If you get this post this morning, would you please take a few minutes over lunch to pray for this small group? From yesterday, remember that I am coaching a couple of small group leaders here at Urbana. One of my leaders is Bernard, the other a guy is named Mivhael (both PhD students from Ghana studying in the U.S.).
At past Urbanas students would hear a compelling invitation to salvation from the platform during a plenary session. Go back far enough in Urbana history and that invitation came from Dr. Billy Graham himself! We’re doing it differently now. And I really like the change. This time, the call to faith in Jesus will come from student leaders in the safety and belonging of their small groups! LeadX students are being coached right now as I write this to give an invitation to respond (see the details down below). They’ll be giving that invitation TODAY! Please pray for Bernard and Mivhael – they’re prepping and praying for their small groups right now! Thanks so much!
The first Urbana I staffed happened over Christmas break, 1987 – my very first semester on staff! One thing that stands out for every Urbana attendee is the theme and the scripture that frames each of our triennial missions conventions. This year’s morning expositions are coming from the book of Jonah. Funny thing. That’s exactly what we did at my first Urbana 38 years ago!
Somehow Urbana has managed over all these years to keep it’s grip on making scripture the central message. Of course there have been terrific expositors time and again. But I love it that students are surrounded by the voice of the Lord for nearly an entire week! Scripture is read. Scripture is brought to life with art and music. Scripture is studied in small groups. And scripture is further ignited by stories of Jesus’ mission happening over the entire planet.
Staff who attend Urbana are all given a job. I’ve done everything from handing out cough drops to loading school busses in a parking lot, to proctoring workshops. One year Cheryl and I got to be the chauffeurs for platform speakers! This year I get to coach LeadX students! These are the student leaders of the small group bible studies. There are only 497 of them! That’s because with the overall convention numbers being over 7,000, you need quite a few small group leaders!
So my day today began with a small group leader’s gathering at 7:30 am. After the morning plenary session we helped students find their room and table with a LeadX student at each one. I coached two small group leaders as they lead their groups in a study of Jonah 1. Then I spent the afternoon in prayer and coaching conversations with students and leaders who signed up for a one on one with me.
Bernard – a PhD student, PT from Ghana, a husband and dad, a next generation leader of the mission of Jesus!
I think the thing that struck me the most today is how enduringly relevant the message of Jonah is. My table of 8 grad students lit up for a solid hour of inductive bible discussion about Jonah. So many things completely hijack attentive readers:
Jonah is a prophet of Yahweh with an absolutely rebellious and cynical attitude.
Pagan sailors make vows and sacrifices to the God Jonah was running away from.
Jonah is consigned to death. The sailors are struggling for their lives!
Jonah is fleeing God. The pagans are penitent, believing and grateful for God’s mercy.
Pagans obey. The seas obey. The fish obeys. Jonah resolutely defies God’s leadership.
“Jonah reminds us that God’s servants need mercy and salvation just as much as the worst of the lost need it.” God’s mercy is vastly greater than our wildest imagination and if we’re not careful, our own rebellion against God’s goodness will blind us to his purposes in the world. Jonah is an awful staff worker. He’s a crummy Christian. He’s the most unlikely servant the Lord could possibly have chosen. He’s not so unlike you and me!
Pray for the message of Jonah to unfold this week among staff, students and church leaders. We’re off to a great start. Pray that God would truly remove our rebellion and expand our vision of his mercy for a broken world.
So how close are we to the end of the year? IF a whole year were represented by one 24 hour day, Dec 7th puts us with one hour and 34 minutes “before midnight” when the new year begins! In NFL terminology I think that could probably count as The Two Minute Warning!
Thanks for the jolt of panic, Tim! So what’s your point? As we breeze through the last days of 2025, there are two topics I want to talk about, starting with how things are looking with my budget. Below is my dashboard from Donor Elf. This is what IV staff use to track donations. There are a few things I’d like you to catch (that may not be obvious from all the numbers).
Donor Elf reminds me what my annual target is – by the end of June (our fiscal year) I need to raise $128K to cover my entire budget. That includes my salary. My health insurance. The amount I’m setting aside for retirement. All my ministry expenses including travel. And my training and conferences.
Thank you so much for your part in keeping me funded year after year. The past couple of years I’ve been able to build my budget to the point that I am now actually on InterVarsity’s pay-scale where my salary level says I can be! This hasn’t always been the case. Thanks to several new donors and increases from many current donors, I’ve got a good shot at reaching full salary and full budget by June 30th.
A few other realities:
I never meet budget just through gifts that come in monthly. Lots of you give one time annually. About half my annual donors do that about now. About half do that in the spring.
When donations get that boost in December, my bottom line usually goes from deficit to “back in the black”.
Currently my account is running a $5,000 deficit.
I ended last fiscal year (June 2025) several thousand in OVERAGE because of some surprise one time gifts.
I have also lost three donors this fall. One due to a job cut. One who just needed to discontinue. And one supporting church had to close it’s doors! I’ll need to replace a total of $4.9K.
Consequently… a few things you always hear me say in December:
IF you are able to continue your support (whether that is monthly or annually) I’d be so grateful for your ongoing generosity. If you plan to make no changes to your giving, no need to reach out to me. Thank you so much for your faithful partnership!
IF you need to adjust your giving, reduce your giving or stop sending gifts, please do let me know what your plans are. It would be really helpful for me to know that so I can make some changes on my end. Just email me at the link below or text me via PBR.
IF you are able to increase your giving some I’d love to know that and help you make that change. Please text me, call me or email me! Changing your electronic giving is very easy to do.
The link above will take you to my page on InterVarsity’s donation site. If you would like to give your annual gift between now and the end of the year use this link. I’ll also send it out a couple more times before Dec 31st.
And SPEAKING OF DEC 31st
Topic number two: This is an Urbana year! InterVarsity is hosting it’s triennial Missions Conference this time in Phoenix, Arizona. If you’d like a look at the theme, schedule and list of speakers, feel free to visit the Urbana website. I’d really appreciate prayers for one of our GFM students here in Omaha who will be attending Urbana. I’ll tell you a little more about her in coming posts, but for now, please be praying for Jaicy! She’ll be a small group leader at Urbana. She’s a UNMC employee who is in her first year of Creighton’s MBA program.
PBR 