Staff Training, Fall Semester, and Support!

The summer is almost over!! Last week, I got to spend five days being encouraged and challenged at RUF staff training in Atlanta. Our mornings and afternoons were filled with seminars on topics like the RUF Philosophy of Ministry (which is much more interesting than it sounds!), counseling, planning Bible studies, and tending to your own spiritual/physical well-being in ministry. In the evenings, I enjoyed getting to spend time with other interns and campus ministers that are working (or will soon be working) on college campuses all around the United States. It's always encouraging and fun to get to spend time with all of them and to hear what God is doing on other campuses! As much as I enjoyed staff training last year, this year was SO much better. Last year, I hadn't moved to NC or gotten to know any students yet, so all of the situations and individuals I had in mind while listening to seminars and asking questions were hypothetical, and much of what I was learning seemed really abstract. This year, after having spent a year getting to know students and learning how to do my job, I was able to have real individuals and real situations in mind, and the seminars felt much more practical. I still wouldn't claim to be an expert at my job (but really... who is an expert at ministry, unless your name starts with J and ends with ESUS), and there are still a lot of unknowns about the coming semester (working with a new campus minister, new students coming in, etc.), but overall I left training excited about the coming semester. (Which starts in 2 weeks!!)

Speaking of the fall semester, please be praying for the students that we'll be coming into contact with this fall! It's been a quiet summer here, I can't wait for the students to be back!!

• August 16th is Freshman Move-In Day. We'll be hanging out on campus, welcoming incoming freshmen and returning students, and possibly helping with move-in if the opportunity presents itself.
• August 17th is Valley Ballyhoo, WCU's big fall semester kickoff, where students will have a chance to explore the campus organizations, local businesses, etc. that are available to them. We'll have a table set up with information about RUF, Giant Jenga, and some freebees, and Brian and some students and I will  be hanging out, meeting students, and explaining what RUF is and how to get connected.
• August 21st will be our first Large Group of the Fall semester, and it will be Brian's first Large Group as a campus minister! 
• On August 22nd there will be a Relient K concert on campus! RK was the first band I saw in concert (I was a big fan in highschool), so I'm pretty excited to go and hang out with students.
• August 23rd we'll be having a cookout to celebrate the beginning of the semester and to welcome new students/welcome returning students back. (We're still trying to think of a name for this event, suggestions welcomed!)

...and that's just the first week! I'm really excited to kick off the semester, but please be praying for Brian and me as we dive in - we'll need lots of energy!

The approaching of the fall semester also means that I just have two weeks left of full-time support raising. As of today, I am still $13,990 away from being fully funded for the 2013-2014 school year. (You can find more information about funding HERE or by shooting me an email at annie.hall@ruf.org!) It's important for me to get as close to my support goal as possible within the next two weeks, because if I run low on funding during the school year, I'll have to start taking time off from my ministry responsibilities to focus on raising funds (and that is difficult to do in the midst of a busy semester!). My presence on campus is dependent on financial support - RUF is a 100% non-profit, donor-funded ministry, which means that if I run out of funding, they'll have no choice but to fire me. (On the plus side, that means that any donations to RUF are tax-deductible!) So to those of you who have supported me financially over this past year and continue to donate, THANK YOU. No matter how big or small your gift is, it really means a lot!! 

$13,990 may seem like a lot of money (and it is), but if there's one thing I've learned from raising support, it's that God provides. And He often does it in ways we aren't expecting. This time last year, I was over $10,000 away from reaching the 85% mark and being able to move to campus, and God provided the money I needed (and more!) within two weeks, allowing me to move to campus just in time for Freshman Move-In Day. Those donations came in sizes varying from $5/month to a one-time gift of $5,000 - and it all added up. So enough with the motivational speech (this was more for myself than anyone else - I need to remember that I serve a powerful God and that people are generous... otherwise I'll panic!), what does all of this mean practically?

If you love RUF, college students, WCU, or me (or just donating to ministries), please consider making a donation toward my work with RUF. And don't think that any gift is too small. Every donation gets me closer to being fully funded! Here's what that $13,990 could break down to in practical terms: (time for some math.)

5 pledges of $150/month

3 pledges of $100/month

5 pledges of $50/month

5 pledges of $25/month

5 pledges of 10/month

3 one-time donations of $200

5 one-time donations of $100

10 one-time donations of $50

9 one-time donations of $10

Of course, that's just an example to break it all down into "bite-sized pieces". If you're interested in supporting RUF at WCU and my work here, please pray and consider donating in one of the above categories or ANY amount you choose. Credit card donations and pledges can be made online at www.ruf.org/donate, checks should be made out to RUF (with "Hall, Annie - WCU, 1345" on the memo line) and mailed to: 

Reformed University Ministries

1700 North Brown Road, Suite 104

Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Check out the Support me! tab at the top of the page for more information, and please feel free to call or email me with any questions! Thanks!

If you can't donate right now but would still like to help, then spread the word! References play a big part in support raising. Share it on Facebook, Twitter, etc., or tell a friend who may be interested. Support often comes from unexpected sources! That's just the way God works. :)