Taylor's Ministry Updates! (2021-2025)

Hello again, my friends! Halloween 2021 is the books, and soon the semester will be too! Jamarkis I want to start by introducing you to my friend Jamarkis! He's a Junior who just transferred this semester, and has gotten plugged into Focus at UTD as well as a church that a lot of us are a part of, called Northeast Church Garland. I asked him if he'd be willing to share a bit of his story: Jamarkis (Paraphrased): I was pretty sheltered as a kid and never got the chance to learn much beyond the confines of my family and home. When I got older and moved to Galveston, I was quickly sucked into a culture full of partying and smoking weed, surprised by all the things I didn't know the world had to offer. After being stuck in what felt like limbo for years, I made a friend and mentor who invested in me 1-on-1, teaching me how to make something better of my life. I haven't gotten to see him as much since I moved to Dallas but I feel the impact of his friendship and guidance eve...

Hello again, my friends! Fall Camp! I bring more good news. The second month of ministry at UTD was just as successful as the first! Thank you so much for your prayers as we prepared for Fall Camp. In the end, we had 125 students make the drive out to Mount Lebanon on a Saturday, which they could have spent any number of different ways! Instead, they all decided to invest their time to deepen their faiths, play games, share meals, and listen to student-testimonies/stories from their brothers and sisters in Christ. We also had several students come who don't consider themselves Christians and they expressed having an awesome time making friends and breaking down some misconceptions they had about how much Christians can love them and one another. Here are 4 of the guys from my weekly small group who came to Fall Camp! From left to right, we have Jared, Nhala, Solomon, and Sion. This is Solomon's first year in college and while he was reluctant to come to Fall camp at first, he s...

Hello again, my friends! Weeks of Welcome UTD students began arriving to campus 2 weeks ago, which marked the beginning of UTD's annual "Weeks of Welcome." For the first couple weeks of the school year, UTD hosts tons of events to foster an environment in which students can build friendships and connections with one another. The pastors and student-leaders in FOCUS have been hitting the ground SPRINTING, hosting events once or even twice a day, trying to make the most of these two weeks.  Here you see one of the unofficial events I put together... Spikeball! Spikeball is one of my absolute favorite games and the only thing that can make it better is also doing ministry at the same time. :) Here, also, is a selfie 3 UTD freshmen and I took on our way back from Whataburger after one of our many packed board-game nights! From left to right we have Spencer, Hansen, Cade,  and myself. (With a beard! Unlike last week's blog...) They repeatedly expressed how meaningful it w...

Hello friends and partners in ministry, It's finally here! After a long summer of putting together our financial & prayer support team, I'm pleased to announce I've been fully support-raised and the apprenticeship is now in full swing! God is so good, and I've already gotten to taste hints of what he has prepared for this year. This past Sunday, we had our official Minister Licensing Ceremony! Take a look at the 2021-2022 FOCUS Apprenticeship Team. These are the men and women with whom I will deepen my understanding of God's word in weekly classes, and praise God together regularly by sharing good news about how we've experienced his hand on our college campuses. I have already gotten the chance to establish a relationship with nearly all of them. I'm so excited to work alongside these brothers and sisters of mine as we together love and glorify the good God we get to serve. Thank you again for all your support. It's because of your generous prayers ...