UKirk young adult ministry grows
Last September, I was welcomed to the First Church staff as director of university ministries
in order to walk alongside our Church family in hopes of fulfilling a long-standing goal. This goal, to love college-aged students more fully, had been stirring in the hearts of our Church community for many years. It has been a gift and an honor to step into this role, which grants the space and time to fully focus on this corner of our garden and watch the Lord plant, grow and tend in beautiful ways!
“UKirk has allowed me to grow and mature into my faith in a way that I did not imagine.”
– Julia Campbell
There has been much joy over the past seven months, as college-aged students have gathered in the Miller Library, Sharp Chapel on TU’s campus, and at favorite coffee spots across the city to learn more about Jesus, love God more fully and find one another in community. It is not an easy time to navigate these important and formative years. In addition to COVID-19 and online classes, college-aged students are faced more than ever with the heavy realities of anxiety, depression, the consuming nature of social media, a tumultuous political environment, social turmoil, the pressure to succeed and the list goes on. For these students, more than ever, the hope of Jesus is needed as an anchor for the soul.
More than ever, Christian community is needed to find love, honesty and loyalty. Scripture, worship and service bring grounding into an ever-wavering reality. The presence, peace and light of God is needed to shine into a dark world.
It has been beautiful to see the good news play out in the way students have showed up week after week in their discipleship to God and devotion to one another. Julia Campbell, a junior at The University of Tulsa describes her experience like this, “UKirk has given me the opportunity to stay connected to my home Church throughout college. It has allowed me to grow and mature into my faith in a way that I did not imagine. The constant source of community (even when we can’t be together) has reminded me that God can work through the unimaginable circumstances of life. It has encouraged me to think beyond myself and to look to God during this very stressful time of life!”
We are so looking forward to all God has in store for this community and the way these students will change the world as they continue to shine light into the darkness everywhere they go.
For more information on UKirk, contact Julia at jmetcalf@firstchurchtulsa.org