ULC is a community of Christ followers who are striving to live out their faith on the University of Texas campus and in the Austin area.
Who: ULC staff and students
What: Donations for discipleship cover the following things:
- Events
- Retreats
- Meals
– every Monday we serve lunch to students and have a devotional time
- Community Groups
– women’s group is “Peace at Turtle Pond”
– men’s group is “Man Cave”
- Mission Trips
– scheduled to go to Kenya in the Spring of 2012
- Discipleship Scholarships for our interns
- Salary and benefits for ULC staff
When: Right now!
Where: Anywhere ministry can happen: at ULC, on campus, in Texas, in Kenya, and beyond.
Why: We have found that the truest moments of spiritual and relational growth seem to occur over a shared meal, in a close-knit Bible study, while playing a game, or in other times of natural conversation about who God really is. These times of discipleship can and should happen in many different settings, which is why we are committed to offering as many opportunities to students as possible. This past semester we were excited to begin offering the Discipleship Internship. Interns have the opportunity to be discipled one-on-one by ULC staff, and they in turn have started small groups where more discipling occurs. In the video below, you will hear from our interns on how they feel about the program.
Who: The International Student Community, the lost, and the needy individuals in the UT area. Right now there are 5,000 International Students at UT. Many of these bring their families with them, and live in student apartments. We currently have over 200 International students and families coming to our weekly classes at ULC – and we want to do more.
What: This part of our vision is for the ongoing ministry to the International students here at UT. We currently offer:
- ESL (English as a Second Language) classes
- Mommy and Me class (for the wives and young children of International students)
- Individual conversation partners
- Bible studies, and
- Occasional events and field trips
In addition to International students, there are thousands of students that surround us daily in need of friendship and support. There are also thousands of people in the Austin area who have yet to experience the love of Christ. We want to reach out to all of the spiritually thirsty in our midst. In order to do this well, our hope is to hire a full-time Director of International Student Ministry and Community Outreach.
When: Right now! We hope to hire the Director of ISM and Community Outreach beginning in the Fall of 2011.
Where: Right here … and beyond. Using the Student Center as a hub of resources, we are perfectly located to reach out to the UT campus and the Austin community. In addition to that, most International students return to their home country when they finish their courses at UT. Imagine the impact when they bring the gospel with them!
Why: Why does anyone reach out to another in need? Because we know it’s right? Yes, but even more than that, because the love of Christ compels us.
Who: Students at UT and ULC who want to be part of a missional community.
What: This vision is to buy two houses: one for the women and one for the men. The rooms will be rented out to students who want to be in a Christ-centered community that reaches out in love and support to others. ULC staff will provide guidance to the residents, but the actual outreach will come naturally from the students in these houses putting Christ first in their lives. This is our great hope for these houses: that they would be a natural, everyday community of faith being lived out.
When: We hope to purchase the houses as soon as possible (no later than December 2011), and to have them available to the students starting in the Summer of 2012.
Where: Within blocks of the campus. Right now we are looking at a few “example” houses in the North Campus area.
Why: Because we believe that discipleship and outreach should flow naturally from an organic community. We believe that when Jesus said, “Go and make disciples”, He really meant get out there in every day life and make disciples! It’s not enough just to come to church and hope the lost show up for a worship service! In addition to that, our ministry needs to be self-sufficient, or it won’t be at all. If we are able to get both houses donated and both houses’ utilities and maintenance expenses covered by the endowment, then the rent money alone (which will also be a great deal for our students!) will provide approximately $75,000 to $90,000 every year for the ministry.