New Semester, Oh Boy: Cars are EVERYWHERE!

The months of August and September are big in college ministry. No doubt you have noticed a marked change in your morning, midday, afternoon, evening, midnight, and even early morning commute. Students are everywhere. In fact, I did a little research, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 40,000 students at FSU, 19,000 at TCC, and 12,000 at FAMU. Quick math says that there are close to 71,000 college students running around out there crowding up the Wal-marts and the various mall parking lots of Tallahassee. But hey, I cannot complain, I am a student minister I welcome September. It is a great time of year. New faces, old faces return from summer trips, and there is an almost universal sense of excitement, at least until syllabus shock sets in.

This semester is an exciting time for the Parkway Student Ministry. We have a few things in the works that we plan to implement and see develop between now and December. We are currently in the process of getting our college leadership identified and organized. We feel that it is of utmost importance to get organized and focused on our vision. It would be silly to miss our opportunity. This summer we have seen a number of new faces, which is odd in that it has been the summer, a time not traditionally considered ideal for student ministry growth when it comes to the college crowd. If this trend continues, the fall semester will be a natural time to expand.

With the current state of momentum and influx we will expand our ministry base by plugging students into ministry positions. One goal we have for this semester is to develop and implement at least one weekly student led Bible study. In fact, two would be great and remains a distinct possibility.

We also plan to develop a local ministry with a focus on community. We have a vision, and a developing plan; currently we are in the process of getting our efforts organized for action. We hope to see our efforts becoming increasingly focused on community. We wish to challenge ourselves to think out side of the church walls. To implement a plan that will require us to go out and make a positive impact in Tallahassee.

We have two goals for this semester, which I admit seems like a very small step. I maintain that small is good. If we make this step and do it well, it will help us develop a foundation for greater boldness in the future. The key is our leadership, and we have it in our college ranks. Bold folks with great passion and big hearts for Christ and His kingdom. It is exciting, who knows what could come about if we focus on Christ and organize our strengths and God given talents to see Christ glorified here in our small part of the world?