2021 Director’s Letter
I don’t know about you, but confusion is typically what I feel when I read the book of Revelation. However, as of late, I have been encouraged by a passage in chapter 2 of Revelation.
In the passage, John is writing to the Church in Ephesus. He says in verse three that they “have not grown weary.” Well, this has felt like an easy season to grow weary in. This season has held the immense weight of a global pandemic, division from the presidential election, and the death of George Floyd in our own backyard. Even just one of those things would be enough to cause weariness. All of these things have many effects on the relational ministry we do with college students. We’ve all been shaped and impacted over the course of the past year with feelings of confusion and grief. It has caused me to wonder, “God, what are you doing?”
In the following verse, Revelation 2:4, John says, “you have abandoned the love you had at first.” There are many different views on what this verse means and I will not attempt to convince you of a view. However, I think one thing this year has taught us is to slow down, take a step back and ask, “What is important? What matters? What are we focusing on?” As the Director of Campus Outreach Minneapolis, I have paused to ask, “What is the primary focus of what we do? What is our first love as a ministry?”
Our mission statement: “Glorifying God by building laborers on the campus for the lost world,” has to be the main focus and the heartbeat of our ministry.
John goes on in 2:5 and charges people to: remember, repent and change. It has been immensely helpful for us to remember God’s faithfulness. Remember the transforming work God has already done and is continuing to do. Remember that God has done a miracle in bringing our hearts from death to life. Remember that God is still at work, He is not done! In slowing down and remembering, Campus Outreach Minneapolis (and nationally) has been evaluating ways we need to repent and change.
We want to be humbly dependent on God.
We want to focus on the health of our staff team.
We want to love and partner with our Church.
We want to value all the gifts on our team.
We want to see God do, “more than we could ask or imagine” on our campuses.
By prioritizing these things together as a staff team, we will continue to move towards our vision of fruit that abides. As we stop and think for next year, there will be many gains and losses, but one thing will remain the same, God’s love is unchanging and sustaining.
Reid and Nikki Jilek
COM Regional Director & COM Women’s Director