 All it takes is one yes“The Holy Spirit wrecked me and my life has never been the same,” said Nicole*, a XA Intern at Queens College in NYC. We were speaking after an evening session at a Fall Retreat last month about her journey with Jesus. She’d been invited to a Chi Alpha small group as a student at Queens, and her life has never been the same. With great excitement and tears in her eyes, she shared about her desire to share the hope of Jesus to the world. When I started my first year in ministry in 2016, there were no Chi Alpha groups in the state of New York. I remember seeing a map of the US at training event that summer and hearing about the opportunity for someone to pioneer Chi Alpha in NY. It’s pretty surreal to meet someone 8 years later who is from NYC, went to college in NYC, encountered the Lord powerfully through a newly pioneered Chi Alpha group in NYC, and is now serving in that same ministry. Recently, one staff at Queens shared: “At our most recent worship night, we invited students to come up who were seeking the Lord for healing. And praise God – we had multiple students be healed of physical, mental & even emotional wounds! One student’s ears were healed, one’s knees were healed, a brand new student said that his shoulder was healed. It was amazing to have our student leaders lay hands on one another as they prayed and believed the Lord for complete healing over their friends.” As I hear these incredible stories, I kept thinking: All because someone said yes. Because of someone’s yes to God’s ask to pioneer a new ministry, there have been countless students who have entered into the kingdom of God in NYC. Hearts healed, eternities changed, disciples raised and sent. I share this for two reasons: One: we never know what God will do through our yes. We seem to serve a God who takes what we surrender and multiply it – for His glory. What might God be inviting you into today? Two: There are so many campuses we long the same for. So much opportunity throughout the Northeast. We are praying, wondering, and dreaming about what it would take to see Chi Alpha thrive in cities like Philadelphia and NYC, and in areas such as New England. Stories like Nicole’s remind me that pioneering new ministries and raising up staff are ultimately about the one — a life redeemed and transformed. Would you take a moment today to pray for campuses throughout the Northeast? May God encounter students in the middle of their busy semesters, whether they are looking for Him or not. And would you pray that God would raise up staff to pioneer or revitalize ministries on campuses where there are great opportunities? *Name changed for privacy    UVA Fall Retreat!In September, I had the joy of returning to Chi Alpha at UVA to speak at their Fall Retreat. Praise God for how He continues to transform lives of students at UVA , and it was surreal to be back, I felt pretty old! We explored God’s desire to form us into people of love through an intentional rule of life and community.   Off-sites to dream and plan. In October and November, we gathered with District Directors and other senior leaders to pray and dream about what God is doing in the Northeast. From conversations about missionary health, to healthy discipleship, to pioneering — I’m honored to get to be part of these conversations. May God help us to steward our responsibilities and resources with wisdom.   (Left) Part of my role is to work alongside the 6 District Directors serving in the Northeast, so I took a quick trip to the National XA Ministry Center in Springfield, MO last month to get oriented! Thankful for the opportunity to spend time with those serving on a national level of leadership. (Right) Another Fall Retreat for the schools in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York! Seeing students encounter God’s presence never gets old.  Also, this year I’m helping launch the Asian American Pacific Islander Ethnic Fellowship in Chi Alpha! My hope for this is to cultivate relationships about AAPI staff serving in Chi Alpha throughout the US — to provide connection, empathy, and empowerment as we bring our whole selves to God. It was neat to see their excitement to connect with other AAPI staff!  We thank God for:Every student who’s been invited to new life in Christ. All throughout the Northeast, there are countless individuals who have experienced God’s reality and goodness. We celebrate every meaningful conversation, every small group, every Fall Retreat, and every baptism.Every staff who so generously gave of their lives to meet new students during Fall start-up. Much of their work goes unseen, but I believe is bearing much fruit. Please pray for: SALT in January. SALT is our annual winter student conference for Chi Alphas in the Northeast. This year we are partnering with 60+ world missionaries to highlight God’s global plan! We’re expecting 600+ attendees, and are currently in the midst of a lot of planning. Would you pray that God would impact students’ lives and impact the nations through SALT? Encouragement and strength for staff. After a big Fall start-up push, this can be a tiring time for staff. Particularly for those who are the only staff on their campus or on a smaller team. Would you pray that every staff would experience God’s joy and rest as they faithfully show up and serve? Laborers to join teams and pioneer ministries in urban hubs. Would you continue to pray with us for cities in like DC, Philadelphia, NYC and Boston where there are thousands of college students? Wisdom for this newly forming AAPI Fellowship. We long for Chi Alpha to be a place where all staff are supported and can thrive. I’d love prayer for wisdom as this continues to form.  Thank you for faithfully praying for and for enabling me to serve campuses and ministers across the Northeast. Together, we are serving students, blessing campuses, developing missionaries, and cultivating healthy teams. I am grateful to have an incredible team of partners. Please let me know how I can be praying for you!If you are interested in partnering with me financially, click the button below to sign up on my secure giving page.partner with me |
| Contact me jennyjgroff@gmail.com 703-944-4131 Our mailing address is 1614 Christian Street, Unit 3, Philadelphia, PA 19146 |