Students Leading Students: A Day with UCM-UBC
🎯 Students Leading Students: A Day with UCM-UBC
Labour Day Monday meant a very early morning for me—a 6 a.m. flight to Vancouver and a 7 p.m. flight home—but it was completely worth it. I spent the day with our UCM-UBC student leaders as they gathered for a day of worship, preparation, and vision for the year ahead.
Campus Lead Paul invited me to share some of UCM's story, vision, mission, and values. One of the highlights for me was seeing those values already taking shape in this group of students. We talked about Holistic Worship, Hospitable Community, and Students Leading Students—not simply as things we put on paper, but as values we want to see lived out on campus.
Paul led the team through the form and function of worship in a campus ministry: Gather → Word → Respond → Send. Tim shared practical teaching on welcoming new students, while our Apprentices, Luke and Ben, served up pancakes and some very hearty snacks! 🥞
What encouraged me most was simply being with these students. God is raising up some incredible young leaders at UBC, and I’m excited to see how He uses them to welcome, disciple, and reach their fellow students this year.
Students leading students. That's UCM at its best. 🙌
🍔 Alumni Showed Up to Run the UBCO Welcome BBQ
Campus Lead Josiah invited me back to UBCO to help flip burgers at the annual UCM Welcome BBQ—and he knows how to rally a crowd! More than 300 burgers were served as students welcomed their peers, worshipped together outdoors, and shared their faith on campus.
One of my favourite parts of the day was reconnecting with so many UCM alumni who came back to support the ministry. We had to get a group photo! ❤️ It's a great reminder that UCM is about more than what happens during a student's university years—we're building a community that lasts.
And as a bonus, I got to watch my nephew Aiden play drums during worship! 🥁❤️
Where I'll be in October:
💻 October 5 — Speaking on a Leadership Panel for ZOE Network (Webinar)
🌎 October 6 — Missions Workshop (Summit Pacific College, Abbotsford, BC)
🎤 October 6 — Preaching at UCM-SFU (Burnaby, BC)
📚 October 9 — Teaching Apprenticeship Class: 1 Timothy Lab
💕 October 9–12 — Annual Marriage Getaway with Andrea (Nelson, BC)
🏕️ October 19–20 — TIMEOUT Youth Pastors Retreat (Langley, BC)
🤝 October 20–22 — LeadForward PAOC Conference (Langley, BC)
👥 October 23 — UCM Campus Leads Day (Langley, BC)
❤️ October 26 — Family Funeral (Calgary, AB)
🎤 October 29 — Preaching at UCM-UBCO (Kelowna, BC)
🙏 Prayer Requests
🙌 New Students Finding Community. September was all about welcoming new students. Pray that the students who connected with UCM through September events would move beyond simply attending events and begin finding genuine community, growing in faith, and becoming part of the life of the ministry.
🔥 Spiritual Hunger on Campus. With the new semester now well underway, pray for God to deepen the spiritual hunger of students across our seven campuses. Pray for students who are asking questions about faith, those who are far from God, and those who already follow Jesus—that God would draw them deeper and give our campus ministries opportunities to have meaningful spiritual conversations and share the gospel.
🤝 Strengthening Our Campus Leaders. October brings several opportunities for me to invest in leaders—from preaching and visiting campuses to our Campus Leads Day later in the month. Pray for wisdom as I encourage and support our Campus Leads and student leaders, and that God would give them vision, unity, and fresh strength for the year ahead.
🌯 Asher’s First Job!
Asher started his very first job at the brand-new Chipotle in Kelowna! We got to attend the Friends & Family opening the day before, which was pretty fun. I'm thrilled for him—and as one of my favourite fast-food restaurants, I'm hoping there are some side benefits for Dad! 😂