November Prayer Requests:
November 8th: First Thursday Daytime Bible Study - pray students would be intrigued by our presence on campus and that those who God wants to come would make time in their schedules for this.
November 16th: Athlete Dinner & Bible Study - pray that as our students invite their friends they would be bold and courageous, pray that God would speak His heart for the athletes on the UVU campus, pray that students would feel welcome in our home and that this night would be restful for them
November 22nd: Give thanks for all that God has done here in Utah County and at UVU!! We are so thankful that He has showed up and done mighty works among the students here! Praise God for students who are committed to God's vision for the campus and to InterVarsity!
Mondays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays: Pray for our weekly Bible Studies as they study what Jesus has to say about hope. This will be our last series for this semester.
Specific Requests:
Gossip - There has been a spirit of gossip among our students this past month. Please pray against this - that God would be convicting students of this and that He would replace this with love for one another.
"Jane" - please be praying for one of our female students (I have changed her name here) who is very close to making a commitment to follow Jesus in the midst of significant hardship. Pray for the realization that good works cannot save us! And that God's peace would rest on her.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Prayer Requests for October:
October 3rd and 4th: PLEASE PRAY for the Red Cup Proxe outreach that our student's will be doing on campus. They will be asking their peers what they are thristing for: love, success, fun, or purpose, then they will have them consider that Jesus wants to satisfy our thirsts. Students will have an opportunity to hear the gospel and be invited to Bible Studies and a showing of the Christian film, "Blue Like Jazz". Pray that students would be filled with the Spirit, bold, and unashamed. Pray that students would stand strong in face of persecution. Pray that UVU students would hear the gospel and be transformed.
Mondays and Wednesdays in October: Please pray for our Bible Studies. Pray that students would get a glimpse of the real Jesus. We will be studying Jesus' teachings on love this month. Pray students who don't feel love would feel the love of Christ. Pray that students who do know Jesus would learn how to love others and would turn that into action. Pray for students co-leading Bible Studies: Shanan, Jake, Nick, and Brock; pray that they would grow in leadership.
October 16th: Please pray for the kick-off of our ministry to athletes. We will be hosting a dinner for Christian athletes and praying with them, asking God how He wants us to reach out to the athletes on campus. Pray that athletes would have freedom in their schedules to come and that God would speak to them about His heart for athletes on campus.
October 31st: Please pray for our service project, Trick-or-Canning. Pray that students would grow in compassion for their neighbors and use this project as a way to love their community. Pray for safety for our students as they go door to door asking for canned goods and non-perishables.
Personal Requests: Please pray that Justin and I would find community here in Orem. The church small group for young couples our age is at a time when we have Bible Study on campus. We haven't met many people our age and we would love to build more friendships. Please continue to pray for our funding so that we can be on campus full time. We are so close, and we desperately desire to be on campus full time.
Thank you for your prayers. They are vital to the mission here at UVU.
October 3rd and 4th: PLEASE PRAY for the Red Cup Proxe outreach that our student's will be doing on campus. They will be asking their peers what they are thristing for: love, success, fun, or purpose, then they will have them consider that Jesus wants to satisfy our thirsts. Students will have an opportunity to hear the gospel and be invited to Bible Studies and a showing of the Christian film, "Blue Like Jazz". Pray that students would be filled with the Spirit, bold, and unashamed. Pray that students would stand strong in face of persecution. Pray that UVU students would hear the gospel and be transformed.
Mondays and Wednesdays in October: Please pray for our Bible Studies. Pray that students would get a glimpse of the real Jesus. We will be studying Jesus' teachings on love this month. Pray students who don't feel love would feel the love of Christ. Pray that students who do know Jesus would learn how to love others and would turn that into action. Pray for students co-leading Bible Studies: Shanan, Jake, Nick, and Brock; pray that they would grow in leadership.
October 16th: Please pray for the kick-off of our ministry to athletes. We will be hosting a dinner for Christian athletes and praying with them, asking God how He wants us to reach out to the athletes on campus. Pray that athletes would have freedom in their schedules to come and that God would speak to them about His heart for athletes on campus.
October 31st: Please pray for our service project, Trick-or-Canning. Pray that students would grow in compassion for their neighbors and use this project as a way to love their community. Pray for safety for our students as they go door to door asking for canned goods and non-perishables.
Personal Requests: Please pray that Justin and I would find community here in Orem. The church small group for young couples our age is at a time when we have Bible Study on campus. We haven't met many people our age and we would love to build more friendships. Please continue to pray for our funding so that we can be on campus full time. We are so close, and we desperately desire to be on campus full time.
Thank you for your prayers. They are vital to the mission here at UVU.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
It's Happening!
JUSTIN: So, this is probably bad for me to say, but I wasn't sure if we would actually be able to plant a community of Christian students at Utah Valley University. See, I told you it was bad! Here's the good news: the success of this plant has never been on our shoulders! This summer, and on through the first week of school, I have learned this: show up prepared....to participate! God seems to always know what's up, and he knows what he wants to do. Very little of what has happened was because we planned well.
So here's the lowdown.....all of the things that you, our supporters, have been hoping for, praying for, giving for, and wishing for.....it's actually happening!!! They are tangible things! Students who want Jesus to save their friends and family, students who care about their campus, students who want to pray for their university, a community of students who want more for themselves and their campus, and who are loving those things in more and more ways....it's actually here! These students have names...nick, jake, shanan, Joanna, heather, Lynn-marie, Daniel and many others.
It is incredible!
I just want you to know...things are happening at Utah Valley University.
So here's the lowdown.....all of the things that you, our supporters, have been hoping for, praying for, giving for, and wishing for.....it's actually happening!!! They are tangible things! Students who want Jesus to save their friends and family, students who care about their campus, students who want to pray for their university, a community of students who want more for themselves and their campus, and who are loving those things in more and more ways....it's actually here! These students have names...nick, jake, shanan, Joanna, heather, Lynn-marie, Daniel and many others.
It is incredible!
I just want you to know...things are happening at Utah Valley University.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Prayer Requests for August
Prayer Requests.
Here are some things you can be praying for as we head into this first month:
Here are some things you can be praying for as we head into this first month:
- August 21st and 22nd we will be taking two of our students to a leader's retreat with the InterVarsity at Weber State. They will be learning about the Holy Spirit and the authority they have been given on their campus. Please pray that these two students would catch a vision of what InterVarsity could look like at UVU and that this event would create momentum for the semester.
- School starts the week of August 27th. This week we will be doing a proxe with a question that leads to spiritual discussions; we will also have a table about InterVarsity and will be inviting students to Bible studies. Pray that this is blessed, that Christian students on campus would find us, and that we would have fruitful discussions.
- Please continue to pray for our funding, that we would be able to be on campus full-time. Currently we are waiting on several potential church donors. Please pray that these churches would catch the vision for what God is doing at UVU.
- Pray that we would meet students and form good relationships with them! This sounds so simple but it is key to starting this new ministry.
- Pray that any spiritual hindrances or battles would be overcome in the name of Jesus.
- Pray that we would find community at our new church and with new friends in the area.
- The first month of school is usually the month that campus staff work the hardest. We are so excited about everything going on this month, but please pray that God would give us energy, rest, and good health as we move forward.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Gifts from Daddy
Our God is so good! Samantha and I have been seeking God out this past week, acknowledging our dependence on Him for all things. We have seen him choose to give to us in unexpected ways, and we have seen anticipated avenues of generosity fail us. We are learning that our Daddy has power over all resources, and that he can choose to provide for our needs as he chooses.
This morning, he blessed us with a large gift that propelled us even closer to reaching Utah. The best part is that this gift didn't come from anything we had worked on. It was completely and wholly a gift from God. We don't even know the individual who gave to us! But Daddy does, and he chose to use them in our need.
We are incredibly encouraged by this! The joy of the Lord is our strength (Ne. 8:10b). We know that Daddy is good, we know that he is faithful, and we know without a thread of doubt that he will provide all that we need when it is time!
Please be encouraged by this! Our God is strong in power and faithful in love. Please share your stories of God's faithfulness with us in the comments. We would love to rejoice with you!
This morning, he blessed us with a large gift that propelled us even closer to reaching Utah. The best part is that this gift didn't come from anything we had worked on. It was completely and wholly a gift from God. We don't even know the individual who gave to us! But Daddy does, and he chose to use them in our need.
We are incredibly encouraged by this! The joy of the Lord is our strength (Ne. 8:10b). We know that Daddy is good, we know that he is faithful, and we know without a thread of doubt that he will provide all that we need when it is time!
Please be encouraged by this! Our God is strong in power and faithful in love. Please share your stories of God's faithfulness with us in the comments. We would love to rejoice with you!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Hey friends! This is Justin here! Writing one of the few posts that Samantha doesn't do :) she's an allstar writer, and so does most of the heavy writing, but I get my hands in the pot once in a while!
We just got back from Madison, Wisconsin, where we downloaded a multitude of information about InterVarsity and campus ministry. The second half of our training was focused on planting new communities on the college campus.
We are in Denver now, raising support for our ministry at Utah Valley University. It's grueling work in one sense, and enjoyable in another. I love telling people our vision for Utah, and getting excited over and over about the work we get to do there (Phil. 1:4 has something to say about that)! However, it's mentally strenuous, and keeps you on your toes.
Colorado has been abnormally wet since we got here, which is very enjoyable. Rain is probably one of my most favorite creations of God. He couldnt have done it better, I think.
We hope you are all doing well, and I promise, we are coming up with better ways to stay in touch with you all! If you are in Denver and want to hang out, give me a call! Also, feel free to follow us on twitter: @j_tappan and @tappan_samantha
Much love,
Justin (and Samantha)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Hi friends!
Today our planting cohort is going to the University of Wisconsin to practice our planting skills! Please be praying for us as we go on campus -- that we would learn well, that we would follow God's leading, and that we would get ideas for how to implement these skills at UVU in the fall!
God bless you today!
Today our planting cohort is going to the University of Wisconsin to practice our planting skills! Please be praying for us as we go on campus -- that we would learn well, that we would follow God's leading, and that we would get ideas for how to implement these skills at UVU in the fall!
God bless you today!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Gathering the Harvest
"Are you willing to do contact evanglism?" "Are you willing to teach students contact evangelism?"
Over six months ago, I came across these questions on my application for InterVarsity staff. The answer didn't require much thought because I knew, as all good staff applicants know, "yes" is the only appropriate answer. Perhaps if the question had asked, "Are you willing to do contact evangelism today?" or "Are you actually going to participate in contact evangelism on your campus?", I would have thought longer about my answer.
Today I came face to face with those questions as we were sent out to do contact evangelism as part of our training as new staff. Of course they would do something like this -- backing up our answers to that application question with a real life challenge. Most of my experiences with evangelism includes relational evangelism, proxe stations (where people come to you), and preaching situations. Never, ever, have I shared the Gospel with someone who I approached and who I would never meet again.
Fast forward several hours. My partner Alex and I are at a park in downtown Madison. After having five fairly unproductive conversations, we are ready to leave the park and start heading back toward the hotel. Our path back goes right by a bench, and a man who had not been there before now sits alone and unoccupied. As far as we are concerned, there really isn't a much better candidate, so we decide to talk to one last person before moving on from the park.
"Hi we are with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and today we are talking to people about identity. Would you be interested in talking with us?"
"Sure," he says hesitantly. And introduces himself as Cory.
As we proceed, the man begins chuckling to himself. Is he making fun of us? We continue nonetheless.
He explains that he is unemployed and has come to the bench to think about... his relationship with God... and how he feels separated from Him. A former heroin addict, he feels unworthy and ashamed; he feels like there are so many barriers he needs to take down in order to be a Christian. Well, it just so happens that the story we are sharing today is the prodigal son. And to him it sounds very familiar.
As he reads the story, he begins chuckling again. You see, he is thinking this is a set-up (and says so out loud). It is too much coincidence. And quite frankly, I am amazed myself. God had pursued this man relentlessly, even to the point of having two out-of-state strangers approach him at a park.
We share the Gospel story with Cory and I ask him, "Have you ever made a commitment to following Jesus?" No. There have been barriers. He still has questions. Alex shares the story of Peter stepping out of the boat and onto the water... "Would you be willing to step out today and believe?"
"Yes." The heavens rejoice, and we rejoice with them.
I feel ashamed that my view of God had been small. God is faithful when He sends us out. He goes before us and behind us. It really has nothing to do with our abilities, only our obedience. One of our trainers, Ram, told us that our unwillingness in this day and age to do evangelism is not a fear problem, it is a compassion problem. If we really had compassion on those around us, it would move us past our fear.
Are you willing to do contact evanglism? "Yes." Are you willing to teach students contact evangelism? "Yes." Will you do contact evangelism on your campus this year? "Yes."
Over six months ago, I came across these questions on my application for InterVarsity staff. The answer didn't require much thought because I knew, as all good staff applicants know, "yes" is the only appropriate answer. Perhaps if the question had asked, "Are you willing to do contact evangelism today?" or "Are you actually going to participate in contact evangelism on your campus?", I would have thought longer about my answer.
Today I came face to face with those questions as we were sent out to do contact evangelism as part of our training as new staff. Of course they would do something like this -- backing up our answers to that application question with a real life challenge. Most of my experiences with evangelism includes relational evangelism, proxe stations (where people come to you), and preaching situations. Never, ever, have I shared the Gospel with someone who I approached and who I would never meet again.
Fast forward several hours. My partner Alex and I are at a park in downtown Madison. After having five fairly unproductive conversations, we are ready to leave the park and start heading back toward the hotel. Our path back goes right by a bench, and a man who had not been there before now sits alone and unoccupied. As far as we are concerned, there really isn't a much better candidate, so we decide to talk to one last person before moving on from the park.
"Hi we are with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and today we are talking to people about identity. Would you be interested in talking with us?"
"Sure," he says hesitantly. And introduces himself as Cory.
As we proceed, the man begins chuckling to himself. Is he making fun of us? We continue nonetheless.
He explains that he is unemployed and has come to the bench to think about... his relationship with God... and how he feels separated from Him. A former heroin addict, he feels unworthy and ashamed; he feels like there are so many barriers he needs to take down in order to be a Christian. Well, it just so happens that the story we are sharing today is the prodigal son. And to him it sounds very familiar.
As he reads the story, he begins chuckling again. You see, he is thinking this is a set-up (and says so out loud). It is too much coincidence. And quite frankly, I am amazed myself. God had pursued this man relentlessly, even to the point of having two out-of-state strangers approach him at a park.
We share the Gospel story with Cory and I ask him, "Have you ever made a commitment to following Jesus?" No. There have been barriers. He still has questions. Alex shares the story of Peter stepping out of the boat and onto the water... "Would you be willing to step out today and believe?"
"Yes." The heavens rejoice, and we rejoice with them.
I feel ashamed that my view of God had been small. God is faithful when He sends us out. He goes before us and behind us. It really has nothing to do with our abilities, only our obedience. One of our trainers, Ram, told us that our unwillingness in this day and age to do evangelism is not a fear problem, it is a compassion problem. If we really had compassion on those around us, it would move us past our fear.
Are you willing to do contact evanglism? "Yes." Are you willing to teach students contact evangelism? "Yes." Will you do contact evangelism on your campus this year? "Yes."
Friday, June 1, 2012
What is summer for IV staff workers?
June already! Summer is going by so quickly!
Many of you may be wondering - what does an InterVarsity staff do during the summer? Well, while the answer varies, and some staff may be involved in summer missions, summer IV small groups, etc, one consistent answer is fundraising. Summer is the time that we devote to raising money to support our ministries. Justin and I are making the jump to full time staff this summer, so we are fundraising a lot!
We are currently in Grand Junction (Samantha's hometown) doing some fundraising. We will be going to Madison, WI for 2.5 weeks of training for the second half of June. And we will be finishing up the summer with three weeks of fundraising in Denver before we make the big move to Orem.
Please, please continue to pray for us. Pray that we would trust God and that we would have courage and boldness. Pray that the Spirit would stir generosity in the hearts of those around us.
Besides fundraising, we will get to spend some much needed time with our families. We will also be planning out some of the events and bible studies for the fall semester.
If you are in Grand Junction, we look forward to seeing you soon and if you are in Denver, we will see you in July! If you are in Utah -- we will be having an open house sometime in early August!
May God bless you, keep you, and cause His face to shine upon you until then!
Monday, March 19, 2012
We Will Overcome
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even unto death. Revelation 12:11
Your story is powerful. So powerful that it will defeat the enemy. This week I have had the privilege to hear some powerful testimonies. Catalina island became a place where stories were set free, healing happened, and the enemy is defeated. Students shared things that they had never told anyone their entire lives. It is unbelievable what someone can go through by the time they are in college and the habits they can create by that point are poisonous. By the time some of these students hit college they might be addicted to porn, sex, drugs, or alcohol; nearly a quarter of them have been abused in some way, many of them feel abandoned, lonely, or hopeless.
But God is the King of transformation. And I am blessed to witness that everyday as a part of my job. Please continue to pray for college students. The transformation that happens here becomes their story.. And those stories go on to be the stories of great missionaries in God's Kingdom. They breed other stories and the Church is built up on the strong foundation of Jesus.
Someone in my Bible study, Jake (Perhaps you have heard his story), got baptized on Thursday. His life will be forever changed because of Jesus. And he will go on to be a great story teller.
Please watch this video about Urbana (It has Billy Graham in it!). It is an InterVarsity sponsored event that has been going on for decades and I am proud to be a part of Urbana 2012 as a staff volunteer.
http://media.intervarsity.org/2100/video/Urbana_12/Urbana12Promo_BePartofHistory.mov
If you have trouble with this direct link, you can also go to the Urbana website and click on the second video called "Be Part of History":
https://urbana.org/urbana-12/whats-urbana/videos-and-photos
Your story is powerful. So powerful that it will defeat the enemy. This week I have had the privilege to hear some powerful testimonies. Catalina island became a place where stories were set free, healing happened, and the enemy is defeated. Students shared things that they had never told anyone their entire lives. It is unbelievable what someone can go through by the time they are in college and the habits they can create by that point are poisonous. By the time some of these students hit college they might be addicted to porn, sex, drugs, or alcohol; nearly a quarter of them have been abused in some way, many of them feel abandoned, lonely, or hopeless.
But God is the King of transformation. And I am blessed to witness that everyday as a part of my job. Please continue to pray for college students. The transformation that happens here becomes their story.. And those stories go on to be the stories of great missionaries in God's Kingdom. They breed other stories and the Church is built up on the strong foundation of Jesus.
Someone in my Bible study, Jake (Perhaps you have heard his story), got baptized on Thursday. His life will be forever changed because of Jesus. And he will go on to be a great story teller.
Please watch this video about Urbana (It has Billy Graham in it!). It is an InterVarsity sponsored event that has been going on for decades and I am proud to be a part of Urbana 2012 as a staff volunteer.
http://media.intervarsity.org/2100/video/Urbana_12/Urbana12Promo_BePartofHistory.mov
If you have trouble with this direct link, you can also go to the Urbana website and click on the second video called "Be Part of History":
https://urbana.org/urbana-12/whats-urbana/videos-and-photos
Friday, March 9, 2012
83
Friends, we are so happy to tell you we are leaving today to bring 83 students to chapter camp in California to study the book of Mark. Please pray for these students, that they would encounter God and that this encounter would be life changing. Also, please pray for staff and students, for we are all in a great spiritual battle.
Thank you. God bless you.
Thank you. God bless you.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Prayer
I believe that prayer is transformational. James 5:16 says that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective.
This is why I (Samantha here) have decided to begin meeting with students in my Bible study a half hour early to pray for our campus. Here are some things we are praying for: that God would break down barriers with faculty and administration that keep us from sharing the Gospel, that God would open doors for us to invite others to our Bible study and large group, that we would learn how to love others well and that God would give us opportunities to do that, and that any spiritual dominion that the devil has over any area on campus would be broken.
We hope that you will pray these prayers with us. We pray in faith, knowing that God will give whatever we ask for in Jesus name.
This semester I am challenging students to do hard things. I have invited two of my students to go on campus with me and have conversations with others about prayer, the Bible, and Jesus. I am challenging my Bible study to invite others who they have never met before to both large group and Bible study. They are excited but also get nervous so please be praying for them.
The national collegiate day of prayer is February 23rd and I hope you will join me and others across the nation as we lift up our colleges in prayer.
This is why I (Samantha here) have decided to begin meeting with students in my Bible study a half hour early to pray for our campus. Here are some things we are praying for: that God would break down barriers with faculty and administration that keep us from sharing the Gospel, that God would open doors for us to invite others to our Bible study and large group, that we would learn how to love others well and that God would give us opportunities to do that, and that any spiritual dominion that the devil has over any area on campus would be broken.
We hope that you will pray these prayers with us. We pray in faith, knowing that God will give whatever we ask for in Jesus name.
This semester I am challenging students to do hard things. I have invited two of my students to go on campus with me and have conversations with others about prayer, the Bible, and Jesus. I am challenging my Bible study to invite others who they have never met before to both large group and Bible study. They are excited but also get nervous so please be praying for them.
The national collegiate day of prayer is February 23rd and I hope you will join me and others across the nation as we lift up our colleges in prayer.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The 2012 Marathon
Happy 2012! We are greeting the new year with renewed vigor and it looks like we are going to need it!
This past weekend we enjoyed reuniting with our student leaders at a leadership retreat where we studied what it means to disciple others. God clearly blessed our time together and we are looking forward to seeing the fruit of the weekend.
Tuesday we are headed back to Denver area to visit the universities in Greeley and Laramie. We are excited to see our Colorado staff again and we are happy to be able to stay with the Tappan family for a few extra days. Sunday we will go to Orem to visit. Please pray God would direct our steps as we try to discern where He is calling us to next fall.
Tomorrow our Bible studies start up again by studying the day that Jesus washed His disciples feet. Please pray that God blesses this study and that our groups are able to build a stronger community this semester as we learn how to better love and serve one another.
On January 19th we fly to Florida for a chapter planting conference. This is unbelievable timing since this conference will only come once every few years and this year just so happens to be the year that it is and that we are planting!
Justin and I will each be speaking at large group within the next month and we are so excited to share from the book of Colossians so please pray for us as we prepare!
Samantha will get to lead a workshop this month for high school students about how to prepare spiritually for college. Needless to say, it is a busy month. Pray that we would devote ourselves wholly to Christ and not be distracted! We love you all and we love hearing from you so please feel free to email, write, or call us even though we are busy. May God bless this new year for you!
This past weekend we enjoyed reuniting with our student leaders at a leadership retreat where we studied what it means to disciple others. God clearly blessed our time together and we are looking forward to seeing the fruit of the weekend.
Tuesday we are headed back to Denver area to visit the universities in Greeley and Laramie. We are excited to see our Colorado staff again and we are happy to be able to stay with the Tappan family for a few extra days. Sunday we will go to Orem to visit. Please pray God would direct our steps as we try to discern where He is calling us to next fall.
Tomorrow our Bible studies start up again by studying the day that Jesus washed His disciples feet. Please pray that God blesses this study and that our groups are able to build a stronger community this semester as we learn how to better love and serve one another.
On January 19th we fly to Florida for a chapter planting conference. This is unbelievable timing since this conference will only come once every few years and this year just so happens to be the year that it is and that we are planting!
Justin and I will each be speaking at large group within the next month and we are so excited to share from the book of Colossians so please pray for us as we prepare!
Samantha will get to lead a workshop this month for high school students about how to prepare spiritually for college. Needless to say, it is a busy month. Pray that we would devote ourselves wholly to Christ and not be distracted! We love you all and we love hearing from you so please feel free to email, write, or call us even though we are busy. May God bless this new year for you!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)