Here's our final newsletter with InterVarsity!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
One month to go...
As our final transition off InterVarsity staff approaches, we are busy wrapping projects up, saying goodbye, and figuring out what happens when you leave a 10-year ministry career on campus!
Some highlights from our last 6-months of transition:
New staff funded (almost!): Out of the six new staff I (Sarah) started to work with last year, five of them are on campus working with students and funded! One is still working hard, hoping to be on campus in the fall. This has been a great joy in my last year, helping a new generation of staff step onto campuses all over San Diego!
Working ourselves out of a job!: We were hoping to replace ourselves, so the ministry would continue to grow. UCSD, where BJ has been ministering the past 5 years, has just hired a new staff, and is waiting for one more new staff to get funded. While my job role hasn't been filled yet, there are some great staff stepping into more leadership that will take the helm from me. I'm especially excited for a staffworker I've developed over the past 8 years to take over my role hiring and training new staff.
It's a bittersweet journey. We're excited about what's next, but very sad to leave a ministry and community that we love so much. We have been powerfully changed, first as college students ourselves, and over the past 10 years on staff with InterVarsity. It has been a privilege to partner with Jesus and you all to see college students lives' transformed!
Some highlights from our last 6-months of transition:
New staff funded (almost!): Out of the six new staff I (Sarah) started to work with last year, five of them are on campus working with students and funded! One is still working hard, hoping to be on campus in the fall. This has been a great joy in my last year, helping a new generation of staff step onto campuses all over San Diego!
Working ourselves out of a job!: We were hoping to replace ourselves, so the ministry would continue to grow. UCSD, where BJ has been ministering the past 5 years, has just hired a new staff, and is waiting for one more new staff to get funded. While my job role hasn't been filled yet, there are some great staff stepping into more leadership that will take the helm from me. I'm especially excited for a staffworker I've developed over the past 8 years to take over my role hiring and training new staff.
It's a bittersweet journey. We're excited about what's next, but very sad to leave a ministry and community that we love so much. We have been powerfully changed, first as college students ourselves, and over the past 10 years on staff with InterVarsity. It has been a privilege to partner with Jesus and you all to see college students lives' transformed!
Celebrating with the new staff. Audrey, taking the picture, will be taking over my role training and developing new staff hires.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Into the future!
Come June we are gonna need a name change for the blog (we are currently taking suggestions). Why? Because we are joining a team of missionaries focusing on church planting in Southeast Asia! Since this blog is public, we can't get into all the details for security reasons. But here is what to expect and what to pray for.
It is bittersweet as we finish the school year with InterVarsity. At the end of June, we will say goodbye to students and fellow staff that we love. We will say goodbye to a movement that, if it had not existed at UCSD and USD, Sarah and I might not still be following Jesus. As students, and these last 10 years on staff, InterVarsity has changed and shaped how we view and relate to God and the world. We love InterVarsity and want to see every college student, faculty, and campus transformed by Christ's love, as we have. It is our experience with IV that is pushing us out farther into the world!
Come June we will also say hello to Pioneers, a missionary sending organization that sends people all over the world to minister and plant churches among unreached people groups! We will join a team of 8 whose focus is to see people come to know Jesus that have never heard the Gospel before. That's exciting. Every year churches, colleges and other organizations in the U.S. send out short-term teams to help partner with our team in Southeast Asia. These teams enable the long-term church planters to be there, sharing the gospel.
In any given year, we hope to receive 15-25 short-term teams. As you can imagine, that takes a lot of coordination and communication. Something that is hard to do half-way around the globe, in a remote location with rustic internet. So, for the foreseeable future, Sarah and I will take up the slack and become stateside coordinators who will help recruit teams, train them to go, and help debrief them as they return. Our role will be mainly in the states, with part time in country (this makes our parents very happy).
Our hope and prayer is to grow the ministry and capacity of the team, so eventually they can expand to other villages and locations, raising up indigenous church planters and planting churches! Jesus told us to go into all the nations, and the Bible says, "Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them." Our hope is to develop a ministry model that can be replicated all over the world into countries that are closed to gospel of Jesus Christ.
We feel that God has poised us to take this next step. InterVarsity has grown in us a passion for making disciples. We are connected to hundreds of college students that need to be reminded of the great commission. We have built a network of people that we hope might come with us on short-term projects to see what God is doing in the most remote parts of the world. Will you join us?
It is bittersweet as we finish the school year with InterVarsity. At the end of June, we will say goodbye to students and fellow staff that we love. We will say goodbye to a movement that, if it had not existed at UCSD and USD, Sarah and I might not still be following Jesus. As students, and these last 10 years on staff, InterVarsity has changed and shaped how we view and relate to God and the world. We love InterVarsity and want to see every college student, faculty, and campus transformed by Christ's love, as we have. It is our experience with IV that is pushing us out farther into the world!
Come June we will also say hello to Pioneers, a missionary sending organization that sends people all over the world to minister and plant churches among unreached people groups! We will join a team of 8 whose focus is to see people come to know Jesus that have never heard the Gospel before. That's exciting. Every year churches, colleges and other organizations in the U.S. send out short-term teams to help partner with our team in Southeast Asia. These teams enable the long-term church planters to be there, sharing the gospel.
In any given year, we hope to receive 15-25 short-term teams. As you can imagine, that takes a lot of coordination and communication. Something that is hard to do half-way around the globe, in a remote location with rustic internet. So, for the foreseeable future, Sarah and I will take up the slack and become stateside coordinators who will help recruit teams, train them to go, and help debrief them as they return. Our role will be mainly in the states, with part time in country (this makes our parents very happy).
Our hope and prayer is to grow the ministry and capacity of the team, so eventually they can expand to other villages and locations, raising up indigenous church planters and planting churches! Jesus told us to go into all the nations, and the Bible says, "Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them." Our hope is to develop a ministry model that can be replicated all over the world into countries that are closed to gospel of Jesus Christ.
We feel that God has poised us to take this next step. InterVarsity has grown in us a passion for making disciples. We are connected to hundreds of college students that need to be reminded of the great commission. We have built a network of people that we hope might come with us on short-term projects to see what God is doing in the most remote parts of the world. Will you join us?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What's ahead in 2012
Here are the top two things I'm looking forward to accomplishing in the next few months:
1. Seeing the 6 new staff funded and on campus! These guys are so close! I hope to see them on campus in the next few months! It as been such a joy to work with these six staff (one is missing from the picture above) this past year. They are excited, passionate, and determined and have committed to the process of fundraising and building a support team to prepare for the next 3 years of ministry.
I am inspired by their fait, and so excited to see what God does through them to transform the college campuses they will set foot on.
One of them is pushing 90%... so close to being fully funded. Two of them are right on the brink of hitting 80%, which starts them on campus with limited hours. The other three are farther behind, but still faithfully asking people and churches to join them in this mission. I am so proud of each one of them!
2. Raising up a leader to take my place. I will be helping with the search process to fill my role as an Associate Divisional Director. Pray with us for God to provide the exact right person, that is excited to advance the ministry here in San Diego. There are other positions that need to be filled in San Diego, and so we will be doing a national search to find the right people to lead the next generation of ministry in San Diego. As with everything else in this job, we are depending on God to provide what we need.
Leaving a ministry that I've poured into these last 10 years isn't easy. I pray that I will work as hard as I can, and give all that I have to give to InterVarsity, the staff and students in San Diego, as I transition out.
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Christmas Reflections
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| Santa BJ with a student at UCSD's annual Christmas party |
As our life is in the most transition is has ever been in, we are praying and waiting on the Lord for Him to move. In many ways, we've felt like the Israelites, with our backs up against the Red Sea, looking at a charging Egyptian army with no escape route. And in the midst of that fear and chaos, we are praying to the God who parted the Red Sea.
We also identify with the chaos of Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus. A bit nomadic, living in a culture of fear and paranoia, unsure of the future of their family. Isn't that quite a different picture than our happy Christmas cards? In the midst of such a dangerous and fearful time, God sent his son as a vulnerable baby, to an overwhelmed and I imagine a bit haggard young couple, trying to make sense of the world.
Pray with us this season for God's miraculous provision... in ministry, in our personal life, and in this season of transition for Sarah and I. We need God to break through our darkness. We are praying for all of you, especially if you find yourself in a place of waiting, in the darkness of the unknown.
An update on our fundraising goals... we have raised $2,200 of the $15,000 we are praying for. Pray with us through December that God would provide all we need.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Big Changes for the Carters
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| a high-five @ SDSU |
Ministering to college students has shaped us more than almost anything else in our lives. We feel honored and blessed to have seen God pursue and transform students, and helped that happen. That’s why this decision has been particularly difficult to make. After 18 years of (collective) ministry, we have prayerfully decided to end our time serving colleges campuses with InterVarsity.
We write this news with mixed emotions. We love college students and the mission of InterVarsity and will continue to be committed to both, but we also feel released and a sense of anticipation as we wait for God to reveal the next step for our lives.
This is a time of great transition for us. We will finish this year with InterVarsity, and as of now, do not know what jobs await us next! There is sadness in leaving this ministry and community that we love, and there is fear of the unknown. But we are holding onto faith that God has prepared good works in advance for us to step into (Eph. 2:10)
We could not have survived in ministry without such an amazing support team. You are our friends, family, and partners in this ministry. Each gift you have given has made an impact for the Kingdom of God on the college campus. Students lives have been changed forever because of your investment. We are so grateful for you!
This is a time of great transition for us. We will finish this year with InterVarsity, and as of now, do not know what jobs await us next! There is sadness in leaving this ministry and community that we love, and there is fear of the unknown. But we are holding onto faith that God has prepared good works in advance for us to step into (Eph. 2:10)
We could not have survived in ministry without such an amazing support team. You are our friends, family, and partners in this ministry. Each gift you have given has made an impact for the Kingdom of God on the college campus. Students lives have been changed forever because of your investment. We are so grateful for you!
Finishing the Race
We want to finish the race we've been running with InterVarsity well. We are working hard to end well on campus, and we want to end fully-funded, able to serve the campus strong this last year. This is where we need you! As supporters that have been with us for the long haul, help us end well. Whether you have given faithfully for years, used to give, or have given in the past, would you consider giving a special celebration gift to our ministry this December?
To finish this school year of ministry, and to end our time with InterVarsity fully funded, we need to raise $15,000. This is our last push, and we are so grateful that you have weathered the ups and downs of the economy with us.
Give now in honor of these last combined 18 years of ministry, and in faith that college students will continue to be reached by the love of Christ for years to come.
Help us finish strong by giving a year-end gift of $200, $500, or $1,000. Click to give now.
Help us finish strong by giving a year-end gift of $200, $500, or $1,000. Click to give now.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Snapshots of an abundant fall harvest!
What happened to the thousands of college students that came to San Diego this fall to begin college? Read some snapshots around the city of God's powerful movement!
The harvest at UCSD
Check out these numbers (and think about all the work!):
Nearly 1,400 free hamburgers and hotdogs given away.
15,000 flyers distributed throughout campus!
Over 1,000 response cards to follow up with.
Over 500 students at the first InterVarsity Wednesday night.
All this work done by staff and students was abundantly worth it when 24 students made first time decisions to become Christians and 43 students made re-commitments to follow Jesus in college.
Momentum growing at SDSU
It has been an unprecedented fall at San Diego State. Already, in the first month, there have been more student conversions to faith than all of last year! They have seen international students coming to faith, Fraternity and Sorority students called to follow Jesus, and students in the dorms say YES to a life following Christ. The staff and student leaders are energized by this momentum, eager to see what God will do throughout this year!
Check out the Campus Leader's blog at SDSU for more amazing stories: reachsdsu.com
CSU San Marcos' second week...
Up at CSU San Marcos, they had 9 students come to faith at their first Large Group. Then... during their second week, 11 students came to faith! Usually the first week is the biggest group of students, and most people respond. How great that even more were thirsty for God the second week of school!
A student who came to faith the first week of school boldly proclaimed his testimony (which you can listen to here) at an outreach on campus just four weeks later.
At USD, and the community colleges around San Diego, God continues to move and pursue students, and there are many more stories to share. Pray with us for students to find new life in Jesus as they come to college, and that this movement of the Holy Spirit will only continue to grow throughout this year!
The harvest at UCSD
Nearly 1,400 free hamburgers and hotdogs given away.
15,000 flyers distributed throughout campus!
Over 1,000 response cards to follow up with.
Over 500 students at the first InterVarsity Wednesday night.
All this work done by staff and students was abundantly worth it when 24 students made first time decisions to become Christians and 43 students made re-commitments to follow Jesus in college.
Momentum growing at SDSU
Check out the Campus Leader's blog at SDSU for more amazing stories: reachsdsu.com
CSU San Marcos' second week...
Up at CSU San Marcos, they had 9 students come to faith at their first Large Group. Then... during their second week, 11 students came to faith! Usually the first week is the biggest group of students, and most people respond. How great that even more were thirsty for God the second week of school!A student who came to faith the first week of school boldly proclaimed his testimony (which you can listen to here) at an outreach on campus just four weeks later.
At USD, and the community colleges around San Diego, God continues to move and pursue students, and there are many more stories to share. Pray with us for students to find new life in Jesus as they come to college, and that this movement of the Holy Spirit will only continue to grow throughout this year!
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