Fundraising: Rejoice in the Lord in need and in plenty

Lord as I come back from several great trips and dive into the challenge and joy of fundraising I pray I would rejoice in you both in need and in plenty. Whether fundraising is going well or not, whether I am in abundance or in need I want to hope in and rejoice despite the circumstances. For I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength!

Philippians 4:10-20

"10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

This is my prayer also like Paul that in fundraising (Ministry Partner Development MPD) that the focus would not be on the money but rather the spiritual investment and partnership that blesses you as my donors and partners in the gospel. God will supply our every need, I need not worry about raising another $21,000 or $1700/month. And I believe God will provide for you as you give generously and joyfully. I pray for you as you give your time and money to support my ministry and other causes that your gifts would be a beautiful offering to God and that our Lord would provide for you not just with your physical/financial needs but with strength to endure all circumstances. 

Here is as word of encouragement I needed this morning to remember why I do the ministry and fundraising I do and why we follow Christ:

1 Peter 1:23-25

... you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

We are born again of imperishable seed that builds us up to eternal life in Christ. For God has promised in his Word that through faith we would be saved and the Word of God and his promise remains forever! In Christ and his promise we set our hope!

Amen

Let me be compassionate Today

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31, 32 NIV)

As I travel for the 4th day in the last 5 I pray for patience and kindness and compassion and forgiveness to fill me. Not of my strength but of Christ who strengthens me! 

Lord help me to be a light for you and your gospel with my friends, girlfriend, parents, airport officials etc.

Thank you Jesus for your great example of servant heart and immense patience!

Amen

CU InterVarsity Flyer - designed by Megan Rounseville

During the summer a lot of future and prospective students come through the CU Campus. A student leader - Megan Rounseville helped me create flyers so parents and students would know about InterVarsity and what we are about. This is a great way especially for parents to know about our Christ centered community. The trick is actually connecting with the students. So please be praying for students to hear about InterVarsity and connect with us. 

Also if you know students coming to CU it would be great to connect with them!

Here are the flyers for this next year - just for fun. Megan and I put them together in 1 hour and 30 min so they aren't perfect but I think they look great. Thanks Megan!

CU InterVarsity 2013-2014 Flyer

Giving leadership away to students!

One of the aspects of InterVarsity that I love is that InterVarsity depends on student leadership to run almost every aspect of the group. As they lead in college I believe their faith grows immensely and they go on to become leaders in the church, in their work and in their families that bring people closer to Jesus. They are becoming World Changers starting by leading the the people in InterVarsity and on campus right around them.

Students lead:

• Bible Study Small Groups
• Worship team
• Large Group
• Outreach/Evangelism
• Service - (homeless hygiene kits)
• Disciplsehip
• Fun Events
• Prayer Meetings
• ...

Our role as staff is to empower and train students in spiritual leadership to develop students in these different areas through:

• Spiritual Formation
• Active Discipleship
• Large Group teaching
• Bible Study leadership meetings
• Leadership meetings
• Coaching
• Vision Casting
• Challenging students and the fellowship
• ...

For me student leadership was how I grew the most in my faith. As I was responsible to lead a bible study I really invested more in my own personal study and devotionals in God's Word. As I was called to more and more leadership I was challenged in new ways and I had to depend on God more.

From this year a few stories of student leadership:

Aris Doike. 

This year he was a junior. He is a cello player and music is his major. He came into this year with a lot of potential but not a lot of experience or solid foundation. Through leading a bible study together we went through the ups and downs and I was able to encourage and challenge Aris in his faith and leadership. It was amazing to see him step up and become really passionate about InterVarsity and God's mission! A big step was when we split our small gorup bible study and he had to start leading on his own and developing Grace a freshmen to colead with him. This really stretched him but he is glad he did it. During that time I was able to disciple and coach him through meeting regularly and debriefing and praying for his small group. 

Another amazing story was how Aris felt his cello playing was separate from InterVarsity and God. I continually challenged him to invite God into his music. Then he shared later how in praying into that God gave him a vision of playing his cello in a white room and as if he was playing all for God's glory. When his arm muscles tightened which is a major problem he faces Jesus came and wrapped Aris in his arms and eased the muscles. When Aris performed at his junior recital which is a major part of his career in music I attended with most of the InterVarsity group of like 50. He said he had never felt so at peace in a performance because this time he was playing for God and not for an audience or to look good. What a beatiful story of God transforming hearts. And what beautiful music God has enabled Aris to play to his glory!

I believe Aris might be called to InterVarsity staff, but even if he goes in the music world I believe he is going to Change the World through the people around him!

April and May Update

April & May 2013

Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” - Mark 1:14,15

Here are some highlights:

• Two of our student leaders gave powerful large group talks: 

• Aris taught from Zaccheus’ story in Luke 10 about following God in college.  

• Kim who will be an InterVarsity Intern this fall taught from John 4 about the healing redemption of Christ across cultures.  Kim invited us to write some of our struggles in marker especially around identity and then to wash them as an act of offering our idenity up to Jesus to be healed and remember we are sons and daughters of God in faith.

• We called 12 to be on our new leaders team that will lead our growing fellowship to renew the campus with Jesus’ gospel bringing his kingdom just as Jesus sent his apostles in Luke 9. We are praying for wisdom about trying something new to give more students ownership and have a bigger impact on the campus. Our idea is that next year in addition to the leaders team we would have a core team of people who are not leaders but who want to be a part of moving InterVarsity forward kind of like the 72 that Jesus sends out in Luke 10.  
• Mark Camp - a week walking with Jesus through the gospel of Mark studying and living out the scripture 8 hours a day is coming up! 15 students who gave up a week of summer and $210 for Jesus to show up and transform their lives!

For me the biggest things are saying goodbye to my intern team whom I love and will miss as they go on the next place God is calling them. Please be praying for my team as they continue to fundraise and give their careers to bring Christ to college students as InterVarsity staff: Ivanna as she goes back to her alma mater University of Arizona, Bridget to Northern Arizona University, Tom as he goes to Colorado State University and Kathryn and I as we step into the full staff role at CU Boulder. Over summer all 5 of us will be deep in fundraising and encouragement and prayer is much appreciated. 

Grace, Mercy and Peace,
from God and Jesus
Amen

Daniel

Fundraising Partners: Alumni and World Changers!

Here is a story of Joy in partnership financially and in prayer. 

Kurtis and Cynthia

When I first contacted Kurtis and Cynthia a year ago a few months before their wedding they told me they had already felt God calling them to support my ministry. The surprising part was that Cynthia was the one who first felt that call. But Cynthia I had only talked to briefly before that! We met at an ice cream shop called little man ice cream in Denver and talked about life, God and being the light of Jesus and his gospel. They partnered and gave generously this past year while I was an intern.


When I talked to them throughout the year and met with them to thank them for their partnership it was such a joy. I felt encouraged by them and their questions and passion to hear about people becoming Christians and other fruit in the ministry. They felt encouraged to get to be a part of this ministry and to hear the stories I shared. As they are starting their family and their first home together their ability to partner financially may change, but I believe our partnership in this ministry will deepen as we pray for each other and encourage each other and give to each other in different ways. I am especially excited that they are only a drive down the highway when their baby is coming due in a few months. Just last week I went there again with my intern team and reflected on how blessed I felt by Cynthia and Kurtis' friendship and partnership in the gospel.

Also I want to share how Kurtis as a Mines InterVarsity Alumni has gone on to be a world changer. Kurtis started a textbook fundraiser during his time at Mines that helped raised almost $1000 dollars for InterVarsity. Then from that start Kurtis has run with that idea and started a non profit called Compassion by the Book that empowers college students to give to causes they believe in through giving a resource they have - textbooks. 

http://compassionbythebook.com/

As college students in InterVarsity and other groups learn and are empowered to give now, I believe they will go on to give generously and be world changers wherever they work and live. 

Encouraging stories of fundraising Partners!

I want to share a story with all of you about fundraising and one of my partners. Fundraising and asking people to support me financially is one of the most challenging parts of my ministry with InterVarsity. Yet I believe it is both biblical and good for those who partner in this ministry. For it is a partnership in giving and receiving (Phil 4:15).
Here is a story of Gods provision in giving generously even in hard financial times.

Here are Nate and Tambra Schultz - 

Nate is wearing an InterVarsity (IV) shirt with our vision statement: 

Transform lives, Renew the Campus, develop World Changers.

These two love InterVarsity so much and are both IV alumni. Tambra graduated from UNC IV and Nate graduated from the same IV chapter as I did: Colorado School of Mines. 
Tambra shared how significant IV was in her faith to actually take God seriously and not just believe with words only. They also first met because of InterVarsity at Bear Trap Ranch at an InterVarsity summer Chapter Camp. Now they are happily married!

Here is a picture at a conference at Bear Trap Ranch.
Nate and I are going head to head in a tough game of broomball between worship sessions.

They are great examples of InterVarsity alumni who are world changers in the careers God gave them. Nate is an engineer and Tambra studied education but works at Accounts Receivable at Magnolia Hotel Denver. They are active members in their local church helping to start the high school youth group.

I was planning to contact them and have a meeting to ask them to support me, but their hearts are so generous that they set up their giving before I even had a chance to set up a meeting time! 

This past year in their partnership I have been blessed and here is part of their story in giving faithfully and sacrificially: 

When Nate went through a hard time at work and was down to half time work and pay they had to make hard decisions about money. They told me they thought about lowering their giving to my ministry and other causes they support. But instead they decided to give up personal things they considered selfish. As they are in their first few years of marriage savings and planning for a house is important and yet in this hard financial time they believed the work of missionaries was more important than their financial hard times. They didn't stop giving or even decrease their giving. 

And yet they said they were really blessed even in those hard financial times. God provided exactly what they needed for all their bills even as they gave sacrificially with just a little left over (reminds me of the feeding of the 4000 and 5000 with leftover crumbs in the gospels Mark 6 & 8).  Nate and Tambra's partnership and their story has really encouraged and blessed me.

I pray it also encourages all of us in giving sacrificially and trusting in God's provision even in hard times.