Maybe Someday
During this season of new growth, your generosity to Jacksonville Campus Ministry nourishes the faith of students who are finding their identity as beloved children of God. Milesh has been one of our most faithful attendees of campus ministry events for five years. He invites friends, shares our events with others, and helps create a welcoming space for students. But he wouldn’t call himself a Christian.
During one of our gatherings, he mentioned that he didn’t have a Bible and, perhaps if he did, he might start reading it. Suddenly, Bibles became a part of our ministry budget. A few weeks later, after hearing the story of the first Christian community in Acts, Milesh remarked, "maybe someday I would join a Christian community and be a part of that.”
“It’s too late,” I told him, “you’re already here,” as I gestured to our gathered students, who sat around eating and introducing themselves to one another. Still, though, Milesh never claimed a Christian identity. When introducing himself, he confidently asserted that he was agnostic and “mostly here for the good conversation.”
Last summer, we invited a small group of students who were serious about diving deeper into their faith and asking hard questions to participate in a twelve-week discipleship group. It would be more intimate and vulnerable than anything we had done before, and Milesh was immediately interested. We dove deep, and as we began to talk about the Holy Spirit, Milesh revealed that he had been feeling what he called “Jesus tingles” in worship on Sunday mornings.
In December of last year, you read in our newsletter that Milesh could “see [himself] converting somewhere down the line.” We are delighted to share that Milesh was welcomed into the Body of Christ through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. In true Milesh fashion, he invited many friends to the sunrise Easter service at Redeemer Episcopal Church, and fifteen pulled themselves out of bed to support him. We are excited to see what the Spirit has in store for Milesh as he grows in his faith.
During this season of growth, your generosity to Jacksonville Campus Ministry will provide for the ongoing ministry of Food for Thought, retreats, and pastoral care helping make space for our students to ask questions, grow, and deepen their relationship with God. We invite you to consider a gift of $20, $50, $150, $500, or even $1000 or more to invest in this vital ministry with young adults. Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry we all share.