5 Bible Studies that meeting which collectively have around 25 students involved as well as our large group meeting that has been averaging between 20 and 25 students. One of the Bible Studies I lead is our Freshmen Bible Study which I am co-leading with a young girl named Magyn who became a Christian in large part through Freshmen Bible Study last year and wanted to help out because of how awesome of an experience that had been for her. One of the reasons I get excited about Freshmen Bible Study is that whether students come from a Christian background or not many have not themselves engaged with the scriptures but have instead been told what they are to believe. As we sit down and look at each passage I encourage the students to both come up with questions, make observations and express what they think the passage is saying and trust that the same Holy Spirit that dwells within me also dwells within them and thus they are capable of coming to the truth as they engage with the scriptures. Occasionally I need to step in and do a little teaching but by and large the students are able by engaging with the scriptures to come to the realization themselves what is being taught. During these times it is really exciting for me because I see their eyes light up as they deepen their relationship with Jesus through the scriptures. Please pray for this study and others as students at UMF seek not only to survive but also to thrive in their faith on campus. From October 26th through October 28th students from Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire gathered at InterVarsity's retreat center called Toah Nipi in Ringe, NH. This was a time set aside for students to meet Jesus in a special way. It was called messy faith and was meant to encourage students through following the life of Peter that though we are to pursue righteousness with all that we have we are going to mess up and make mistakes and in those times to rest in God's grace knowing that even Peter failed and was restored and used in great ways for the sake of the advancement of the Kingdom. Four students from UMF went down and were greatly impacted by this time and were excited to be able to get back to campus and share this truth with both their Christian and non-Christian friends. Lastly I am thankful to be able to share with you that enough funds came in and were pledged that I was able to receive the cost of living increase that I had mentioned in my previous newsletter, thank you all for your prayers and financial support. God Bless! Your Fellow Worker In Christ Jesus, Charles William Ellis Campus Staff Member UMF

Testimonies (continued)

Another Testimony from the work that Jesus is doing in the hearts and minds of college students at UMF through the work of InterVarsity. Enjoy! "My Experience at InterVarsity My experience at InterVarsity has truly been a great life changing occurrence that brought a better knowledge and understanding of God’s word, who He is, along with His amazing love, grace, and power into my then overwhelming life. Growing up spirituality has always been a significant part of my life. Fortunately at a time where it was beginning to fade, not have any sign of faith and after losing all hope of ever finding it near the University of Maine Farmington campus, it was finally found! My spiritual lifestyle was surely replenished at a whole different level. I was first introduced to the group at a time where I was not having such great second semester. A dear friend of mine proposed the idea of joining a group activity right there on the campus. She began to name all sorts of groups, but the one that I was truly looking for was one that involved the enhancement of my spirituality. The One that had been seeking me to come back into His loving arms and try to develop my morality even more was finally mentioned, and that was InterVarsity. I was truly at my lowest point and was not willing enough to take any other advice that was recommended by my other friends, my roommate, or family, and I decided to give it try. The first time I went I had a great time and it made me want to continue going. As I continued attending, I was enabled to gain wonderful friends, who are almost like family to me now. I learned how to strengthen my relationship with God. InterVarsity to me is not just a church service as I thought it would be, but it is now more than that, based on of my experience of going to the devout gathering. To me it is a time to worship, pray, sing, and listen to His word, giving you the opportunity to be around amazing people that share a great faith in God with you. Lastly it is the perfect place to reinforce your relationship with God wherever starting point that may be for any individual." -Breann

Exciting and Difficult

This last year was both exciting and difficult. Exciting because we saw 8 students make decisions for Christ, difficult because becoming a Christian is a messy process. Exciting because we saw 32 UMF students go to New Orleans for our Alternative Spring Break trip, difficult because coordinating that many students isn't easy. Exciting because 16 of those students were non-Christians, difficult because 16 of those students were non-Christians. Exciting because one student said of one of our guest speakers who is a pastor in the 9th Ward “I don't want to go to church but I'd go to his church,” difficult because one of my student leaders nearly came back and began dating a non-Christian. Exciting because we're going to be making some changes that will focus more on discipleship and encouraging students to lead within the context of the way that God has gifted them, difficult because what reminded me of this was that I had burned out my student leaders by focusing on events and not having enough of a focus on discipling and caring for student leaders. Exciting because Christians became real about where they're at, difficult because where they're at is messy. Exciting because God worked in mighty ways, difficult because I was at times working against God. Exciting because when we are weak then he is strong, difficult because humility isn't learned in a sermon but in being humbled. Exciting to see where God is working, difficult in trying to understand how some things are going to fit into his glorious plan. All in all it was an amazing year and I once again look forward waiting expectantly to see what God is going to do this upcoming year both in and through InterVarsity at UMF. Please join with me in praying for the Lord to raise up leaders both from within the group and from new students and Jesus might continue to draw His lost sons and daughters unto Himself in part through the work of InterVarsity.

Summer Newsletter

Charles W. Ellis August 1st 2012 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship 159 Perham St Apartment 1 Farmington, ME 04938 (207) 491-8964 Greetings, Chuck here with a brief update on what Jesus has been doing at UMF through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I want to again thank You all for your continued partnership in the ministry here. It has been exciting over the years to see that way that Jesus works on campus but also in the provision of finances for the ministry budget each year. Every year God has faithfully provided and each year it has become less and less stressful for me as I trust God and watch him work. Normally though there is a rush for me after the school year ends to push forward in finding the funds to make budget by the end of June(the end of our fiscal year). This year however that was not the case in fact without me making a funding push at this time I was able to end the year with a surplus of $1200 and I ask that you celebrate this with me and praise the Lord for all of the different ways in which he provides for our needs. There are still financial needs in the ministry and I have been working from a bare-bones budget in order to be able to end the year in the black. During this time I have not received the normal annual increase that all staff workers with InterVarsity receive and if I am able to raise another $3000 this year I will be able to be at a full budget and receive my collective 3% annual increase that I have received for the past 3 years. This means if 12 people are able to give at $25 a month I will reach my goal and I would ask that you would prayerfully consider either beginning to support or increasing your support of the work Jesus is doing. Moving on from finances I have heard from many of you the desire to either have me bring students with me when I speak at your churches, which for one reason or another hasn't seemed to work out, or hear from student the impact Jesus is having on their life. I am excited therefore to be able to share with you testimonies from both former and current InterVarsity students on how Jesus has impacted their lives. I hope and certainly believe that you will enjoy and be blessed by these testimonies. I know I did and was. Before you go on to those please join with me in praising the Lord as this last year we saw 5 students make first time decisions for Christ and another 3 students recommit their lives to Christ. This is really exciting and in reality the most students we at UMF have seen become Christians in a single year since I got involved in InterVarsity as a student almost 10 years ago. I also believe it to be the result of years of preparation and learning and understanding how to share the gospel on the UMF campus and that this is only the beginning of God drawing people unto himself. I ask also that you would pray with me that the Lord would send workers into the fields of UMF and that he would continue to draw his lost sons and daughters unto himself. Thanks again and please be sure to enjoy the testimonies! Your Fellow Worker In Christ Jesus, Charles William Ellis Campus Staff Member UMF

Testimonies

Hi all, This is the first of what will be a number of testimonies from students impacted by the work of InterVarsity. I hope you enjoy them as much as me: To Whom it May Concern, My name is Rebecca Hall, and I am a recent graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington. When I started college six years ago, I had many anxieties. As I left home for the first time, the challenge of keeping up academically was nowhere as worrying to me as the prospect of having to fit myself into an entirely new community. Most of all, I worried that in my new home, I would be unable to find other Christians to challenge and support me in my faith. This need for community and Christian fellowship was partially filled by my involvement with Farmington Christian Fellowship. Through Bible studies, presentations, and weekly worship, I was challenged to keep nurturing my relationship with God, even in the midst of a hectic university schedule. Even though my views, both theologically and politically, greatly differ from many of those which were taught at FCF, they still welcomed me into an accepting, open community. The fellowship they gave me made a key impact on my life. Even though I have since moved on to seminary, and other Christian communities, Farmington Christian Fellowship was the first group to fill that role in my life. I cannot thank them enough for the support they gave me during my time in Farmington, and I would like to thank you for the support which has made it possible for them to impact me, and so many others, in this way. Sincerely, Rebecca Hall class of 2011

Spring 2012

Greetings,

Chuck here again and I am really excited to share with you about the work that Jesus is doing at UMF through InterVarsity as well as a recent partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Central Maine, and the potential start in ministry to International Students at UMF, not to mention all that is already going on in the normal life of the fellowship as we reach out to the campus.
First off I feel the need to express my gratitude to God for granting me an incredibly mature leadership team that not only know their stuff Biblically but are also excellent at gathering, teaching, training, and making disciples of younger students. This group of leaders has done an excellent job of working with the University and establishing a good report with the administration as well as most of the students on campus. Without these future leaders InterVarsity would not be in the great place that it is today. Please pray for these students leaders though as they shoulder a lot of responsibility and are under constant spiritual attacks from the enemy. Pray that they grow and mature and God gives them grace that those they are witnessing to might come to know the Lord.
We started the semester with the students desiring to have a greater emphasis on prayer as it is when we are on our knees before the Lord that he tends to work the most. There are now 3-6 students who meet weekly to pray both for one another and that God would move in mighty ways in the hearts and minds of the students and faculty on campus. We have begun doing monthly 24 hour prayer sessions where we grab a classroom on campus and someone is praying for the fellowship and the campus for 24 consecutive hours. During this time also anyone who needs someone to pray with can come and be prayed for or they can simply come and seek the Lord in silence and solitude. I had opportunity to man the prayer room during the first 24 hour session and was greatly encouraged in my own relationship with the Lord and I am confident it has already had a great impact on those involved as well as, through their prayers, the campus.
This year we sent 32 students from UMF to New Orleans for KRUP (Katrina Relief Urban Project) our alternative spring break trip during which we spend our days working with locals helping to rebuild the poorer neighborhoods in the city. 32 students from UMF about half are unbelievers, many of whom have never really engaged with the gospel before in their lives, and each evening we engage with the gospel hearing from different speakers as well as spending time in small groups studying and talking through the scriptures. Now as of yet I do not believe any students have made professions of faith but evangelism is so much deeper than that and many of these students took important steps in the direction of faith moving from a position of skepticism to being more curious about this whole Christian thing. One of our small groups even decided to keep meeting once they got back to campus because though only half of them believe in Jesus the others wanted to continue to pursue what this life might look like, which is really exciting especially given where some of these students lives have taken them. Four of the non-Christian students who went to KRUP have decided to get involved in our weekly Large Group meeting to continue to learn about Jesus.
Another exciting development this semester have come in area’s that I have had a burden for many years now but have just never gotten the opportunity to make contact. The first of those is with Athletes on campus who are for InterVarsity a practically unreached group of people who make up a large part of the campus. I was contacted early in the Semester by a young Woman named Margaux Shute who grew up in Skowhegan Maine before going off to UNH to play Field Hockey, where she would later coach and only recently decided to work with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). God was also at work in the heart of a senior named Emma and through their combined efforts FCA and IVCF at UMF have launched an Athletes Bible Study with the hope of it developing into a ministry that will reach Athletes for Christ. At their first Bible Study there were 8 students who showed up. One of those who showed up is a young woman named Keli who is a freshman but has a huge heart for the Lord and she and Emma will be leading the Bible Study this semester. Praise God for the mighty ways in which he works bringing people together to accomplish His purposes of redeeming sinners.
This upcoming semester through a connection with an InterVarsity Staff Worker on the West Coast we are going to have the opportunity to minister to students from southern China who will be at UMF for a year. Most, if not all of these students, have never heard the gospel and we’ll have opportunity through this connection of basically starting a small group Bible Study for them. Please pray that God would work mightily.
Lastly please join me in praising the Lord for the ways in which he continually provides for my and the ministries needs. Over the course of the past couple of years my support raising has gotten easier and easier as more and more of you have taken up the cause of supporting the ministry on a financial level and I just want to thank you once again for all you do and remind you that without this support I would be unable to minister on campus. Thank you all and God bless!


Your fellow worker in Christ Jesus,

Charles William Ellis

God At Work On Campus

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

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!

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.

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

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

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