April Update

What a year!! 

I wanted to wait until the end of April to send you my final update on the 24'-25' school year because we had so many of our "lasts" this past week. This year has been such a gift to me. The picture above are all of our student leaders from the year. I am seriously astounded at what God has done through their faithfulness this year. God chose to reveal himself in humanity 2000 years ago in Jesus, and Jesus charged his disciples to continue his mission. These are people who have taken this ancient charge to be God revealers seriously and faithfully. They have chosen to bring the light of God to dark places on UTAs campus this year over and over again. What a privilege it is to get to reveal God and his heart to hurting people. I've watched college students encounter God and real friendship this year because of people like them. They have revealed Emmanuel, God with us, to their peers this year. God who has made his character manifest in them, they are made in God’s likeness, not God in their likeness. I am so thankful for your faithfulness as well that allows us to support & train them and push the mission forward with urgency. What you are supporting at UTA is being forged into something eternal. Recently I shared this quote with our students as an encouragement and I wanted to share it with you too. 

Surprised by Hope: NT Wright

“Build for the kingdom. This brings us back to 1 Corinthians 15:58 once more: what you do in the Lord is not in vain. You are not oiling the wheels of a machine that’s about to roll over a cliff. You are not restoring a great painting that’s shortly going to be thrown on the fire. You are not planting roses in a garden that’s about to be dug up for a building site. You are— strange though it may seem, almost as hard to believe as the resurrection itself—accomplishing something that will become in due course part of God’s new world. Every act of love, gratitude, and kindness; every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support, for one’s fellow human beings and of course every prayer, all Spirit-led teaching, every deed that spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, and makes the name of Jesus honored in the world—all of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation that God will one day make.  That is the logic of the mission of God”

I hope this is an encouragement to you as you continue to support God's mission at UTA, I am so thankful for you as I reflect on this year. Here are some pictures that capture the last several weeks :) 

This is from our last TNF of the year this last week, we spent some extended time honoring our seniors and pastors that are moving on. It was such a special night with lots of tears haha. 

Here are all of our graduating seniors!! This is such a special group to me because they were all freshman my first year as a campus pastor. They have been fun, gracious, and thoughtful friends to me as I have grown up along side them. 

This was also from TNF, we sent out Emily and Sarah by having our students, pastors, and alum praying for them. We sure will miss them. 

This is my peer team from this year! I got to meet with each one of these girls every week, they are all so special to me, I am so proud of them! 

This is Trinity! She is someone I get to study the Bible with every week, and she will be attending our student leadership conference, SICM, in a few short weeks. 

Two girls, from my peer team: Mia and Skylar :) 

Final picture of our women's staff team at UTA this year. They are all such dear friends to me. With Sarah leaving, I will be stepping up and leading our women & co leading our team next year. Please be praying for our team as we under go such a large transition. 

Thank you again for making this year possible, when I think of how many lives were touched this year, I can't help but think of you. 

In Christ, 

Sophie