August 2024

Written By Dean Owens

I had planned to write a detailed update of everything that’s been going on this summer, but there has been so much to do and time has gotten away from me.  As I’m writing this, 5,000+ freshmen and transfer students are days away from moving in on campus.  This is crunch time, and there is so much left to do.

Maybe I’ll talk about some of those summer items in future newsletters, but for now I’m going to focus on items I want you to be aware of and pray for.

As many of you know, this will be the first year in a while that I’ll be the lone staff member at UNC.  It’s how I started 21 years ago, and I know it can be done.  I also know I’ve had some great associate staff over the years that have made this job a little easier and a lot more fun.  Right now my brain is racing, trying to make sure I don’t forget anything, and I’m looking for every moment in the day to button up little details.  Pray for my strength, stamina, and mental clarity.  I’m still not where I would like to be post-transplant.

The last few years have been tough for every student organization at UNC, CCF included.  Covid sent students home for distance learning, and then there was the year I missed because of my stem cell transplant. Last year, UNC experienced a shooting on campus, which was followed two weeks later with someone brandishing a firearm.  All of these have had a compounding effect on our momentum and growth as a ministry. We are starting the year with a small number of returning students, but they’re eager to reach new students live out our mission of making disciples on campus who impact the world.

Johna, Romeo and Melanie at our prayer table on campus

Speaking of small, our leadership team consists of myself and two student leaders. Johna and Romeo are two of the best leaders I’ve had.  What they lack in experience they make up for in ambition.  Pray that I both lead them well and get out of their way when I need to.

Week(s) of Welcome

The leadership team has some lofty plans for outreach to start this semester.  Below I’m going to give the date, the event, and a small description of the event.  Please pray for these events: for good weather, good turn out, for us, our energy, and God-guided conversations.  Pray for boldness for CCF students and open hearts for the new students.  Before we can make disciples, we have to build relationships.  Pray that God would lead us to the people we need to talk to like he did with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-31.

  • 8/15 @ 11am-1pm — Tabling on South Campus

Meeting students, giving away promo items, telling them about CCF and inviting them to events we are hosting.

  • 8/15 @ 4-6pm — Painting on the Quad

Outdoor painting event where we provide the art supplies and give a brief plug about CCF.  We hope to have conversations and begin building relationships.

  • 8/16 @ 11am-1pm — Tabling on South Campus

  • 8/16 @ 6-8:30pm — Game Night and Uno Tournament

We’re providing pizza, board games, card games and having an Uno Tournament with a prize for the winner.

  • 8/17 @1-3pm — Ice Pops and Church Invites

We are partnered with a local church and members from the church will be passing out ice pops and inviting students to church.  I organize a shuttle to help students who need a ride get to church.

  • 8/18 — Church and Taco Bar

We’ll pick students up for church.  After service, a taco bar lunch is provided for the students.

  • 8/20 @ 6-8pm — Grill on The Hill

Our annual cookout on south campus.  Over the years, we’ve served anywhere from 200-450+ students.  We have lawn games, play volleyball, give info about CCF and the church…and just spend time getting to know a lot of potential new friends.  This is a big event and takes a lot of energy! Pray for all the students and local church members who will be volunteering: for stamina but also smiles to welcome students and courage to start conversations.  We could still use some more volunteers for this event.

  • 8/21 @ 6:30pm — Encounter

Our first Wednesday night worship meeting of the year.  Steven Reed from NCSU is leading worship on our first night, and we’re providing dinner afterwards.  Pray for the night to be impactful for the students and that they would stick around for dinner.

  • 8/22 — Cookies to First Timers

Johna and Romeo plan to deliver cookies and a note to every first time visitor from Encounter the night before. The note will thank them for coming and remind them of our Friday night event.  This is hard and time consuming.  Pray for more returning students to help out and for them to be able to get into the various dorms quickly and easily.

  • 8/23 @ 6:30pm — Maple View Ice Cream

This is just a simple outing to a well-known, local ice cream shop.

  • 8/25 — Rides to Church and Sup Dogs

This will be our second week driving students to church.  CrossTrail Community Church, our local church partner, is offering to take college students to Sup Dogs for lunch.  College students like to be fed!

  • 8/26 @ 7pm — Connect Group

This will be our first Connect Group of the semester.  We would like to add a Thursday night one as well.  Pray for the leaders and for community to begin to form.  We’ll be going through Genesis this semester.

  • 9/20-22 — Fall Retreat

This is obviously a month into the semester, but this is a big deal.  Usually if we can get a student to go to the Fall Retreat, they are locked in.  This year the retreat is a week earlier, so that’s less time to get students to sign up.  And for the first time, it’ll be over a long weekend for us at UNC.  I don’t know if that will help or hurt our efforts to get students to go.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Dean Owens