Meet the Students: Jay Suggs

 

To Donate to my campaign: https://ccojubilee.org/campaign/4398/Moore-Campaign

To Donate Regularly: https://ccojubilee.org/staff/amoore

Andy: Good morning, everyone! My name is Andy Moore, and I’m one of the campus ministers here at the church. I work with Cornerstone, which is a Christian student group geared towards college students. I’ve been doing this for a while—17 years, going on 18!  

I also work for an organization called the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach), which partners with local churches. Cornerstone meets at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays downstairs for our large group gathering, but we have a lot of other activities too.  

It’s one thing for me, a 42-year-old campus minister, to stand up here and tell you how God works through Cornerstone, but it’s another to hear it from one of our students. Today, we have Jay Suggs, one of our student leaders, to share his experience. Jay, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

Jay: Hi, everyone! My name is Jay. I’m a senior at Pitt, studying Engineering Science. I’ve been coming to Cornerstone since my freshman year, the first week of classes.  

I love bagels, playing guitar, and tennis. I’m also on the worship team and serve as the president of Cornerstone. It’s been a lot of fun!

Andy: Thank you, Jay. So, how did you first find out about Cornerstone?

Jay: Well, my dad was a Cornerstone student when he was at Pitt 25 years ago, back when BJ and Katrina Woodworth were leading the ministry. He told me about it and suggested I check it out.  

Then, during the first week, I ran into some people handing out water bottles on the street—shout out to Bobbi! I met Bobbi and another student, Morgan. I asked if they were part of Cornerstone, and they said yes. They encouraged me to come, and I’ve been coming ever since.

Andy: We’re so glad to have you! What has Cornerstone meant to you personally?

Jay: Coming into freshman year, I was really nervous about finding a solid Christian community. I wanted to find people who would encourage me in my faith, who I could just have fun with and be myself around.  

Cornerstone quickly became that home for me—a place far from home, but still a home. I’ve been blessed with so many friends through Cornerstone who’ve supported me, encouraged me, and been there for both the tough times and the great times. We’ve shared a lot of laughter together, and they’ve pushed me to grow as a Christian, a leader, a mentor, and a friend. It’s been an incredible blessing.

Andy: That’s awesome! What would you say to students out there who might be looking to get involved?

Jay: We would love to have you join us! After the service, we’ve got pizza downstairs for any undergraduate students. Come grab some food, hang out, and chat with us!  

As Andy mentioned, we meet every Wednesday at 8 p.m., but we also have other events throughout the week for those who can’t make it on Wednesdays, or if something else interests you more.  

Anyone wearing a Cornerstone shirt, like Andy and I, would love to talk with you about getting involved and being part of this awesome community.

Andy: Let’s give it up for Jay, everybody! Cornerstone has been around for a while, and God continues to do amazing things through the students involved.  

So, don’t forget—our main meeting is at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, and we’ve got a pizza luncheon downstairs right after this service. Look for someone wearing one of these Cornerstone shirts. Thank you all!

To Donate to my campaign: https://ccojubilee.org/campaign/4398/Moore-Campaign

To Donate Regularly: https://ccojubilee.org/staff/amoore

 

May 2018 Newsletter

Cornerstone Update
The school year has come to an end, and the majority of College students have gone home for the summer. Instead of taking time to recover in May, we have already begun to plan for the fall semester. This is partially due to the fact that my coworker, Mark Michaelis, will be in Philadelphia. Mark will be working with students in the CCO’s experiential trip, entitled “Encounter Philadelphia.” We are trying to plan everything we can for the upcoming semester while we still have him around. Let me just say, that I think that we have some exciting things planned for Cornerstone.

This summer, instead of having our usual large group gathering (which we have called Common Ground) we will be hosting a bible study on the Ten Commandments. I will be co-leading the Bible Study along with my coworkers Bobbi Perkins, Juliet Casinelli, and Dan Isadore. We will also be having another Bible Study, led by my former CCO Fellow Jordan Trump, on the book of Romans. It should be a great summer.

Meet the Students

Meet Sam Smallwood, a (now) sophomore student leader, and read more about him:

Faith has always been an important aspect of my life since I was a child, but I could not have foreseen how much stronger it would grow in my short time at Pitt so far. When I was beginning my freshmen year last August, I knew right away that I wanted to get involved in some sort of Christian ministry around campus. As fate would have it, on the Wednesday during orientation week at the "Maintaining Your Faith in College" workshop, I met Andy Moore and Morgan Mitchell at the Cornerstone table. In that moment, I felt God telling me that this is where I was called to be, that Cornerstone would grow me into the person I am meant to become and allow me to carry out his work impacting the members of the Pitt community at large.

I made my presence in the group felt from the start, arriving 20 minutes early for the first Wednesday service of the year and confusing everyone with my punctuality. Luckily, I was welcomed in with open arms and along the way, I have met some of my closest friends at Pitt who have played a huge part in my spiritual growth. From this time on, I immersed myself in Cornerstone. My favorite thing within the organization quickly became our weekly Freshmen Bible Study every Thursday night. In high school, I was never invested enough in scripture and I knew this needed to change when I went to college. So every week, I always looked forward to Bible study more than anything else. I could see the changes that this time in Cornerstone was having on my life. I was growing stronger in my faith and becoming closer to God than I ever had been before. But towards the end of my first semester at Pitt, I felt like I could be doing more to help others reach this same point in their lives. That is when I decided to interview for a position on the Freshmen Ministry Team, taking on a leadership role that shaped the next five months of my life and continues to do so now.

In my eyes, this past spring semester at Pitt has been one of the greatest periods of growth in my life across the board. I was really tested a lot spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, but I feel that I am a much stronger person now that I have made it out to the other side. I had to juggle very challenging coursework with being the President of my Hall Council and leading Freshmen Bible Study, and at times I got knocked down. But I always had people who picked me back up. I attended Jubilee and reaffirmed my place in all of this. And I had the reassurance from God that I would make it through these tough trials still standing tall. Without Cornerstone, my first year at Pitt would have looked a lot different. I would not have these important people in my life. My faith would have been stagnant. I would have lacked the strength to get through these difficult moments. But here I am today, stronger than ever because of that decision I made all the way back in August to check out Cornerstone. And now, as I soon enter my sophomore year, I will do all that I can to make sure that our campus ministry can have that same impact on a new group of students.

Financial Update

For the past four months, we have included a financial ask letter to go along with our newsletter where we asked you to “tithe your tax return.” We thank everyone who responded, going above and beyond anything what you may have felt comfortable doing. We are so overwhelmed at your kindness, selflessness, and generosity that we are at a loss for words. Thank you all for making everything possible!

Our financial journey is not over, however, for we are receiving a raise of an extra $350 a month! It is hard receiving a raise, mainly because the burden of raising the extra money falls on us asking you all for more help. We are stepping out in faith, again, and knowing the God will provide financially. In this step of faith, we are asking for you to be a part of this ministry through financial giving. We are also asking that my current supporters give an extra 10% to 25% on top of their usual giving. This will help to make up the difference from what I currently make and to help reach my new goal.

If you would like to help this ministry, we are always looking for new supporters. This is what helps makes ministry to students like Sam possible, and helps me get out on campus. Now that I have gotten a raise, this is more important than ever! Remember that any gift is a good gift. We could always use financial help, and if you are interested in supporting this ministry (or giving extra), I would love to meet with you. Please contact me using the information on the front of this newsletter or email me at amoore@ccojubilee.org. Please be in prayer that God will continue to build our support team and that we would be faithful in doing our part.

Moore News

Things are going well in the Moore household. Benjamin and Joshua both made the Elementary National Honor Society (Asher is not old enough, though he did make the high Honor Roll). This is the first year that their school (Fulton Elementary School) has had the Honor Society, so it was cool watching them inducted amongst the first class.

The boys just have about a month left in school, and then (hopefully) we can begin a rather relaxing summer. For Christmas we bought season passes for Sandcastle (a local waterpark), so it should be a rather fun summer. Sandcastle should also be a fun replacement for baseball, since Josh and Ben are taking the year off.

I am continuing with my education, and just finished taking “Basic Hebrew.” I’ve always heard that Hebrew is a language you just get, or you must work extremely hard at. Luckily for me, it was something that I took to. This summer, I will be taking a class on Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians.

Emily recently got a job a Chick-Fil-A and has been spending her mornings doing that before the boys get off from school. She will be cutting back on her Chick-Fil-A hours once the summer hits and the boys are on vacation. She will also be nannying again, in the not-too-distant future, for some friend’s kids. Also, Emily had a terrific Mother’s Day. The boys bought her the movie Black Panther (yes, that was a gift for her and not for themselves), and we ate at the local Mexican restaurant Patron.

We pray that his newsletter finds you well. God Bless!

In Christ,
Andy Moore

May 2017 Newsletter

10 Years
I am happy to say that I have just completed my tenth year at Bellefield on CCO staff. Ten years ago, I was accepted by the CCO as a theologically cocky young man. After a few months of getting my feet wet as a campus minister, I soon realized that I did not know as much as I thought I did. I was quickly humbled at being a campus minister.

In fact, it took me years for me to feel like I knew what I was doing. I have had good years, and I have had rough ones. In this time, God has provided and continued to teach me. He has humbled me, and given me gifts that I never knew I had. It would be so easy to take credit for this ministry; I did this for Christ, or I helped enrich the life of this student. If I am being honest, I know that everything I have done (or will continue to do) at Bellefield and Pitt has only been because God has enabled me to do so. It is not me, but all him.

Words cannot begin to express my thankfulness. I am thankful for the CCO and Bellefield taking a chance on this “cocky young man.” Christ has done so much through you. I am thankful for my lovely wife and three wonderful boys. You have constantly been an encouragement to me. I am thankful for my coworkers over the years: Chris Ansell, Bobbi Perkins, Mark Michaels, and the countless interns/fellows. You have impacted me more than you could know. I am thankful for my supporters. You have invested in and nurtured me. Lastly, I am thankful for a wonderful God who never gives up on his children.

Here’s to many more years.

Meet the Students
Please read this awesome testimony of one of our student leaders, Morgan Medvedz:

I grew up in the Unitarian Universalist church. My parents, feeling disconnected from the Catholicism of their youth, wanted the comfort of a Sunday community of faith that didn’t necessarily require anything along the lines of supernatural belief. UUism was a great compromise; it didn’t promote any sort of dogma, but encouraged accepting, respecting, and loving one another. As I grew older, I became active in my youth group and dedicated to my beliefs, taking a firm stance against any idea of God. In my junior year of high school, I ended up being elected Worship Coordinator for our District Youth Steering Committee, as which I led worship services during our seasonal youth conferences. Leading worship fulfilled me more than I ever could have imagined, but as time went on, I started to feel as if something were missing. Little did I know, I was about to jump onto a spiritual roller coaster!

While in the car with my mom one day, she told me that not only did she believe in God, but she had always believed in God. I was stunned. I couldn’t understand how my own mother would believe in something that went far against what I had always been taught. This revelation led me on a search for God. I think that in the back of my mind, I had always desired God. I had always wanted the sense of comfort that comes with true faith, and, honestly, I was jealous of those who had it. In my mind, to have strong faith was to toss your intelligence aside in favor of blind obedience. What I came to discover, however, was that true faith comes with tossing the ego aside. True faith is letting go of the strong hold you have on your life and allowing something greater to take over and do something amazing with it.

It took me a while to accept such a concept. Once at Pitt, I continued attending a Unitarian Universalist church in the area, but the God-shaped hole in my heart was only growing larger. I started reading the Bible. I started praying. I started to do anything that could possibly fill that hole, and I can’t say I fully expected Jesus to be the one to do the job. When I started to feel his presence in prayer, though, it did not feel wrong. In fact, I felt at home. I started attending services at Bellefield in November of my sophomore year, and everything fell into place for me spiritually. The more I learned about Jesus and Christianity, the more I found that it all actually did make sense. Not only was my soul satisfied, but my mind was satisfied as well. My walk with Christ has become the most important part of my life, and I’d say it’s my goal at this point to help others with similar backgrounds come to know his love. Existence is amazing, and I cannot thank God enough for helping me to recognize that genuinely.

Financial Update

As you can see from the chart, we made $3,321 for the month of April; 85% of where we need to be. We are so thankful for all who have supported us. We, however, need your help! Due to seminary expenses, our funds have depleted. We are asking that you prayerfully consider giving to our ministry, or up your giving by $5 to $20. Any gift is a good gift, and we are grateful for everything we have received. It is through your generosity, and willingness to listen to the Holy Spirit, that makes this ministry possible. If you are interested in giving, go to www.ccojubilee.org/donate. We are thankful for what God has done, and will continue to do, through you! Please be in prayer that God will continue to build our support team and that we would be faithful in doing our part.

Moore News

Spring baseball is officially here. Joshua has moved up a league, and joined Benjamin’s team: The Diamondbacks. I was curious to see how Joshua would adjust to kid pitch. After all, kids can be a far less accurate than the coaches that pitched in the previous league. I must say, that Joshua has taken to the league like a duck to water. He has a hit in every game that he has been in…sometimes multiple base hits. Benjamin is still doing well. He has become a pretty darn good pitcher. He doesn’t have the fastest stuff, but he is incredibly accurate and his pitch has a natural sink to it. They both are still in love with the sport. I’m just grateful that they are on the same team.

Asher has decided not to play baseball. Instead, he has decided to take an American Ninja Warrior class. Yes, that’s a thing. He absolutely loves the television show, and when we found out there was a class he was all about it. He has loved his classes so far. We are extremely happy that he wanted to do something physical.

Emily and I are excited about summer life. It was a pretty busy semester; I started (and finished) my first year of seminary, and Emily started working part time. I think we are both eager for some relaxation, and go on a few dates again.

I pray that you are well, and that God continues to grow you!

In Christ,
Andy Moore

June 2016 Newsletter

Changes
This month marks the end of an era. My beloved boss and coworker for the past nine years, Chris Ansell, has decided to move on from his position at Bellefield/Cornerstone. I actually first met Chris even before I started working at Bellefield. It was at a CCO staff seminar, and we were in a group together. After we were done talking, he asked me to apply to the Bellefield position. I did, and here I am today.

When I first started working at Bellefield, Chris and I didn’t get along too well. Chris is a type A personality, I’m a type B personality, and I think our work styles just clashed at times. As the years went by, we learned to complement each other and our differences. I had strengths where he had weaknesses, and he had strengths where I had weaknesses. Not only did our work relationship develop, but our friendship also developed. I now consider Chris Ansell (aka “Chransell” as known as by the students) to be one of the best friends that I have.

I am heartbroken that Chris is leaving, but I am so excited about how God will use him and his family.

With that being said, we now have a new coworker: our former fellow (intern) Mark Michaelis. I was so happy when Mark applied for the job. He has been a tremendous fellow, and really brings a lot to our team. This year will definitely not be the same without Chris, nor should we expect it to be. I expect it will be downright weird at first. I am, however, super excited to work with Mark, Bobbi, and our two new fellows. Cornerstone will look different, but God will still be there and in control.

Meet the Students

Meet Emily Wenz, a junior Rehabilitation Sciences major, with a Certificate in American Sign Language, from New Hope, PA. Read more about her and her experiences at Cornerstone.

1. What is your favorite childhood memory? I have many, but the first memories that come to mind are my birthday parties growing up. I’m a triplet, so we always had huge birthday parties for my brothers and I all together during the summer. One year, we had a giant water fight party with about 50 kids simultaneously sliding down an inflatable water slide and chucking water balloons at each other. It was awesome, but now I can see why my parents were always so stressed during those parties….Anyway, one of my babysitters would always make a cake with three different sections because my brothers and I could never agree on what we wanted to put on it (some things never change).
Note: I was going to write about the time I attended Farm Camp and learned how to groom and show cows (aka we gave them baths and then walked them around on a lease in a circle) because it was hilarious and more enjoyable than expected, but I now realize that really the only funny/sad thing about that memory is that I was barely still a child when I attended (I was 14), so I wasn’t sure if it counted as a childhood memory.

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? I’ve been involved in Cornerstone since my freshman year. I started attending every few weeks and slowly got more involved. I joined the worship team at the end of my freshman year and I am now one of the worship leaders. As a musician, worship was one part of Cornerstone that kept me coming from the beginning, so serving as worship leader and growing in my faith through music has been a great opportunity. I am also involved in the outreach team and I attend bible studies.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your years at Pitt? Cornerstone has been a huge help to me throughout my time at Pitt. My faith has grown tremendously throughout college, which is one thing I never would’ve expected. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs over the last few years, and without having Cornerstone as a community to lean on and to hold me accountable, I don’t think I would have grown nearly as much as I have during college so far. I’ve learned that liking a place or what you’re doing there is not nearly as important as liking the people around you. Cornerstone has allowed me to meet some incredible people who have taught me what it means to really care for each other and to strive to serve God through everything I do.

Financial Update

You may have seen from the chart that our monthly giving is $3176, 81% of where we need to be. It is because of all of you that I am here and will get to where I need to be. I have been raising this support so I can minister to students like Emily, and see how God has worked in her life during her years at Pitt. Working with College students, and seeing God transform them, is a true blessing and I thank God every day for this opportunity. If you would like to help this ministry, we are always looking for new supporters. This is what makes ministry possible. If God leads you to do so, we would love for you to be a part of this ministry through gift and/or prayer. We trust that God will provide. He always has, and He always will. Remember that any gift is a good gift. We thank you, and may God bless you richly because you have given to advance His kingdom! Please be in prayer that God will continue to build our support team and that we would be faithful in doing our part.

Moore News

The boys’ school days and baseball season are at an end. Ben’s team won their World Series, placing them 1st in their league, while Josh’s team ended the season in 2nd place. All the boys on both teams worked so hard this year, and were led by great coaches. With baseball done, it is feeling like summer is finally beginning. So far, our future summer plans consist of joining my entire family for Beulah Beach Family Camp, followed immediately by a cross country trip to visit Emily’s family and friends in Colorado. This (along with some summer training) will pretty much take up our entire July. It’s going to be a bit chaotic, but a good chaotic. Emily has also volunteered to spend a week helping to lead Bellefield’s youth by doing the Pittsburgh Project, a Christian nonprofit community development organization with a nearly 30-year track record of developing leaders and serving the city’s most vulnerable residents. Throw in some baseball “lessons” with the boys, and you pretty much have a description of our summer

In other news, I have decided that the time is right to start taking seminary classes. The CCO offers discounted classes through Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. I have decided to take them up on that offer, apply, and was accepted. I know that working on my MAR (Master of Arts in Religion), will take up extra time, but I love learning about the Bible and am really excited for this opportunity.

I pray that this letter finds you well, and pray that God continues to bless you.

In Christ,
Andy Moore

WordFM Radio Interview

Hey everyone,

My fellow Bellefield/CCO staff workers were blessed by joining Kathy Emmons on 101.5 WordFM (http://www.wordfm.com/) to discuss the Jubilee Conference (http://www.jubileeconference.com/) and reformational worldview.  If you missed the radio show and are interested in listening to it, click on the picture below and listen.

In Christ,

-Andy Moore