Matt's January Update

Happy New Year! May the Lord bless you in 2017 by revealing more of Himself and deepening your trust in Him.

The new year brings in a new semester. Students in Denton will be starting classes next Tuesday so please be praying for them, especially because transitioning to a new campus in the Spring semester is more difficult. Be praying for our communities to show any new or transfer students a welcoming spirit - we want to help anyone looking for community get plugged in somewhere on their new campus, whether that's with FOCUS or another organization.

Winter Camp

This is one of our biggest events of the year. Typically we bring in someone as a guest speaker, but this year our staff will be speaking on various aspects of what it means to be God's people. More important than the sermons, it's a time when our community gets to be together for a longer duration of time to deepen old friendships and develop new ones. It's a chance for our students to catch a bigger vision of what God is doing as they see students from all 9 of our campuses. It's a place for students to be encouraged, ministered to, and spiritually prepared for the semester to come. For many students, this weekend is a turning point in their commitment to God within our community. Please be praying that our students' hearts and minds are open to the Spirit working this weekend!

Our group from last year's camp!

Update on the Keep FOCUS Growing fundraiser

So far, we've almost reached our goal with a whopping $46,050! Thank you so much if you sent a gift! It's not too late to donate still if you haven't. Investing in college students' spiritual growth is one of the most strategic investments in God's kingdom that you could make. These young men and women will become the future leaders in our world. We want to equip them for this and teach them how to lead in the context of following Jesus.

anyfocus.org/kfg

Here are some of the students you're investing in!

Pray For Our Potential Leaders

Speaking of tomorrow's leaders, we are currently thinking through potential new leaders for next school year. Please be praying for guidance as we make decisions regarding who to invite to our upcoming leadership training conference this summer (SICM, the Student Institute of Campus Ministry). And be praying for God to work powerfully in preparing these students for ministering to their peers.

Thank you for your faithful commitment to God by supporting campus ministry. You are playing a significant role in changing our world at a foundational level!

Yours for the Campus,

Matt

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I'd also like to share one of our student's reflections as she wraps up her time in school and looks forward into life after college:

Before college, I spent a vast majority of my time at church, from volunteering to mission trips. After graduating, I was nervous about what Christian community would look like now that I had to find it for myself. I prayed for a group of friends who cared about me. I was at the gym six weeks into my freshman year and while I was working out on the treadmill, something made me turn around (while running 80% speed) and I saw a banner for FOCUS. I visited that Friday night and stayed because people sought out His Word, ways to practice His teachings and made Christ-likeness a lifestyle- specifically, Autumn Priestley, a senior at the time I joined FOCUS. I constantly asked myself “why would someone who’s about to leave college want to spend time with me”? She spent time with me because of the lessons she learned through FOCUS. As I make my transition into the “real world” and becoming a teacher, I will remember to seek to understand then be understood when working with students, parents, and other teachers. I will look at my students and love them. I will consider their needs and provide for them, whether that means that I attend their sporting events or support them through tough times. I will show them who Jesus is through my teaching, patience, and discipline on and off the podium. It’s because of my involvement in FOCUS that I am able to know what it looks like to be a disciple in the “real world”.

Chiazo Akagha (Senior, University of North Texas, Choral Music Education)

Matt's December Update

One of our UTA students recently made this very touching video for a class. As I watched it, I couldn't help but agree that our ministry really has been a family for me too. For those students who don't have a good example of family, this is vital. That doesn't lessen the value for those of us who have a loving family, though. The relationships I've experienced within FOCUS have helped me to develop deep friendships that aren't out of obligation but founded on the unity we have in our Lord. In our world friendship seems to be walked away from at the slightest conflict, but Jesus showed us a friendship that embraces conflict. The culture which God has developed in our community has had a profound impact on many people, including myself. In turn, this has helped me to appreciate my own family even more. So take a moment to see what the students have to say - I hope that you find it encouraging!

Annual "Keep FOCUS Growing" Fundraiser

This year our goal is to raise $55,000 to set us up for the next 20 years of college ministry. Reflecting on what God has done through our ministry over the past 20 years, we are convinced his vision for us is to continue planting vibrant, intellectual, outreaching, Jesus-loving communities on every college campus in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and to be a resource for the world, equipping and sending campus missionaries.

One of the most exciting things on the horizon is expanding to SMU (Southern Methodist University). Despite the many obstacles of starting a ministry at a private university, we have had several opportunities in the past few months to meet various influential individuals so that the possibility of a FOCUS community at SMU this coming year is seeming more likely. It's a God deal for sure and we're excited to be a part of it!

Will you please take a moment to consider investing in college ministry? Every dollar will, in some way, go toward the development of committed Christian leaders in our world. You can click the image below to send a gift online. Thank you for your consideration!

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I hope you're able to find some time to slow down during the busy holidays, be with family and friends, and remember our precious Lord and Savior. The biggest encouragement I gave to the students at our last large group meeting is to be purposeful over their break from school, in connecting with God and blessing other people. My encouragement to you is the same. There are likely unique opportunities for each of us during the Christmas season. What better way to honor Jesus than to strive for obedience to our Father's greatest commands? You might ask yourself:

• What are some ways I could connect with God that I'm usually unable to? How can I love the Father with all of my heart, soul, and mind?
• Who are some people I will be around which I don't see very often? How can I love them as myself (or as Jesus has loved me)?

Thank you so much for your generosity and partnership with FOCUS as we work with God to change students' lives! Merry Christmas to you and your families!

Yours for the Campus,

Matt

Matt's November Update

Fall Camp report

Our group at camp!

This year's fall camp was maybe one of the best we've had, which actually surprised me a little. Our students really made it what it was, though. Their attitudes and intentionality during the 24-hour period encouraged me tremendously. Reflecting on that weekend, it's obvious to me how much God was at work. Seeing our community invite new students into their fun, their worship of God, their lives, etc. was clear evidence of the Spirit moving among us. I wish there was some way I could allow you to experience it for yourself. The best thing I can offer is a video one of our students put together of his own accord.

It may look like they spent the whole time playing games, but take note of how they interact. I know it's probably still hard to grasp the full effect without knowing who these people are. When I watch it, I see the development of their relationships, old and new, and know that God did that. The first time I saw this video I teared up a little because I was so touched. What a blessing it is to be the Lord's servant, witnessing His work first hand!

Pizza Theology

Our biannual Pizza Theology was this past Sunday! This event allows us to take 4 hours to dive deeper into a subject than we can in a 30-minute sermon. The topic this semester was about how to hear God's voice today. A special bonus was that we had one of our dear friends, David Knebel, from the ministry in Bellingham, WA fly down to speak. Many of our students know him from the leadership training conference (Student Institute of Campus Ministry) we send our potential leaders to each year. And in case you're wondering...the "pizza" part of pizza theology just means that we take a dinner break halfway through to eat pizza - yum!

Alex & Mitchell

Alex, me & Mitchell

Another two student leaders that I get to mentor on a weekly basis are Alex and Mitchell. Like Ben and Bradley, they have decided to prioritize learning how to lead and develop disciples during their few years in college.

Alex was a student leader last year and started out very quiet. His leadership potential was shown in the initiative that he took, his response to challenges, consistent investment in the community, and his concern for others. He has developed a great deal of boldness during that time, though! I'm always blown away by what God can change in a person who is willing to grow. One of the most impressive things from Alex is his self-management. When I assign him things, he does them. Often when asked, he has already done it. He doesn't wait around for me, as his mentor, to tell him what to do - he takes initiative. This is what we need in our Christian leaders!

Mitchell is one of the sweetest guys I know. He is simply a genuinely kind person. This is his first year on the leader team, but he almost rejected the invitation! When I talked to him this summer to talk about the possibility, he told me that he wasn't sure he was really being called into leadership. My question was a gentle nudge: "Do you think that maybe me calling you on the phone and asking you to be a leader might be from God?" I gave him some time to think about it, but the next time I talked to him he was actually pumped about stepping onto the leader team and thought it was exactly what he needed to do this year. I was actually a little surprised! What impresses me about Mitchell is his consideration of things he doesn't necessarily want to believe. He is eager to learn rather than protect his current beliefs and biases.

These two young men are encouraging to me on a weekly basis. I'm so excited to see what God does through their obedience this year!

Closing Thoughts

Danielle and I have been married for just over 3 months now. It's been a great experience so far. I'm so encouraged by how our relationship has developed as of yet. We have pretty strong personalities, we are a little more set in our individuality being married at 29, and have the added layer of working in ministry together (I'm her boss! And ministry is a 24/7 thing). Some might immediately think we set ourselves up for hardship, but I'll tell you that it's been nothing but a blessing. God knew what he was doing when he led us into this relationship. We so often think that blessing comes from pleasant and comfortable things, but it also comes from suffering, hard work, and discipline. That's not to say that I'm suffering in my marriage! I'm merely making a point. Danielle and I knew going into this that it wouldn't be easy, and at times it has had its challenges, but we are certainly better for it. Our relationship is stronger because we've talked through so many of our miscommunications. We have more concern for one another because we try to make time every day to share how we're doing. We grow as ministers as we sharpen one another in the strengths we have over the other. We grow in our understanding of and relationship to God as we learn more of what it means to be one as two individuals. In these ways, and many more, marriage truly is an awesome gift from the Lord.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this! And thank you for your dedication to investing in college ministry. The impact is incredible - God will take these young men and women, who have been trained to lead others in the way of Jesus, to go out into the world and make His name known. That is the greatest ROI this world will ever see!

Yours for the Campus,

Matt

Matt's October Update

This month is packed full of great things and I'm already off to a rough start. I'm just now recovering from being sick since Friday, but I'm thanking God that it's neither the flu nor strep throat! Anyway, I'd love to tell you a little about what's coming up this month.

FOCUS 20 Year Celebration - Oct 8

The 20 Year Celebration is this weekend! I'm sure you've already heard about it by this point, but just in case you haven't I want to quickly describe what we'll be doing. We will have a reception from 4-5pm before the main event with refreshments specifically for people to socialize with old friends or people from other generations of FOCUS. This event isn't just for alumni though! We want to invite anyone who has been involved in FOCUS in any way, even if only indirectly. Our main celebration will be from 5-7pm and will be a really cool timeline of how God brought about the FOCUS community and developed it over the last 20 years through various people. Lastly, we'll talk about where we are now and where we believe God is guiding us in the years to come. I really hope that you can make it! Here are the details again if you need them:

Reception 4-5pm
Celebration 5-7pm

Richardson East Church of Christ
1504 E Campbell Rd.

Richardson, TX 75081

RSVP at anyfocus.org/celebrate20

Fall Camp - Oct 15-16

This is an annual event geared toward integrating newer students into our community and deepening relationships. It's only a 24-hour event, but it's packed full of silly games, thoughtful worship, and meaningful sharing of lives. The students who have attended this event know how impactful it can be. It's not anything that we, as staff people, do special; it's just God working amongst his people. My hope and prayer is that every new student who decides to be at Fall Camp will be connected into the larger community. Please be praying over this weekend as well!

I'll try to post a picture of our group on next month's update!

Leadership Conference - Oct 22

The Leadership Conference is hosted by our family of churches in the Garland, Wylie, and Denton area along with FOCUS. It's also an annual event, but it's specifically aimed at the leaders of our various communities. We bring together leaders from all of our teams to share, teach, encourage, and challenge one another to grow as leaders in God's Kingdom. Our goal is to grow in our leadership every year so that all of our communities are blessed.




The last thing I wanted to share with you is about a couple of the student leaders I get to mentor, Ben and Bradley. These two guys have made some really powerful decisions in their lives in order to follow God. It may not seem like much, but I'll tell you it's not been easy for either of them.

Ben came to UNT as the little brother of my best friend, but like many younger siblings, I could tell he wanted to find his own way. Thankfully God decided to bless Ben with a few friends in our ministry who consistently pursued him last school year. Over time and through their concern for him, they convinced him that being a part of real Christian community was better than working all the time. Ben is a work-a-holic by nature so it was hard for him to re-prioritize taking on responsibilities and leaving time for community. I'm really impressed by how much Ben has been willing to change certain parts of his life in order to lead others to Jesus. And God is still working in his heart and mind in major ways!

Bradley came to UNT as the "perfect son" who always made an A+ on every assignment (I'm not 100% certain, but that might actually be true!). When he was first asked to consider being a leader in our community, he declined because school was his first priority. Over the course of the next year, he started to realize how much God can do through the lives of obedient people - specifically in student leaders who had been investing in him. His decision to become a leader was difficult because it meant re-prioritizing school in his life overall. His decision meant he had to study less. All last year Bradley was able to successfully lead a core group, meeting up with some of the guys weekly for one-on-one Bible studies, and still maintain his 4.0 GPA and study for the MCAT (which he did exceptionally well on). And he is excited to be on the leader team again this year!

I'm really proud of both of these guys and am very excited to see the fruit of their labor this year!

Me, Bradley, and Ben at FNF

Thank you so much for reading! And thank you for your continued support of the work God has called me to here in Denton. Please keep us in your prayers and let me know if there's anything I can be praying about for you!

Yours for the Campus,

Matt

Matt's September Update

A lot has happened over the past month. THANK YOU for your prayers. The preparatory days we had for our student leader team went very well and they did an amazing job of reaching out to new students over the last couple of weeks. Our first FNF (Friday Night Fellowship, which is our weekly large group meeting with all the Denton campuses) meeting was nearly packed out. It was impressive just to see what God had done through the commitment of our community to befriending as many people as possible.

FNF Kickoff

This coming weekend we are hosting another leadership training day to prepare our student leaders for starting their small groups. We call these groups "cores" because they are the core of our ministry and a place where students can experience deep Christian community through studying God's word and living their lives together. We try to use this training day as a way to cast a vision for their cores and give them practical advice on how to be successful. We will talk about our mission - to make and mature disciples to the glory of God - and how to take real steps toward that in the context of core. We'll talk about several other things and do some activities to further equip them for kicking off their core groups to the best of their ability. Please be praying for our student leader team as they start their cores next week! You can specifically pray for the Lord to:

• give the student leaders a spirit of peace as many will be nervous
• bring whoever He wants to each of their groups
• prepare the hearts of those who come, even if they aren't new
• use our staff to adequately support the student leaders in their roles

Reflections from my first month of marriage

Recently I was encouraged by one of my close friends and supporters to share more about my personal life, especially my new life with Danielle, in my blog. I'd love to just share a little of my insight from the past few weeks. I'm sure it will be nothing new to those who have been married a while, yet perhaps there is something to be remembered from the beginning of your own relationship.

Since Danielle and I have been married I have grown a lot. I've learned even more deeply the meaning of Proverbs 27:17. Marriage has the powerful ability to work the selfishness out of each person, but it doesn't come naturally. It takes hard work, just like it takes hard work to rub two pieces of iron together in order to sharpen one of them. I would say this is the characteristic of a good marriage. It is one of the many blessings that God gives us through this holy union.

I have surely been blessed in this way through uniting with Danielle. But I'm blessed even more by her desire to intentionally make me better. She calls me to a high standard, as Christ calls all of us - to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Not that she expects me to be "perfect" in the sense our culture understands, but to become who God intended me to be (perfectly made for the purpose). She challenges me to be more thoughtful, to be more organized, to be more sensitive, to be more encouraging, to be more expressive, and to be a better leader. Through our relationship I have every hope that God will make me into the creation He intended. My prayer is that I will do the same for her.

One last thing I'd like to tell you about is our upcoming event, the FOCUS 20 Year Celebration. This is for anyone who has ever been involved with FOCUS (in any way) to celebrate with us. We'll be telling stories from the last 20 years and then casting our vision to you for the next 20 years of ministry. We're really looking forward to celebrating with everyone!

Saturday, October 8, 2016

UT Dallas

Edith O'Donnell Arts & Technology Building

Reception 4-5PM

Celebration 5-7PM

To RSVP for the event, please go to anyfocus.org/celebrate20.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I thank our God for you often for the blessings He provides though you. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and let me know if I can ever be praying for you.

Yours for the Campus,

Matt

Matt's August Update

One thing that I was especially encouraged by this week happened while I was a new restaurant in Denton. They were giving away free food...so of course some of our college students were there also. While I was waiting in line with Danielle, I watched two of the students go sit with a guy who was there by himself and talk to him for a while. Later I asked one of them about it and she said that they had seen him on campus last week and noticed he was alone. They wanted to say "hi" and make sure he had friends by just being that to him. How great is that?! I'm just constantly impressed by the people God has blessed us with to reach out on these college campuses. He is good!

Here are those crazy college kids I just mentioned :)

Now that it's August, classes will begin soon - that's both exciting and a little terrifying at the same time! Terrifying because the amount of work to do and people to meet & befriend is downright overwhelming to wrap your mind around. Yet it's exciting because nothing is too big for our God and the possibilities for Him to change people's lives through us is unimaginable!

When I think back to past Welcome Weeks (the first couple weeks of the school year), I remember the people I had first met during those times. It's only then that I start to realize the full impact of my outreach efforts. I notice that so many of my close friends now were people I had met during those initial weeks. And, actually, that was how I was brought into the ministry when I was a student at UTD.

I think you can see how critical these two weeks are when it comes to meeting new people! What's sad is that so many young people are lonely during their transition into college. Even if they do make some friends, it's really tough to find good friends. We want the members of our ministry to be making friends with new freshmen and transfer students so they aren't lonely and DO find good friends. We want to make every effort to reach out to them while they're involved in "Welcome Week" activities out on campus. We want to show them a welcoming spirit to set a good precedent for our campus' culture. We want them to have an opportunity to see and experience God's goodness in community.

Since these two weeks are so important we take a significant amount of time to prepare our student leaders for making the most of that time. We have scheduled 7.5 hours next weekend to cast a vision for young leaders to be embody God's love to incoming students, prepare our hearts and theirs for service and humility, discuss various practical advice for reaching out during Welcome Week, spend time developing relational unity as a team, and worship our Lord as a community through song and prayer. We will also be inviting our entire Denton student community to a portion of the weekend to equip as many people as possible! I want to ask you to be praying over this time as well, that God will prepare each of us to do exactly what He wants us to do.

We will go on campus this month to reach as many as we can. Will you pray for us as often as you can starting 8/19 through the end of the month? Please pray that we will do the Lord's work and not our own. Pray that we will be brave in moving outside of our comfort zones when necessary. Pray that the Spirit will guide us to specific people whose lives He is currently moving in.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support! Knowing we have committed brothers and sisters praying over our efforts and a good God going before us gives me all the confidence I need.

Yours for the Campus,

Matt

Matt Clark's July Update

I would like to start this post with a prayer request and a special request of you. Our new apprentices and staff have less than one month to finish their fundraising for this year of ministry. Will you take a moment right now to pray that the Lord would provide the necessary funds for each one of them?

The gifts that we receive from our generous donors are a big deal. I wish I could fully express to you all of the various ways they create opportunities for lives to be changed. The most consistent change I see personally is through students on our leader team. This is largely due to their openness to God working in their lives (momentum from the previous year) and the consistent exposure they have to the staff team. That being said, I'm thrilled to inform you that we are nearly done with determining our student leader team for the coming school year! After much prayer, one-on-one conversation, and deliberation this should be finalized during the coming week...and we are looking at about 60 students! Let me tell you though: I'm very excited about each one of these students - God has blessed us tremendously. They are young men and women who are passionate about reaching out to their peers and willing to make a sizable commitment for the next year. I am really looking forward to working with them!

Please be praying for the Lord to prepare these student leaders for the first few weeks of school. This initial period of the school year is a crucial outreach opportunity because the friendships made early on will often direct how people spend the rest of their year. In mid August and early September we will be spending several hours, on three different days, equipping our leader team for making the most of these opportunities. Pray that each one of our students and staff is filled with His Spirit as we go out to reach the campus during those weeks. As we get closer, I'll try to keep you posted on specific times that would be helpful for you to be praying!

As many of you know, I will be getting married in just a couple of weeks (more on this below)! Considering this I am hoping to raise my support by $500/month to help with moving into this new phase of life, as well as moving toward long-term sustainability in college ministry. While I have already been able to raise part of this goal from generous friends (thank you so much!), some of my current donors have had to cut back due to their own financial responsibilities. Here are some specific ways that you can help:

1. If you are currently a financial partner, please consider helping in one of two ways:
• Would you recruit one friend or family member to join our mission by becoming a financial partner?
• Could you increase your current financial support by 5-10%?
2. If you are not currently a financial partner, will you consider joining my support team with a monthly or special gift? Becoming a donor is easy! Just go to anyfocus.org and click on “Donate” for options on how to give. If you would like to talk more about this, please feel free to reach out to me.

Regardless of whether you can or can't help, thank you so much for your prayers, financial support, and consistent love of college students.

Now I want to make sure that I mention that you are invited to my wedding, although there is no obligation. It's at 2pm on July 23rd at the Northeast Church building in Garland, TX. You can see all of the details and RSVP on our website, matt-dani.com. If you plan to attend, please RSVP very soon so we can plan accordingly. We hope to see you there! Please also be praying for us as we make final preparations!

Again, thank you so much for all you do. I simply could not do what I do on the college campuses in Denton without the support structure of people like you. I am truly blessed to have so many co-laborers in the Kingdom to serve alongside.

Yours for the Campus,

Matt

The Denton Team: Aaron, Miriam, Danielle, me, Brittany, & Cody