Dear Friends,
I am excited to tell you about my experiences over the past few months as I have been working to prepare for the kick-off of the new Christian Student Fellowship ministry at Old Dominion University.
The summer began with a golf tournament fundraiser on June 10th. There was a great turnout of golfers and a good deal of sponsorship money came in on the day of the tournament or before. All of the CMOV and ODU ministry board members as well as many others who will be helping get the new ministry off the ground were present to show their support and enthusiasm for the new ministry.
I also spent a couple weeks at Camp Rudolph this summer. CSF was the “mission” each week and I spoke to the campers about the new ministry at Old Dominion and the importance of ministries on college campuses in general. I had a great time with the campers and enjoyed investing in their lives throughout the week.
Josh Smith, campus minister with CSF at Virginia Commonwealth University, David Van Buskirk, and I have been meeting regularly over the summer months to plan events and regular Bible study meetings for the fall semester. We have also been completing managerial tasks, such as developing informational flyers and setting up a new website for the ministry.
Dave and I have been making an effort to meet students and staff at Old Dominion University. We participated in a campus-wide movie night event, helped with freshmen move-in, and attended a football game in an effort to meet students on campus and to distribute information about the ministry. Dave and I are continuing to correspond with local churches to meet members of their church who will be attending ODU this school year. We are currently working with students and staff at ODU to become a registered student organization on campus in order to participate in organizational fairs and to reserve a regular meeting space on campus.
It’s now to time get started on campus! Bible studies are planned to be held on campus on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays each week. There is also a worship gathering to be held every other Monday evening at a local church. Finally, we will be hosting a retreat in Nags Head, NC on September 23-25. This event is an opportunity for students to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ and other members of the ministry.
I am eager to see what God has in store at ODU throughout the coming year. I look forward to partnering with a network of supporters financially and in prayer for the ministry. I am confident that God has great things in store and the support of loyal individuals is necessary to make the ministry as successful as possible. If you would like to make a one-time donation or financially support me on a monthly basis, donations are tax deductable and can be made online at cmov.org under the support tab or by mail to the following address:
College Ministries of Virginia
P.O. Box 3280
Richmond, Virginia 23228
Please include my name on the memo line when writing a check or donating online. Please feel free to contact me or gain additional information about the ministry at one of the links below.
Thank you for your love and support. I look forward to keeping you updated with the progress of the ministry. If you would like to receive letters or receipts via email, please fill out the response card and mail it in the enclosed envelope.
God Bless,
Tyler Phelps
tyler@csfodu.com
https://tyinva.wordpress.com/
ODU Adventures 