Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA)

How's college?

New ministry builds bridges to adulthood

Published November 1, 2011 in Witness

"How’s college?” I wish I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that question during my undergraduate years. I was never really sure how to answer. “It’s great.” “It’s fun.” “It’s hard.” With everything that happens in college, I always struggled to capture it all. I don’t think I ever answered the question to my parents’ satisfaction!

Lately I’ve been getting the question again as people ask me about the College Ministry at PCPC. “How’s college?” I know I can’t adequately describe all that the Lord is doing, but I hope you’re encouraged as you hear a brief update.

New vision
Part of our vision for the College Ministry involves building a bridge from our Youth Ministry to our Young Adult Ministry at PCPC. The church pours a lot into our young people before they go to college and after they graduate. During their college years, however, students have struggled to connect to the body at PCPC. We have a long way to go, but I am hopeful that we are beginning to shepherd college students in such a way that they stay connected to Christ, to his church, and to one another.

To build this kind of bridge, I am primarily focused on college students, but I am also strategically involved with high school students and with young adults. We want to know high school students before they go to college, and we want to know some young adults well enough to connect them with our college graduates if and when they return to Dallas.

New and old relationships
College ministry has given us an opportunity to build new relationships and to continue old ones. Along with my wife Ann and a great group of young adult volunteers, we have several different groups of students to pursue. In addition to the students we already know, the Lord is connecting us with new students all the time.

We know students who grew up at PCPC and are attending various schools in Dallas. We are building a community with these students, helping them connect with the body of Christ at PCPC, and equipping them to serve the Lord in the church and on their campuses. Ann and I host a college small group on Wednesday nights. We have been so encouraged to watch the Lord bring together students from UTD, University of Dallas, Richland, Brookhaven, and Northlake. Our group is open to any college student, so we are hopeful that the diversity of the group will make it a safe place for students to bring their friends, no matter what they think about Jesus or Christianity.

We also know students who grew up at PCPC and have gone away for college. We hope to stay in touch with these students, encourage them from a distance, and see them when they come home. We are planning college visits to check in with students on their campuses, and we have organized a mission trip to Zambia that will reunite a number of them as they serve the Lord in Africa.

We also know students who are involved in RUF at SMU. A number of young adults from PCPC are getting involved in RUF. We have enjoyed jumping into a ministry that already exists instead of creating a new ministry on campus. As we get to know students at SMU, we are excited to be a blessing to RUF. We also know that SMU students are more likely to attend PCPC if they have a relationship with someone from the church.

New partnerships
We would never be able to shepherd all these students without help. Through relationships with churches and campus ministries around the country, we hope to connect PCPC students with gospel-centered communities wherever they go to school. Beyond our new partnership with SMU RUF, we have a growing sense of co-laboring with RUF chapters all over the country. We are eager for our students to connect with RUF or other campus ministries, and campus pastors are always excited to know the names of students who are coming their way.

I have a great seat to witness all that the Lord is doing to make disciples across different age groups in our church. We have college students connecting with the broader body of Christ as they worship in the sanctuary, attend adult Sunday school classes, and serve in the high school and middle school ministries. Young adults meet with college students. College students are volunteer leaders in youth Bible studies. With all of these partnerships, PCPC people have the opportunity to bless college students, and college students have the opportunity to be a blessing to our church and to their schools.

New opportunities
As we press on with this ministry, I am grateful for your prayers. Those of us who spend time with college students need God’s wisdom to know how to do it. We need the Lord’s courage to pursue them with the loving boldness of Christ. And we need the Holy Spirit to bless our work if it is going to be of any lasting significance. When you think of all the college students around Dallas and around the country, we hope that you’ll pray that the Lord would be exalted in their lives.

If the Lord has given you a heart for college students, we would be excited to talk with you. You might want to get involved in shepherding students directly. You might be interested in praying regularly for college students. You might be excited to host college students for a lunch or dinner in your home. You might be willing to share your lake house or ranch for a fellowship event. Or you might have an idea that I have never considered. Whatever it is, I would love to talk with you about it. With all of the people and resources at PCPC, we look forward to serving the Lord together as He leads us forward.

College can be great, fun, and hard—all in the same day. We love college students and are grateful that the Lord has given us the privilege to walk with them through such a significant season in their lives. The world and the campus throw all kinds of things at young people, but I think of John’s reminder: “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The Lord is more glorious, powerful, and satisfying than everything else that calls to these college students. They are the future of the church, and by God’s grace, they will go on to maturity in Christ.

So how’s college? For us—and hopefully for the students—it’s a God-centered adventure.
—Robby Higginbottom