Last week we spent two whole days planning for next year. I am amazed at how many ideas we came up with - more than the three of us could ever do in one year. Now we have to come up with all the ideas we think are the most important and that we can prepare for over the summer.
Last night Gene was ordained. Congratulations Gene! It was a wonderful ceremony. The best thing about it is that our good friend of over 20 years, Nick Fatato, was one of the officials who ordained Gene. Nick and Gene were amazed how God works things out in delightful ways. We never thought, 23 years ago, when we visited Nick in Michigan at Ferris State University, that someday he would ordain Gene in Boston.
Gene's ordination felt like a stamp of approval on Gene for the commitment he has made to Chi Alpha at Boston University. I was very proud of him.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Ending the Year
Classes are over and the students are now in their finals. We had our Year End Celebration Banquet and our last Tuesday night meeting. My direct work with the students is over but May through August is still very busy for us.
We had a wonderful banquet to end the year. We honored our seniors and spent the evening remembering our year together. The highlight of the evening for me was having J. there with his girlfriend, N. J. is the atheist Jew who has been coming to our meetings on Tuesday and whom we feel is a part of Chi Alpha. He graduated this year and so we honored him at our banquet also. N. came as his guest and at first she was not happy about being at the event. But then she began to meet us all and we made her feel part of the group. She heard and saw us honor J. and we also said a few words to her about her graduation, including her in the festivities. before she left she mentioned that she might drop by next year on a Tuesday night (she is going to graduate school at BU).
We celebrated communion at our last meeting together. We let the students take a piece of bread and share it with each of their Chi Alpha friends, along with words of thanks and affirmation. And then we shared the cup together. It was a meaningful end to a great year.
Thomas has finished his Chi Alpha internship with us and has decided to join our Chi Alpha staff here at BU and we are so glad he is staying to help us. The three of us will be spending the next two weeks planning next years events, teachings, materials and outreach.
We also have a student staying to be part of our internship next year. Robert Barrett will be an intern with us next year and we are so excited. He is the first graduate from BU to intern with us.
Gene will be ordained next Tuesday night at our denominational council meeting. And then we begin a summer of mostly fund-raising and preparation fro next year.
As with many other missionaries around the U.S., finances have been a big challenge for us. In the last five years we have had enough to survive, but this spring we have had the hardest struggled with our events on campus and our own personal finances. We have come close to canceling outreaches because we have no money and we have even had to borrow money to hold our year end banquet (an event we could not cancel). So this summer we will be on the road here in the Southern New England district talking to pastors and individuals about supporting our work here.
Please pray for us - for God to provide the money we need to cover our debts, and for his blessings on our efforts to raise more funds. Gene and I appreciate your prayers and support.
We had a wonderful banquet to end the year. We honored our seniors and spent the evening remembering our year together. The highlight of the evening for me was having J. there with his girlfriend, N. J. is the atheist Jew who has been coming to our meetings on Tuesday and whom we feel is a part of Chi Alpha. He graduated this year and so we honored him at our banquet also. N. came as his guest and at first she was not happy about being at the event. But then she began to meet us all and we made her feel part of the group. She heard and saw us honor J. and we also said a few words to her about her graduation, including her in the festivities. before she left she mentioned that she might drop by next year on a Tuesday night (she is going to graduate school at BU).
We celebrated communion at our last meeting together. We let the students take a piece of bread and share it with each of their Chi Alpha friends, along with words of thanks and affirmation. And then we shared the cup together. It was a meaningful end to a great year.
Thomas has finished his Chi Alpha internship with us and has decided to join our Chi Alpha staff here at BU and we are so glad he is staying to help us. The three of us will be spending the next two weeks planning next years events, teachings, materials and outreach.
We also have a student staying to be part of our internship next year. Robert Barrett will be an intern with us next year and we are so excited. He is the first graduate from BU to intern with us.
Gene will be ordained next Tuesday night at our denominational council meeting. And then we begin a summer of mostly fund-raising and preparation fro next year.
As with many other missionaries around the U.S., finances have been a big challenge for us. In the last five years we have had enough to survive, but this spring we have had the hardest struggled with our events on campus and our own personal finances. We have come close to canceling outreaches because we have no money and we have even had to borrow money to hold our year end banquet (an event we could not cancel). So this summer we will be on the road here in the Southern New England district talking to pastors and individuals about supporting our work here.
Please pray for us - for God to provide the money we need to cover our debts, and for his blessings on our efforts to raise more funds. Gene and I appreciate your prayers and support.
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