CONNECT Conference

The ministry highlight of every summer is SFC Europe's annual CONNECT Conference. It is a dynamic week of learning and growing with other university ministry leaders and students, seeking God for wisdom and empowerment as we continue to follow his call to bless university students of Europe. 

Every year we encourage Irish students and ministry leaders to come with us to CONNECT. It is an important weekend for us to bond together. It's also inspiring for Irish leaders to connect with other Europeans doing the same thing, learning from those who are a few steps ahead in the process. It looks like we will be taking 3-5 students and possible one ministry leader with us this year. Praise God!

This is such an important week, Katy and I try to offer scholarships towards fees to get as many there as possible. The student fee is approximately $240, which is incredibly cheap for the length and depth of the conference. You can help them get there!

If you would like to sponsor a student to attend this amazing conference, click here. Simply write the amount you'd like to give, in the comment box write "CONNECT student", and hit the "Give Now" button. If you would also shoot me a quick message, I will make sure your gift goes immediately to the student. 100% of what you donate will go to the student fee.

As of now, Katy and I are still unsure if we will be able to go as our visa is still not sorted. The second we receive our visa we will purchase tickets. Please be in prayer for this.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Together, we are blessing students and ministry leaders across Ireland. God is using your faithfulness in a huge way! THANK YOU!

Baby Shower

Last Saturday I (Katy) walked in to a surprise baby shower thrown by Blake and two of our friends, Daniel & Deborah Malone. I totally did not expect anyone to throw a party. I felt so blessed that people cared enough to come and celebrate with us. It was a small shindig, mostly with other moms & dads that we know. 

Our friends here have become so much like family to us. They've shown us extraordinary love and acceptance. Thinking back through moments before we moved, moving to Ireland, learning how to do life in Dublin, having our first child, ministry ups and downs, going through a miscarriage, and now anticipating a new little life given to us... Each milestone we've had here in Ireland has attached with it kind, generous, and loving Irish friends who have welcomed us and supported us every step of the way.

We can't appreciate a single moment here without also appreciating our friends here who help make those moments so special. So to Daniel & Deborah, thank you for helping to make this moment so special. You are both so amazing on many levels, but most of all you are great friends who show the love of God so practically and honestly. You'll forever be attached to this moment.

We have roughly two weeks (a little less) before we meet our new little guy. We're getting more and more excited every day!

Building People

One of the things I do the most here is to equip, empower, and encourage people into their calling. Whether it's with the St. Mark's Worship Team, working with university students around the region, or in AGI's School of Advanced Leadership Training God has positioned us to build people up.

Something that I see more clearly with every step is that the key to building the Kingdom of God is to build people. My temptation (particularly as an American) is to put my energy into building systems. However, I'm constantly reminded that Jesus' primary concern was people.

Here's a few things I see in how Jesus walked with the disciples...

• The VAST majority of Jesus' time was spend living life directly alongside his disciples. People over tasks.
• He did not equip His followers simply to be good inviters to events. He equipped them to go to where the people were. He prepared them to do the ministry of prayer, witness, and discipleship in normal, mainstream life.
• To our eyes, He took a HUGE gamble leaving the disciples with the mission to build the Kingdom of God. Most leaders (including myself) would never have released the ministry to disciples at that moment.

The key, according to Jesus' efforts and priorities, are people. People taking up the responsibility to "go unto all the world and make disciples." People stepping into the call of the priesthood of all believers. Systems and organizations aren't bad. Sometimes, they're necessary. However, first and foremost, our priority must always be building individuals, who will then build individuals, who will then build individuals, who will then build individuals...

Jesus model of evangelism was multiplication through discipleship, being in mainstream society, and meeting people's needs. When I build teams in whatever context, this is my aim.