Category: Encourage Service (Page 9 of 10)

Encourage Service to God’s Purposes in the World

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Our Heritage

March 2, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

At the Black Campus Ministry staff conference today we were challenged through the words of 2 Timothy 1:3-7 to remember. Remember the legacy that our families have given. Remember gifts given to us through the “laying on of hands” (vs. 6).

The gift that I instantly remembered was from a student leader at the University of Arkansas who upon first meeting me 19 years ago, laid hands on me and prayed for me to be humble. At the moment I was startled by this request and wondered why he would assume I was so prideful.

I’ve heard enough comments about my humility over these last several years that I see it as the gift imparted by this student. His gift to me enables the ministry that I do and I am so grateful.

What gift was given to you through someone else’s prayer? Take a moment to give thanks to God for them and as an extra step write them a note of appreciation for this gift.

Pray for Vision Conference

February 26, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

30 Students from the Central Region are joining 120 others in Chicago for Vision 2016. This conference has been an important place of renewal for our students and calling them to plant work among Black students on campuses in our region. Please pray that the 30 attending would come back with a vision for their campuses.

This conference is also the first step of the Empower program for 10 of the delegates. The program will have as its capstone the first ever Black student conference in our region in Spring of 2017. This conference will be planned and led by students under the direction of Tony Gatewood. Please pray that these students will catch a vision for what God wants to do in 2017 as they attend this weekend.

Pressing us to the edges

February 23, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Usually new part-time employees do not press you as an organization, but this past weekend I was blessed to train a group of interns who have done this for the Central Region.

They have started new work among Persian students, Native Americans, refugees, multi-campus Black student collaborations, art students, Greeks, and new campuses. They have been pressing us in prayer, growing as a family, and empowering students.

Please pray that the path they have set for our interns would start a wave of intern classes pressing us to every corner of the campus.

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Empowering the Next Generation

February 4, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Today is the launch of the first Empower Leadership Academy. The Empower Leadership Academy is a 1-year student leadership cohort for InterVarsity/USA students in Iowa and Nebraska, with an aim to develop empowered Black/African American leaders of leaders from the college campus. We have an initial class of eight student leaders.

The program will combine prophetic leadership development, mission to the world, service on the campus, and vision to harness the incredible momentum we are experiencing in Black Campus Ministries (BCM).

Empower will bring some of the best we offer in leadership development in InterVarsity to a targeted group of leaders who will then be a significant voice in our area and region as visionary planners for the launch of a Regional BCM Student Conference in Spring 2017.

Please join me in praying for this initiative and for its director Tony Gatewood.

Tony Gatewood, Empower Leadership Academy Director & Assistant Regional Director – Central U.S.

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Acknowledging our brokenness

January 18, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Throughout American history God has pressed the church to acknowledge and address the systemic brokenness of our society when it comes to race. We heard this call so clearly through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he called us to “Remain Awake” in the 1960’s.

Since the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, many have experienced the church being challenged to hear and respond to the story of systemic oppression of people of color that still besets our country.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Michelle Higgins brought the delegates at Urbana into this story. Her talk at Urbana15 challenges us to hear this story and invites us to say, “Tell me more” and “What shall we do?”.

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Follow you where?

January 11, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

“Are you willing to follow Jesus into the storms?”

More than Urbana’s in recent memory, Urbana15 came back over and over again to the costly call of following Jesus.

Patrick Fung, Director of OMF International, preaching out of Matthew shared the question above, but as well through worship, drama, Bible study, and active response we were brought into the reality of following a Jesus who found a place to “lay his head” at the cross.

One striking moment was interceding for the persecuted church through the resources of Open Doors while we sang “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” After listening to testimonies of solitary confinement and those losing their lives for Jesus, singing the song became real in a new way for me.

The question that I left Urbana with – Where is God inviting this generation of students to?

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What story will you tell?

January 5, 2016 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Last week 16,000 participants at Urbana were challenged to think about the story their lives would tell. There were great examples during the conference of story through song in Ferguson, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.

Please pray with me for these 16,000 participants as they begin the next chapter in their communities and on campus. Additionally spend time reflecting on the question, “What story will you tell?”.

Invitation

December 29, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Are you interested in seeing 16,000 young people offering themselves completely to God’s purposes? So are we.

At Urbana we are challenging this generation (including us) to give their whole lives to God’s global mission. It has been a great first 24 hours. Pray for us to say yes!

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10 cots

December 21, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

1500 InterVarsity staff are preparing to welcome 16,000 students to St Louis for Urbana15. Like this year, at Urbana 2000 many things were ready but as I experienced 15 years ago much prayer is still needed.

At 12am on December 28, 2000 I was on the phone with my sister asking for prayer to find 10 cots so students sleeping in dorms at University of Illinois would have beds. Within the hour 10 cots were found by another staff walking through a dorm on the way back to their room. Joyfully I delivered these cots to weary students and praised God for answered prayer.

Please join me in prayer for final preparations and that students would be welcomed in to encounter God in powerful ways during Urbana15, December 27-31.

Surrounded

December 14, 2015 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

I was blessed to join 50 regional colleagues last week to soak in Hebrews 12:1-3 at our Central Region staff conference. We reflected on the race marked out for us (hence the shoes), “throwing off” entanglements, and Jesus as the “pioneer and perfecter” of our faith.

One of the most encouraging times was sharing the stories of faculty, InterVarsity staff, students, and ministry partners who went before us walking out their faith on and around campus. Like in Hebrews 12:1 these stories and people stand around us cheering us to the finish.

To know that people like Gene, Harold, Jeannie, Sharie, Gerry, Suzy, Brad, and Janet (ask me the stories sometime) stand cheering me on is a great encouragement to run my leg well.

Who is cheering you on?