David’s Dialogues

May- Celebrating a good year!

Dear Friend,

When the month of May rolls around, it is always a quick ramp to the finish, and then sending off many of our students into the summer.  On Reading Day (the day before exams begin), we held a pancake breakfast for freshmen and sophomores.  The goal was to celebrate surviving a year of college, but also to encourage and challenge them to step up in the coming year.

On our last Sunday of the semester, we held baptisms!  On Sunday, May 7^th we baptized 3 members of our church.  One young lady was from the Hokie Family that Ally and I lead together.  Another who was baptized was one of my roommates.  This was an incredibly powerful moment to see!

One of the highlights of the month for me, and my last major project for the school year, was Grads Night.  Grads night is a mini-retreat packed into a single evening designed to give our seniors a time for celebration and worship before leaving town.  This is the culmination of the Life After College program that I am responsible for.  We had 25 seniors and 11 staff (photo, header) come join us out at Camp Tuk-a-way for a night of celebrating their accomplishments, swapping stories, spending quiet time with God, and worshipping together.  That time of year is so busy for the graduates that we wanted to provide a space to meaningfully reflect on their time in college.

I was also excited to finish my seminary class this month.  In case I hadn’t mentioned it, I have been taking a New Testament Interpretation class this school year through the John Leland Center for Theological Studies.  Last semester we focused on the Gospels, and this semester, we dove into Paul’s letters and other New Testament books.

As my seminary class ended, we also sent out our seniors with Graduation.  I was able to attend several of the graduation ceremonies for the students I’ve been working with for many years now.  It is always so bittersweet.  It is hard to see such dear friends leave Blacksburg, but it is exciting to know that they have been equipped for Kingdom work wherever they end up.

I am thankful that campus ministry has busier seasons and slower seasons.  I am especially thankful that we are in a slower season as Ally and I prepare to get married on July 1!  I wanted to let you know that my next email update will either be a few weeks early (mid June) or a few weeks late (mid to late July) as I will be taking some time off for the wedding.  Thank you for your flexibility!  I look forward to updating you as the summer progresses.

In Christ,
David