March & April 2018 Newsletter

Testimony Edition

Jubilee Testimony
Read Nick Bersin’s Jubilee testimony:

Jubilee has been a transformative experience for me every year that I've attended, and this year was no different. Particularly edifying for me was the experience of attending Scott Erickson's breakout sessions. The first I saw, entitled "We Are Not Troubled Guests", was a multi-medium presentation in which Scott took us through his existential crisis. At the end, we didn't come to easy answers; we came to a place of resting and trust in God without needing to have all the answers. I found this deeply comforting. It is often hard to trust God amidst hard questions and experiences. We are certainly called to learn and seek answers. But the absolute otherness of God means that we frequently will not understand him and his ways. But thankfully, we don't have to.


Spring Break Testimony:
Read Will Leisner’s Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Trip Testimony:

This year, I went to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for Spring break with the Habitat for Humanity club at Pitt. Going in to the trip, I was nervous since I only knew five out of the 30 people going on the trip. But, this quickly turned into excitement as the journey began. I signed up for the trip because I love to work with my hands, and I love to serve others by making something. I often find it easier to work with a hammer than with others directly. However, my expectations proved to be different from reality. As the week went on and we began to work as a group, I quickly began to grow deep friendships with the other students. So many of them were so genuine in their friendship and we happily talked while we worked.

On this trip, our primary project was to rehabilitate a dilapidated 1 story house that Habit for Humanity had purchased. Once it was fixed up, the house would be available for a family in desperate need of affordable housing. We began our days at 7:30, and worked until 2:30 with a lunch break around noon. The very first day we went right to work ripping off the old shingles on the roof and my trip highlight, demolition of the old chimney. The rest of our week was spent fixing up the studs and putting on a completely new roof, including a front porch overhang.

Aside from the manual labor, we spent our evenings exploring the city. Winston-Salem has a lot of history, and it was very fascinating for me, as a Christian, to learn about the Moravian denomination who settled the area and still has a significant presence in the area. On Thursday, we hiked Pilot Mountain, whose pinnacle dominates the surrounding landscape. After that, we drove to Old Salem. It was here that we visited a Moravian church and learned a lot more about the denomination. I asked the gentleman talking with us about the seal I saw at the front of the sanctuary. He explained to me that the Moravian Church uses an Agnus Dei as their seal with the surrounding Latin inscription, “Vicit Agnus Noster, Eum Sequamur”, which is, "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow him." It was a stark reminder to me of why I had come on the trip. To follow Jesus, specifically, by serving others.

Looking back on the trip, I am so glad I went. I got to be a part of something beautiful. Not only because it was advancing the kingdom here on earth through service to others, but also because of the friendships formed. I reflected on 1 John 4, specifically in verses 10 and 11, where it is written, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God really worked in me on this trip to love the people I was with, recognizing how loved I was by God, and how much he loves them. I continue to pray that God will work in the friendships formed and use me to bear witness to the Gospel in those relationships. It can be easy to narrow our search for God to just the big things. Our Almighty God is infinite, yes, but he is also a personal God. He works in the mundane, little things in life. In the still, small voice that Elijah heard thousands of years ago, and in the friendships that I formed last week.

Cornerstone Testimony:
Read Jake Layton’s Cornerstone testimony:

For me joining Cornerstone was originally just in a contract made with my parents so I could come to Pitt. I picked the first Campus Ministry that I saw and decided to go check it out. Clearly God was pointing me towards this group because it turned out my lazy effort put me in a new home away from home. When I walked up to the Cornerstone booth first day of my Freshman year everyone already knew me as the kid who emailed Mark, which at first was really weird but I also realized people seemed excited to have me there. Cornerstone seemed like a blessing that God had put in front of me.

As freshman year went on I didn’t attend as much as I would have liked to with school and basketball getting in the way, but I applied to be a leader of Freshman Bible Study and, not knowing anyone, I went into the experience hoping it would keep me accountable. Leading that Bible Study, I met some of my best friends and a good community. Being a leader also got me closer to staff and I developed a close relationship with Mark who has become a strong example for me. Without Cornerstone my freshman year would have been a lot different and I wouldn’t be where I am today. I probably would be stuck in a content state of stale faith. Leading the Bible Study helped me learn as much as I taught, and it helped me grow in faith everyday as I learned the importance of scripture.

As a Sophomore I have become one of the more experienced leaders of FBS and I am helping the current freshman leaders unlock their potential as they are helping me unlock mine. I have grown really close with the current freshman bible study leaders and I enjoy talking and interacting with all of them. They have helped me open up more, which for a while I enjoyed being as distant as possible. Along with them I have grown closer to my fellow Sophomores and I am happy that I picked Cornerstone to be my Campus Ministry as I know that this Community is where I belong and where I will continue to grow close bonds with people through a shared faith in God.

Financial Update
God has blessed us recently by helping us reach our monthly goal. Now, we are asking for help on a unique way of giving. If you would like to give, please click here: https://secure-q.net/Donations/CCO/15954. If you are interested in learning more, please read the picture below.

Thank you for reading our Newsletter. We pray that you continue to seek and obey the Lord!

In Christ,
Andy Moore