Read about how God is working on The State University of New York at Fredonia through the students and Kathryn's journey as she raises funds to work as a full time staff worker. We aim to see students and faculty transformed, the campus renewed, and world changers developed.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Money or Trust
I (Kathryn) teach my church's 8th-12th grade youth group with a few InterVarsity students helping out. This last week the topic was money after watching some of Linsanity and discussing NBA contracts. It seemed like we all needed to check where we put money on our list of priorities: where we serving it or God? I used this lesson plan and cut out a few of the verses due to time.
The top of the lesson says to get a bill, the more valuable the better. My original thought was to get a $50 bill and use that to see how students would spend that money. Then I finished reading the lesson... which at the end says to rip up the bill. I decided that a $10 bill would accomplish the purpose without putting too much money at risk (as I'm still not fully funded). As I went through the lesson, asking the students what they would use the money for and realizing that we held money strongly, I debated internally if I would actually be able to rip up that bill. But I figured if I did not, then I held money in too high of a regard and that I should know by now that God would provide for me trusting Him. It was hard for me to rip it and the students flipped out as I tore the bill not just once, but into eighths.
One student tried to tape it back together then took the bill home. I said and really wanted to continue to trust that God would bless me for ripping it.
The next night in Walmart I ran into his mom who said that he had taken the bill to the bank and they actually gave him a new $10 bill in exchange for all of the pieces. So he gained $10 from the lesson. Now it was up to me to really decide if God would bless me for following Him and doing this dramatic lesson.
One more day later, I was at a pot-luck dinner and as the basket went around for people to contribute cash towards the general cost, I realized I only had $1 left in cash in my pocket. I put that in then the person next to me turned and handed me a $10 bill. I asked her why and if she wanted me to put that in the basket for her. She stated that it was for me to keep and that God had told her to give it to me. After a few times, she's learned to not question God's promptings. I then explained how $10 was exactly how much I had used of my own money to help try to teach the proper place of money in our lives as Christians.
God wants to be the person that we rely on to take care of our needs. He uses money to provide for things, but He wants us to listen to Him about when to share the money/possessions He's given us and when we should keep them. In the end, all things we have are His and we are only responsible for the money for as long as He wants us to have it. Where is money in your heart?
Remember Matthew 6:24. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
The top of the lesson says to get a bill, the more valuable the better. My original thought was to get a $50 bill and use that to see how students would spend that money. Then I finished reading the lesson... which at the end says to rip up the bill. I decided that a $10 bill would accomplish the purpose without putting too much money at risk (as I'm still not fully funded). As I went through the lesson, asking the students what they would use the money for and realizing that we held money strongly, I debated internally if I would actually be able to rip up that bill. But I figured if I did not, then I held money in too high of a regard and that I should know by now that God would provide for me trusting Him. It was hard for me to rip it and the students flipped out as I tore the bill not just once, but into eighths.
One student tried to tape it back together then took the bill home. I said and really wanted to continue to trust that God would bless me for ripping it.
The next night in Walmart I ran into his mom who said that he had taken the bill to the bank and they actually gave him a new $10 bill in exchange for all of the pieces. So he gained $10 from the lesson. Now it was up to me to really decide if God would bless me for following Him and doing this dramatic lesson.
One more day later, I was at a pot-luck dinner and as the basket went around for people to contribute cash towards the general cost, I realized I only had $1 left in cash in my pocket. I put that in then the person next to me turned and handed me a $10 bill. I asked her why and if she wanted me to put that in the basket for her. She stated that it was for me to keep and that God had told her to give it to me. After a few times, she's learned to not question God's promptings. I then explained how $10 was exactly how much I had used of my own money to help try to teach the proper place of money in our lives as Christians.
God wants to be the person that we rely on to take care of our needs. He uses money to provide for things, but He wants us to listen to Him about when to share the money/possessions He's given us and when we should keep them. In the end, all things we have are His and we are only responsible for the money for as long as He wants us to have it. Where is money in your heart?
Remember Matthew 6:24. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Service Trip Willow Mission
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Sleeping, playing video games, and relaxing with some Netflix may be what most college students did for their last week of break, but not for SUNY Fredonia’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship! I was blessed with the opportunity to be on a Servant team of 20 fellow students whom spent their week serving the communities poor, youth, and elderly. The locations we served at included the WCA Home, Dunkirk Historical Museum, Salvation Army, Saint Columbans, Meals On Wheels, Fredonia Place, Concord Estates, Rural Ministries, Dunkirk First Baptist, and my personal favourite Willow Mission through the Dunkirk First United Methodist Church. For those of you whom don’t know, Willow Mission is a project that was created to house and serve the poor, homeless, underprivileged of Dunkirk. Upon my first day of arriving to the women's house, located next to the church where the guys sleep, I thought to myself ‘Wow. They want to have the first person moved in here in about a week or two?!’ However, that didn’t discourage my friends and I. Our head chief was donating his time the whole week to make sure construction went smoothly and we assisted him in every way we could whether it was painting, waxing floors, electrical work, drywalling or whatever. With 20 students coming 5 hours a day in groups of 6 on 4 different days of the week we put in nearly 130 hours of an individual’s workload. One hundred and thirty hours… Upon the last hour we spent there I went around and prayed for each room and the futures that would soon be made in them. Each room had it’s own colour, furniture, and personality which would soon develop lives that hadn’t had the chance to prosper until now. Meeting with the pastor on my way out of the house she broke down in tears overjoyed in how much work went into this house and how through Christ we were all able to come together to make it happened. The last thing our head chief said to us before he left was “Thank you. For everything. You’ve restored my faith in the youth and a lot of faith in myself alone. I have learned so much from you kids.” I think I stand for all of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that participated in our Winter Service Trip when I say that it would behoove you to ask around to come join us next Winter and “serve the Lord with gladness.” (Psalm 100:2).
Monday, February 10, 2014
Austin's Service Trip
Austin, who became a Christian partially through the ministry of InterVarsity earlier this semester, shared at the first official meeting about his experience during the Winter Service Trip.
Watch the video here
Watch the video here
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