UKirk Network Leaders and Friends,
In our UKirk Leaders Peterson House Group this morning, we discussed the passage from Genesis 15 where God says to Abram, “Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You’re going to have a big family, Abram!” (MSG) One in the group remarked that it is often hard to remember that God could be saying this to everyone who serves in collegiate ministry, too. Through your ministry, not only are the students you work with changed, but so are those the ones who are connected to them, and those that come after them. What you are doing right now is going to have a ripple effect throughout the generations. How awesome is that?
Another awesome thing we want to share is that UKirk and our sister organization, The Vinery, were awarded a Thriving Congregations Grant from the Lilly Endowment. What this means is that congregations proximate to college campuses that connected to the UKirk Network that want to start, revive, or expand university ministry will be able to receive support and guidance through a cohort program starting in 2026. More news to come!
UKirk National wants to share with the larger church the many ways what you do ripples out into the church and the world. There are two main ways you can help us do this:
- Can you fill out the 2024-2025 UKirk Ministries Survey? Right now, 5% of our ministries have filled it out and through them, almost 3,500 were served last year!
- Can you go to your ministry page (on Find a Ministry) and check if your information is correct, particularly the Ministry Email? I found a glitch in our database/system this week, and realized that a large group of you have not been receiving our weekly emails. If your information needs to be updated, go ahead and fill out a NEW Register a Ministry form.
I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you for what you are doing, and the ways your ministry is having a ripple effect in the world.
Peace and blessings,
Gini