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Prayer on Everycampus

September 20, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

From coast to coast, students around the country are back at school, and on hundreds of campuses, and as you read this our staff are inviting students from a multitude of backgrounds to consider the relevance of Jesus to their lives today!

These first few weeks on campus are rich with opportunity to build new relationships form new communities, and establish new rhythms (many of which will last throughout that students’ time on campus). As such, for our staff team, these are weeks full of intentional outreach to meet, welcome, and invite students into our fellowships.

Would you consider partnering with our work in this season by prayer walking a campus near you? Just like the students in the video below (who actually road-tripped to prayer walk) and our staff across the country, would you consider taking a look at this State by State list of campuses and consider “adopting” a campus near you to prayer walk via www.everycampus.com?

12 campuses, 3290 miles

September 12, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Our 2030 calling is compelling staff across the country to continue to lift up their eyes to the ‘field’ God has placed before them.

This summer Kristin Wright, Area Director in Montana (on the left in picture above), joined with her staff to prayer walk on yet to be reached campuses around the state.

On her 3290 mile trip she experienced God’s presence through scripture, images, divine appointments, engaging in prayer around challenges students are facing, the joy of students as they engaged in prayer for their campus, and insights into particular ways to partner with Him in ministry on campus.

Praise God for leaders like Kristin in our movement that are seeking to meet God on every corner of every campus and catalyze movements that call students and faculty to follow Jesus…and are willing to drive 3,290 miles to do it! Please pray for the ‘seeds’ that were planted on this trip would end up bearing fruit across Montana.

Together

September 12, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

As a part of InterVarsity/USA, I have the privilege of serving with sisters and brothers around the world inviting students and faculty to follow Jesus through the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.

Watch this short video to see the story of the development of this movement.

Recently a delegation of staff and students from the USA went to the IFES World Assembly. Click here to read one staff’s reflections from the time.

Something to share

August 7, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 (NIV)

As a regional community, the Central Region (IA, KS, MO, and NE) embodied this passage and set a team goal that their whole staff team would finish the fiscal year (June 30th) even or with something to share.

I was so encouraged and praise God with them that they reached this goal in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Throughout our movement staff directors continue to press forward to see all of our staff funded. Would you join us in prayer that the passage in 2 Corinthians would be true of our movement so that we see our staff thriving as they catalyze movements that call people to follow Jesus?

Looking Back

August 7, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

“If it’s you Jesus, invite us on the water.”

18 months ago my family was asking this question regarding the opportunity to move to Madison and take a job at InterVarsity’s headquarters.

We had been captured by the story of Peter in the boat in Matthew 14. As a family we sensed it was Jesus on the water and made the move last summer.

While there is much to still see about what God has for us here, there are a couple of things that stand out as I look back at the first year.

First, “water” is very unstable to step onto. This year had many questions, challenges, and uncertainties. It is faith stretching and calls out a focus on Jesus.

Second, we have so much to be thankful for. Camilla and I spent a recent drive recounting for an hour our places of thanksgiving as we reflected on the year.

Thank you so much for your prayers and continued partnership! And, I wonder, is there a place where Jesus’ presence is beckoning you out of the boat?

Being carried to Jesus

July 3, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Over spring break, Jessica Marotte, staff in Sacramento, CA, hosted a student conference in a rental house to study the Gospel of Mark. She was told there were not many stairs, but when they got there they found a huge flight of stairs.

Jessica says, “One student who came to Mark Camp was wheelchair bound and required two people to her carry up and down 20 stairs each day. It took a lot of bravery for her to trust us not to drop her! Each time we carried her, I could only think, this is a living parable of Mark 2, when the four friends removed the roof of a house and carried their paralyzed friend down into to crowd to meet Jesus.

In the passage it says that when Jesus saw the four friends faith he forgave the paralyzed man and heals him. When we studied this passage at the conference, one of our students made an insightful comment that felt symbolic of this school year, ‘Each of us is the paralytic who needs Jesus’ healing, and each of us is a friend who has faith that helps us carry one-another to Jesus!’

Throughout this year, Jesus has been showing us–students, faculty and staff–that power of faithful community in our healing process. The year was full of miraculous healings that Jesus performed.

Through the power of prayer and intercession we saw God bring breakthrough in the ministry and in student’s lives! We ended the year with 5 students making first time decisions to follow Jesus, and 6 students making re-commitments to follow Jesus!”

Praise God with me for the work of God on campus and let’s consider with these students who God is inviting us to carry to Jesus.

Prayer is the work

July 3, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Do you remember the story in Exodus 17, of Moses standing on the mountains with his hands up as the Israelite’s battled on the field below?

As I studied this passage in an InterVarsity class last week, Praying for Spiritual Breakthrough, we were challenged by this phrase shared by our teacher – Prayer is the work.

How does my action, my work, demonstrate the central place of prayer in the story of God? Many times it does not. I go about my work, important for sure, without the central component of a dependence and crying out to God as I do it.

This morning in our weekly chapel I had the opportunity to lead our office staff to intercede for the requests of new staff across the country (pictured above). As I continue to explore how to deepen this aspect of the work God has called me to, would you join me in God’s invitation of engaging in the work of intercession?

Students taking the lead

June 5, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

This year the chapter at Arizona State University was put on pause after graduating all of the student leaders and transferring the staff out of Arizona.

But, God heard the prayers of staff, Steven and Jessica Grahmann, and called 4 students at Urbana who had a vision to replant the ministry. These 4 students have multiplied to 20 as they’ve recruited for weekly events and bible studies!

Please pray for this group of students as they take the next steps of developing the work at Arizona State.

Not what I expected to find

June 5, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Last month I was privileged to visit the Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama with my team. It is a powerful memorial to the thousands of victims of lynching in America, telling a part of our history that we need to reckon with as a country. I highly recommend it.

In one area of the memorial, the markers for every verified lynching in every county in the United States are laid in a memorial garden. As I walked through looking for counties that I lived and worked in Missouri, I came upon a memorial to the county of my birth, St Louis County, Minnesota.

Stunned, I realized the ground of lynching extended to the very ground in I was born and grew up on. This story is part of my story.

I later read about Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie who were lynched in Duluth in 1920. May the Lord have mercy on us and may we participate this day in the coming of his kingdom that is marked by justice and righteousness.

Abundantly More

May 2, 2019 / Howie Meloch / 0 Comments

Last weekend Solome Haile, Black Campus Ministry staff at Mizzou, partnered with an administrator to put on an on-campus Easter service and lunch.

Solome says, “We originally anticipated about 50 students would attend, and we were praying throughout the week that many students would respond to the call to faith that we’d give during the service.”

“God is truly able AND willing to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can even ask or imagine! Over 100 black students attended and NINE students accepted Christ!!! All were very excited to hear about the BCM chapter we are building and eager to join! Praise God for his faithfulness in my end-of-semester weariness!”