Summer ministry happenings

Summer takes many different shapes for students — but no matter where they are, there is always a potential for ministry. Whether it be getting industry experience on a co-op, or explicit short-term ministry opportunities, or just hanging out around home, there will always be people who need Jesus.

Though it seems like it would always be harder to have to leave comforts and raise support for ministry abroad, that can many times be just as hard to have a ministry in a more “normal” setting.  Grad student Josh Richardson is one such person who experienced this, and shared that “it was very gratifying to share my faith with co-workers,” speaking of his experience in the secular workplace this summer.

Several students spent part of their summer doing ministry abroad. Students from His House traveled to Rostok, Germany to teach English and religion in a predominantly unchurched region. One country to the west, student Colin Singleton was ministering in France, where God overcame language barriers to bring fruit to the ministry there.  Colin shares of one such instance of this: “At one point I tried to say that knowing God is not just a religious building. Fumbling my French I simply said Dieu n’est pas... (God is not...) and hammered my hand on the stone wall. Despite my limitations this man motioned to the heart, to agree that God’s focus is the heart.”

Another team of students served south of the border in Mexico City through InterVarsity’s Global Urban Trek, ministering to the urban poor. Josh Warfield was one of the Tech students on the team, and worked with a ministry called “Armonía”, helping out with their after-school program.   Warfield said “Experiencing Christian community outside of the contexts I’m used to allowed me to learn new things about God and about myself ... [and] made me more passionate about ministering to m y community on campus.“

In New Zealand, student Nat Erickson participated in an evangelical “Summer Project” through Campus Crusade for Christ. His team’s main focus was reaching and discipling college students with the message of Christ, partnering with the “Student Life” movement there.  “It was a great opportunity to do ministry in another culture and to get a better view of the worldwide scope of God’s redeeming work “ Erickson said.

Closer to home (relatively speaking!), many students ministered here in the United States. A large number of students worked at Christian youth camps, to reach youth with the message of the Gospel. Student Andy Dickey describes his experience at a lower Michigan camp: “300 young people came to the Lord in 8 weeks, I experienced God, counseled heart change every day.  I saw young people have life breathed into them and completely change.  I saw a hunger for truth spring up from nowhere.   There is no other work that brings fulfillment to the soul like the Lord’s.“

There were also students participating in “Summer Projects” stateside. One of these students, Michael Baumgartner, ministered in Grand Traverse Bay, Mich, to the beach/resort seasonal employees and tourists. “This project was amazing simply because God changed the lives of people in miraculous ways”, said Baumgartner. He continued: “The evangelism was definitely the highlight of the project along with the great amount of time spent in the word of God this summer”.

All this being said, this is simply a cross section of the many ministry impacts student had this summer across the country and around the globe. If you want to share where you ministered this summer and how you experienced God, comment on our website,
mtucrossreference.com.