So as many of you know, “Welcome Week” is a huge time for collegiate church planting. It is a chance to connect with students, get your name out to the greater campus body, and most importantly share about the most amazing Person in the world. Jesus! This was the 3rd such “Welcome Weeks” for Aletheia VCU. This year we planned to pull out all the stops. We were more organized than ever (thanks to my wonderful staff, interns, and the creativity of Carrie and Nathaneal). Yet for all our planning and sick promotion we still hit a few speed bumps: 1. It is extreme hard to schedule events on campus during this week because the university is also seeking to throw a ton of events (note: If you have an event scheduled at the same time the university does… you will lose). 2. New students are saturated with opportunities to check campus organization, club, and events. 3. It is easier to plan on paper than to execute in reality.
Though we had some speed bumps, we were still able to connect with hundreds of students and share the good news of Jesus with a number of them. Every year we seem to get better and better at anticipating what will draw students. I think the key this years was not so much the events but rather all the Aletheia peeps that came out to support each event. Our core group was amazing at connecting, loving, and showing genuine interest in the new students that came out to each event. The Philippians 2 Philosophy of the Aletheia Network was in full effect. It is amazing how when you live out teaching of the bible, God shows up. Thanks to everyone who prayed, planned, and participated in “Welcome Week 2009.”