momentum

Debriefing our John 9 Bible study at Fall Conference with Jenn and Valerie.

According to the dictionary I just consulted momentum is,"strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events." Momentum is definitely my buzz word these days. In fact my planting coach, Howie, and I spend most of our conversations discussing where I am seeing momentum on campus and how to capitalize on that. I notice that the momentum has shifted around a lot in the first half of the semester, but there are a couple of locations where momentum has been building consistently. Here is where I am seeing momentum:

• Athlete Bible Study - 3 freshmen football players, 1 cross country runner, and 1 swimmer joined me to study a passage from Mark two weeks ago. Our discussion was lively and somewhere in the middle of it one of the football players, EJ, expressed his doubt about God's existence. EJ is one of Andrew's roommates and Andrew texted me later that night to let me know that they had a great conversation about faith when they returned to their dorm room.

• Catholic students - Several of the students I've met through hanging out in various freshmen dorms come from a Catholic background. Three students who came to our first two events of the school year happened to be Catholic. I was so excited about their initial interest, but when they stopped responding to my invitations for further connection I was rather disappointed. Despite that disappointment I continue to meet Catholic students and I am asking God for wisdom on how to invite them to get involved in the mission of Wash U Christian Fellowship.

• Being present - I spent one recent evening hanging out in a fort that some freshmen had constructed in their common room out of stacked furniture, bed sheets, and duct tape. Their RA had hoped that the night would involve discussing faith and so he invited me to join them. The conversation didn't end up there, but I did get to meet more students and share what I am doing on campus. I ran into a couple of these new students on campus last week and found myself feeling surprised as they recognized me. I realized that simply choosing to be present with them in that fort has potentially opened up a door for ministry.
  

I am encouraged by the evidence of momentum and I am praying for wisdom as I plan the next steps.