This month I would simply ask you to join me in praying for the beginning of another semester.
*Pray for the new students coming to Penn State Berks - it is always a huge thing to move away from home for the first time. Pray for the students moving into the dorms or apartments to adjust to their new life of freedom in college. Especially pray that those who are Christians would not leave their faith behind as they go to college but that they would get involved in Christian community on campus.
*Pray for the new students at Penn State Berks who are commuters - it is a slightly different experience to commute from home to college. Some things are familiar, such as living in the same place and perhaps having the same job. But a college schedule is very different from high school, many of your friends have moved away to their own colleges, and the classwork is much more difficult. So pray for these students to adjust to their new life also.
*Pray for CSF to reach out to the new students - New students are vital to CSF. Many students only spend two years at PSU Berks, so without new students joining the group we would quickly cease to exist. Pray that many students would seek out CSF as a spiritual home, but also pray that returning students make an effort to not just be comfortable with old friends but also reach out and make new students feel welcome.
*Pray for evangelism - Most new students who join CSF will be Christians wanting to find Christian community. It is easy for this community to become inward-focused, providing a safe-haven for Christians from the rest of a crazy college life. Pray that the students have a heart for their peers, reaching out in the name of Jesus Christ.
*Pray for the classroom - It seems that many Christians on campus divide their life, separating what happens in the classroom with what happens in the church or campus ministry. This is similar to how many Christians in our world do not see how their faith relates to what they do the other six days each week. Pray that students develop a vocation, realizing that God has called them into their major and future career. Pray that the Christian students love God with all their mind and apply themselves fully to their studies as an act of worship.
*Pray for CSF's work on campus - This year we will meet weekly for worship, prayer and Bible study. We will also have other regular activities from service projects on campus to game nights to spiritual discussion forums and much more. Pray that we are open to the Holy Spirit's leading and that we represent Jesus well on this diverse campus.
*Pray that lives would be changed - Pray that people, whether Christians already or not, would encounter Jesus Christ this year and have their lives changed in positive ways.