Get Ready for FALL RETREAT!!

Fall Retreat is one of the most strategic times of our semester and we wanted to send out a quick update and ask for your prayers for this coming weekend.  This is a big weekend when students process a lot because they have time to stop and reflect.
Our speaker is Richard Smith from Spartanburg, SC.  Richard spoke at our big Encounter conference last year and students loved him.
Below I will list things to be praying for this weekend.  Thanks so much for your partnering with us to reach students with the gospel!

Prayer Request
 - Praise God for the 37 Freshmen already registered, please pray that more would sign up and take a step of faith to come. Pray for those who are deciding between coming with us and basically something that will only leave them empty. This is a battle for the hearts of men, pray that God would draw them to Him.
-Please pray for Richard as he speaks this weekend and for his safety as he travels, his health and rest.
-Please pray for all of the staff and volunteers coming to help this weekend. That God would allow His love to shine through and that we would be at the right places at the right times.
-Please pray for the non-believers that are coming with us, that they would have a safe place to process the gospel and an unclouded opportunity to accept it!
-Please pray for safety as we travel and as we play!
-Please pray for the decisions that students make to be lasting and not just emotional.
-Please pray for unity, there have been some students from Pellissippi and Maryville that have expressed desire to come, pray that they would feel welcomed and catch a vision for what God can do on their campus.

Ways to Help:
If you would like to scholarship a student to go please let us know. (We have 3 asking for scholarships at present)
If you would like to help out with a meal or come help serve, you can let us know when you would be available.

Amazing Grace and Amazing Blessings!!

Wow!  That is the first word that comes to mind as I think about this past month.  When school started back we were curious as to how things would go since we had recently redone our leadership training and structure.  We were also curious as to how students would respond to the new format in our weekly meetings and our new vision statement that focuses on Encounter and Give (Encountering Jesus and Giving our lives to Him and others).

Our Leaders
Brooks and I feel so blessed by the young men and women that God has raised up here at UT.  They have such a vision and a heart to reach out to their fellow students!  Our Freshman Bible Studies are averaging about 15-20, which is amazing and things are still growing.  Even among the upperclassmen, where you usually see a fade out, we have seen more students getting involved with the need to start new studies to accommodate the people interested.  Please continue to be in prayer for our leaders, especially in recruiting for Fall Retreat which is coming up September 23-25th.  This is a critical weekend for the ministry and we would love your prayers for this weekend!

Launching New Campuses
We have been overwhelmed by how God is working as we start to launch new campuses.  Things are going very well to start Cru at Pellissippi State.  Pellissippi has 10,000 students and is the second largest University in East Tennessee. It is projected to grow even bigger and change to a 4 year school soon.  There is currently NO established campus ministry there.  We have had several things on campus and have about 50 students interested in helping launch Cru.  Please keep praying for church partnerships to strengthen and that God would raise up laborers.
We are also looking to launch at Maryville College, Johnson University, Knoxville College and Roane State.  Please pray that God would go before us and raise up connections, students and volunteers to help reach these campuses.  Please also pray for favor in the eyes of the administration.  A lot of them are not used to groups coming in like this.  We need faculty sponsors and a lot of times have to be "voted in."  Please pray that God would provide for these needs.

Ways to help and ways to pray
-If you know of students or teachers at any of the Universities/Colleges listed above that would be interested in helping out please let us know!!
-If you would like to help be a Volunteer Staff Person that would help out at one of these campuses please let us know!
-Please be praying for our Fall Retreat and our speaker Richard Smith (from Spartanburg, SC).  The retreat is September 23-25.
-We have had several students ask for scholarships to Fall Retreat.  If you would like to give towards helping a student attend Fall Retreat the cost is $59 for Freshmen and $75 for Upperclassmen.  We don't really make money on Fall Retreat this is just to cover our cost.  You can do partial or full scholarships.  The link to give is posted below, but please message me at Britton.Sharp@uscm.org if you give so that I know to look for it in the campus account.
https://give.ccci.org/give/View/2284485?pp=Search+Results
-Please thank God for how He is working on the campuses in Knoxville!!