Below is an update sent to the Oakridge Bible Chapel family from Travis Winteler as he continues to serve the Lord at Brock University with InterVarsity.
Without Walls
October and November were a whirlwind of events! Chiefly, Without Walls was an amazing success! 280 students from the Niagara Region and more from outside the region came through the doors of Brock University Isaac’s Bar. The setlist included hits such as Phil Wickham’s “I Believe”, Elevation Worship’s “Praise”, as well as “You’ve Already Won” by Shane & Shane. This event was a night to remember. Throughout the entire process, we were blown away witnessing God’s hand at work. For example, our music, sound, video, and photography teams were talented beyond our wildest expectations.
Community Impact of Without Walls
I am extremely proud of our ability to provide prayer ministry throughout our Without Walls worship nights. Lead by our full time InterVarsity campus staff member, Tanner, we had multiple individuals located in the back of the bar space throughout the night. It is a blessing to have these individuals pray for others who approached them at various points in the night. Additionally, it was very moving to hear how Without Walls has been transformative in the faith journeys for some students. For example, I have had countless individuals approach me and share they had made some regretful choices in Isaac’s bar in the past, but are grateful for the opportunity to return to the bar to breakdown those memories and replace them with uplifting Christian memories. Finally, we have used Without Walls as a way to familiarize the senior youth of local churches with campus ministry groups. This has been a great success, as a portion of our attendees have been senior high school students.
FELLOWSHIP EVENTS
In October I was blessed with the opportunity to be the main speaker for one of our large group gatherings. After our InterVarsity retreat in September, many individuals from our group who did not attend my workshop, “Building Christian Habits” wanted me to share that topic at our large group gathering. I was overjoyed to hear that students found the message applicable and were encouraged to make healthy biblical changes in their lives. For example, in my small group discussion during the breakout portion of our large group, students said that they were inspired to prioritize more consistent prayer time with God. Additionally, students wanted to regularly go to the gym so that they may increase their physical capacity and the resiliency required to serve God in a variety of ways. I am eagerly awaiting my next opportunity to speak at our large group.
Halloween + Euchre Tournament
At the end of October, Brock Intervarsity held a Halloween costume BBQ at my house. Our group was encouraged to dress up in costume, and it was fun to see a wide variety of costumes. Even Spider Man made an appearance! It was a great night full of food, and fun playing board games. I would like to thank all of my supporters as this BBQ was funded through my staff budget. It would not be possible without you as supporters. In November, we held a Euchre tournament night on campus. Sadly, my partner and I did not win the tournament but having fun and meeting new friends who do not regularly attend InterVarsity was more important. These nights are crucial for ministry purposes as we get to explain what InterVarsity is and our passion for Jesus to those who are new.
Prayer Requests
- I will be devoting the bulk of December to planning future leadership structures for our group. This includes a new leadership application process, leadership culture, and a leadership seminar for next semester. Please pray that Christ would be magnified throughout this planning. Pray also that the Lord would identify future leaders within our group for us to intentionally mentor.
- My campus associate colleague, Rosa Adams, and myself have been asked to plan our next retreat for January 2025. We have chosen “Undivided Life” as the retreat theme and are excited for what we have planned so far. We would greatly appreciate prayers for an impactful retreat and for strength as we continue to plan all of the details for the retreat.
By job title, Alice is the office administrator at Oakridge. But her behind-the-scenes efforts go far beyond that! She is actively involved in the leadership team for the Tuesday evening women's bible study, she is on the mission committee, and she has recently both stepped into the leadership of church bridal and baby shower celebrations, and started teaching in our Ozone kids program. Oh, and if you see any special seasonal or holiday decorations around the church, it's a safe bet that Alice was involved!