John Donne famously said, “No man is an island” in his book Meditations XVII. No matter who you are talking to at Texas Tech, the consensus is that God is revealing himself one day at a time as the God who is faithful to encounter people, set the captives free and answer the extravagant prayers of college students who would dare to dream with God. Consider this story by Lucy Greenberg:
“Faithfulness is the only thing that really comes to mind when I think back to that first prayer meeting in the parking lot outside the City Bank Auditorium. God’s faithfulness is everlasting, unwavering and constant. He is one who keeps His promises. One and a half years ago a bunch of college students gathered outside the city bank auditorium on Tech’s campus, just because we felt God said He wanted to do something big in that building for His name’s sake. Week after week we just stood in that parking lot, in the cold and the wind and played worship out of the back of a pick-up truck.”
What began as a burden for prayer in the heart of TTU Senior, Lucy Greenberg is now being realized and facilitated through Experience Life’s Raider Campus. Tyler Dipprey, Raider Campus Pastor says that they have seen just shy of 1000 students each week with the highlight from last semester being a night of multiple salvations and over 70 spontaneous baptisms.
As wonderful as that is, that is just one facet of the work that God is doing at Texas Tech. Check out what is happening at Church on the Rock’s College & Young Adult Ministry, Awaken:
“I feel as if God is stirring the hearts of students. God is calling them to a deeper commitment and walking forward in their destiny. They are realizing that God has called them to Lubbock for a season and for a purpose. For us the message is simple. God didn’t just call you here to get a degree. He called you here to make a difference. “–Rick Mitchell, College Pastor at COTR-Lubbock.
How can you pray for Texas Tech?
God is certainly moving in both the individual campus ministries and the campus as a whole. We are so grateful and excited to see what God is going to do in the hearts and lives of college students in the 2014-15 school year. That being said, there are certainly areas that we can still grow in and would love and appreciate your support in.
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Prayer. It is my desire to see an increased hunger both in the hearts of students and ministry leaders for the place of corporate prayer, individual prayer, strategic prayer and seasons of unified prayer. I long to see a permanent 24-7 Campus House of Prayer launched at Texas Tech University, which can provide a place of sanctuary and community for believers from every denomination.
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Evangelism. With approximately 33,000 students at Texas Tech, a bit less than 10% of those students are involved in campus ministries.* That means there are over 30,000 students who are not connected to church or campus ministries. We need to engage in strategic collaborative evangelism to reach this campus for Jesus.
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Life. This school year is off to a tragic start. In the first 6 weeks, there have been 7 fatalities among Tech students already. That is more than the entire last year combined. Six of those deaths involved car accidents, with four of them being non-alcohol related accidents during travel. Our campus is grieving. On September 10th, we will host a Prayer Vigil in Memorial Circle at 6 pm to honor, remember and pray for the families and loved ones of those who have died.
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Collaboration in Mission: It is my desire to see multiple campus ministries work together in strategic collaboration as individual ministries to reach this campus for Christ. I believe there is a way for each ministry to retain its distinct mandate and calling while working in collaboration with other ministries who ultimately share the same goal.
Join with me in praying that God will continue to move and have His way at Texas Tech University, for the glory of His son!
Jill Hurley is the Executive Director of Tech 24-7, a campus ministry at Texas Tech University which invites students from all denominations and backgrounds to join together in prayer initiatives such as Campus House of Prayer (CHOP) and the Collegiate Day of Prayer (CDOP). She is also the Interim Campus Director for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries at Texas Tech. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Religion and Anthropology, and hopes to graduate in the next two years.
