Over 600 students!!

Wow, the first month of 2025 has already wrapped up! I hope the new year has been going well for each of you so far. It's yet to be seen how this year with treat our ministry at SMU, but so far it's been very encouraging!

Winter Retreat

We just finished up our biggest event of the year! At Winter Retreat, over 600 students (possibly even 700) from across Dallas / Fort Worth drove out to spend the weekend in Glen Rose to praise God and grow in their faith.

This was the most lively group we've ever brought. There were several occasions where we finished our worship session, but the students just kept singing and forced the band to pick the song back up! lol unfortunate for them, but what an incredible problem to have.

We also had our largest group from SMU attend!

A total of 22 came out. That's about half our ministry!

Now that more SMU students are experiencing winter retreat, they will get to share how great of an experience it was to their peers when it rolls back around next year.

I'm hopeful that more and more SMU students will take the leap and spend the weekend at retreat in years to come as our community continues to grow!

Transfers

If you're like me, you may think that the Spring is a slower time for connecting new students to campus ministry. You'd be right... but also wrong!

While there are far fewer students transferring in than freshman who come in the fall, we've started noticing a fascinating trend. While these students are fewer, there's noticeably more hungry to get connected to other students, and to Jesus.

Just this last week we've had at least 4 more students start coming around and coming to EVERYTHING. While most freshmen will just attend one or two things then be flaky the rest of the semester.

I'm unsure what all God has in store for this semester, but it's clear that he's already setting things in motion! Please say a prayer for these students as they navigate the confusing years of college, learning how to balance their lives and responsibilities with following Jesus. Thank you so much for investing in these young men and women. Neither you (nor even I) have any idea the exponential effect this is having over the coming decades as these students graduate and bring Jesus to their neighborhoods, workplaces, and families.

Your brother,

Taylor

P.S. If you were looking out for an update last month, my apologies! Life got pretty hectic with car problems, prep for the new semester, etc. But we're back in the swing of things! :) See you next month.

Comments

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Hi everyone, and happy new year! At least that's how it feels in FOCUS when August 1st hits. Welcome Week is around the corner, brand new pastoral apprentices are joining our team, and a whole new wave of students are coming to DFW to begin or continue their college careers, and will hopefully encounter Jesus while they're here. Last Summer FOCUS of 2024 Tonight is our last Summer FOCUS, where all the local students join together for a weekly worship service. We took a group picture last Thursday, and you can see just how many students make the drive each week, some from all the way across the metroplex. One of the most special moments this summer was when a group of Hispanic students & ministers led worship together in both English and Spanish throughout the night. It was a really cool way of experiencing the first fruits of the Biblical promise that we will witness a "great multitude from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the...

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Hi everyone, I hope you and your families had a fun Halloween and are looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas! As you could see in the title, Erin and I have huge news!! We're expecting our first baby this May, 2025! We will hopefully find out the gender later this month, so there's a good chance I'll get to share that by the next ministry update. We've been thinking and praying about having a child since getting married in 2022, and are overjoyed to have one on the way. Please pray for Erin's safety as pregnancy progresses, and that our baby grows strong and finds a life waiting for them filled abundantly with love, and a passion for the Lord. Shoutout to our old friends from UTA FOCUS, Nathan and Parker, who did a FREE photo shoot for us! Check out some of our favorite reactions from family and friends Update with Jaden! Our baby isn't the only encouraging thing to share this month! October has also been really exciting with regard to SMU and ministry! Y...

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Hi everyone, I hope you've been staying cool in the heat, and staying safe if you live along the coast. If anyone suffered any damage and there's anything I can do or people I can connect you with, please don't hesitate to reach out! Praying for y'all. Summer Growth Just because students are taking a break doesn't mean that God has been! He's still been moving and maturing them as disciples, getting them ready for this coming school year! Two students in particular come to mind. I've gotten to keep up with Jaden and Luke over the summer. Luke is in town taking summer classes, and Jaden and I have been Facetiming from California to Texas, continuing to study the Bible together where we left off in May. You may remember Jaden - I shared a bit of his story and his coming to know Jesus this semester in a ministry update a few months ago! A wise man once said, "If you make your life about climbing the ladder, you'll pass Jesus on his way down." Jad...

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