Who Are The Navigators?

The Navigators are an interdenominational ministry dedicated to helping people navigate spiritually, to know Christ and to make Him known as they look to Him and the Bible to chart their lives. Internationally, more than 4,000 Navigator staff of 64 nationalities serve in more than 100 countries. The calling of The Navigators is:

To Advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost.

To learn more about The Navigators, visit their website.

My Fall 2009 Ministry

For the 2007-2008 school year I was on part-time paid staff with the FSU Navigators. Beginning in the Fall 2008 semester I have chosen to remain on staff at Florida State, but now as a volunteer. To read more about this change, click here.

This semester I will be in charge of the freshmen Bible study. As with last year, my role in the study will be to train and guide the study leaders. Three students and one recent alum will take turns leading the students in the study, and I will provide them with feedback. Throughout the semester I hope to have training sessions in which all five of us can get together in a classroom setting to discuss various topics in small group leadership.

Each week at our large-group meeting one of the staff (or a student leader) gives a message. This fall I have the privilege of speaking twice at this meeting. On October 20 I’ll be speaking on conflict resolution and on November 3 I’ll be speaking on missions. Both of these talks will be recorded and available on the FSU Navigators podcast.

Additionally, I plan to make myself available to students in a one-to-one capacity. This will probably take place either during lunch (working on campus is great) or after work. Over the last several years I’ve found that some of the best impact you can have on a young Christian occurs when you give them personal attention.

You can find out more about the Navigators’ ministry at Florida State University on their website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Raising Financial Support

As an associate staff member with The Navigators, I have the option of continuing to raise financial support to fund my ministry expenses on campus. I have chosen to do this, once again trusting God with my financial needs. The financial support that I raise will go to four purposes.

First, it will help me fund my personal ministry, which includes things like taking students out for meals, personal conference fees, and sending out newsletters. That’s a relatively small piece of the pie.

The biggest piece of my funding (about 2/3 of it) will go to offset costs for students on two of our trips. Our annual spring conference is a great way for our students to connect with each other, grow their biblical convictions, and learn about the various summer opportunities available to them. But we have to get them there, and that’s not always easy! The cost per student is typically about $125, which is pretty steep for anyone, but it’s especially high for a poor college student who’s sitting on the fence. So, my goal is to raise enough support to allow every first-time conference attendee (both freshmen and the folks who have turned the trip down in the past) to attend for only $65. I plan to also offset the cost for students attending our men’s and women’s retreats in the fall. These trips can be turning points in the lives of our students. I want to get as many of them there as possible.

This year I will also help pay for some of the miscellaneous food expenses the ministry encounters throughout the semester. This might include food for gameday cookouts, snacks for Nav Night, breakfast for our student leaders on their weekend training days, or food for Christmas party.

The final piece of my fund raising will go toward purchasing some equipment including a new microphone, a tripod for our video camera, and a hard drive to store the videos we’re recording.

All told I hope to raise $8000 to fulfill these three goals.

Would you take the time to pray over me, asking God if He wants you to partner with me financially? Would you consider making a monthly contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more to help me reach my goal? A one-time gift of any amount would also be a tremendous blessing. Your contribution is an investment, not just in me, but also in the students to which I’ll be ministering.

You can make a tax-deductible gift online right here.

Please sign up for my newsletter or contact me for more information.