Jesus is risen indeed! The best news of all time and a comfort to those who call Him Lord, knowing that our hope and salvation are secure in Christ. Now that’s some news worth proclaiming.
Easter weekend was an incredible experience for the ROC community. We kicked things off by celebrating the return of Ohio Teens for Christ. Ohio Teens, or OTFC as we affectionately refer to it, took a 2 year hiatus during the pandemic, so it was particularly exciting to be back at the Easton Hilton this year for the conference. ROC students were an integral part of making the convention happen for all the middle and high school students in attendance. Our crew helped run service opportunities, meet younger students at ROC’s exhibit table, and lead a workshop among others.
Additionally, one of our students Lilly Suttle, painted a couple pieces of art during worship that we later auctioned off to raise funds for OTFC’s Mission for the weekend, Threads of Hope. Threads of Hope works in impoverished areas to give families reliable means of employment through weaving bracelets and similar items. Lilly’s art work brought in an additional $860 toward the offering total for the weekend. How incredible is that?
My newsfeed has been flooded today with posts from high / middle school students, youth leaders, and church leaders sharing their highlights from the weekend. My heart is overwhelmed by seeing how much this conference meant to so many, including several who made the decision to call Jesus “Lord” for the first time and be immersed through baptism. This makes all the lack of sleep during the weekend and the countless hours of planning more than worth it in my book.
Easter was also a wonderful day with some of our ROC Students. I picked a group of ROC students up from campus early on Sunday to head to church together. It was great to be able to worship alongside them, especially on Easter. I also love inviting students, especially those who can’t be home for Easter, into my big, crazy, family dinners. We all had a blast and I’m not sure that by the end you could even tell that they weren’t blood members of the family.
I’ll also mention that a couple weeks ago we wrapped up training for our incoming ROC student leaders. We celebrated their hard work by completing an escape room alongside our current leaders. Because our group was so large we actually had to split into two teams! Both groups had to learn how to work together, problem solve, and communicate effectively to escape. I’m proud to say both groups successfully escaped, and had a great time while doing it.
Once again, let me impress upon you, just how much your love, generosity, and prayers are making an impact in the lives of students. Not only at Ohio University and Rio Grande, but students all over the state through events like Ohio Teens for Christ.
Blessings,
-Dodger