Nicole Lewis – September Update

Sweet September Hello Friends!

People keep saying that Summer has come to an end, but since my Birthday is coming up on the 10th, I am declaring a summer extension for all until after my Birthday, enjoy! I hope these past few summer months have been good and as fall rolls around that you will find new seasons of growth in faith to journey through.

Speaking of growing in faith, over the summer I have begun to think about this season God has called me to in the UK and I am becoming increasingly more convinced that these years will be ones where my faith is going to be stretched. One way I am seeing that happen is through teaching and speaking. This past June I was invited to speak at a Breakfast at the church of one of our former staff. “Lydia’s breakfast”  has a broad mix of ages, and careers..working moms and single working women, some who work in the civil service, lawyers, nurses, teachers, mums at home with kids. It felt way outside of my wheelhouse. I am used to speaking to students, and the topic, ambition, was one I had never spoken on before. I said yes, because I would love to have more opportunities to teach and speak in the UK, but I also know that pushing myself outside of my comfort zone is good for me. I also had a chance to be on a panel at my church for a women’s leadership breakfast. Being on a panel felt a bit more safe, but given the diverse group of women who come to those, that was faith stretching as well.

Also, in the past couple of years Agape Europe has started to seriously take a look at how we can do better at engaging in ministry in the context of cities. In London we have around 20 staff working across four different ministries and though we meet regularly together to pray, we want to focus on how we can work better together,  and how we can connect the dots more between our different areas of focus (students, families, workplace, neighborhoods).  This has been another area of growth for me as I have to think not just about the campus, but how the campus fits into the whole. A year ago I was asked to give leadership to helping us think about how are going to do that in London and that has also been faith stretching. This is the season I sense that I am in London, one of having to step outside of my comfort zone, of having to stretch my thinking and not really knowing what the answers are, one of dependence on the one I know I can depend on. I would love your prayer dear friends for courage to keep stepping out in faith. There are times when I am quite excited about new opportunities and challenges and other moments where I just think, “really Lord I am quite comfortable where I am at, no need to stretch my faith.” Maybe you have had seasons like that too, maybe you are in one right now, let’s pray for one another that we would find rest in those great words of wisdom from Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
 he’s the one who will keep you on track. -The Message

In just a few weeks students will be heading back to Uni, please be in prayer for our Campus Teams and Student Leaders as they begin meeting to plan, dream and pray for the year ahead. A number of our teams will have booths at the beginning of the year student fairs (what we call Freshers Fair), pray that they would meet students who want to grow in their love for Jesus and also students who are just beginning to consider faith. Many of our teams are thinking about how can approach student ministry differently this year, pray for wisdom and creativity as they do that.

October 3rd-8th I have been invited to be the Fall Retreat Speaker for Cru Boston’s annual Student Retreat. Pray for me as I prepare that the Lord would give me the words He wants me to say. I will be teaching on my favorite, John 21–Love, Follow, Feed, which you may have noticed is the heading on my updates. Love, Follow, Feed is a series I wrote talking about what it means to be a Follower of Jesus, that it is essentially three things: To Love Jesus above, before and more than all other things; To Follow him in obedience; and to Feed those he places in our lives.

I am so grateful for your partnership in the Gospel.

Sending Lots of Love,

Nicole