Blog Debut

Welcome to the official blog for me (Ryan) and Emily and our minstry with Joel and Bethany Penton through FCA! We decided this was the most effective, cost-efficient, and personal way for us to keep you updated with what's going on in the ministry. We will, from time-to-time, post things that the Lord is teaching us in our own walks with Him, in hopes of encouraging you. However, the primary purpose for this blog is to share with you how the ministry is impacting the lives of others.

We promise to update the blog at least once a month, but the goal is to post shorter updates as they happen. I think we find that monthly newsletters can become long, and frankly, sometimes hard to get through (at least for me). So hopefully this encourages you to check back often.

With this first post, we thought it would be best to share the background of the ministry. Even though most of you probably know what we do, here it is for those who don't...

My Story
I joined staff with Central Ohio FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) in June of 2007. I was brought on to work exclusively with my good friend, Joel Penton, who was already on staff as a full-time speaker. Not only was I put in charge of the ministry’s business operations, but I also got the opportunity to travel to events with Joel and share my music. We decided our mission would be focused on reaching unchurched students for Christ. Thus, I spent much of my time scheduling public school assemblies and working to set up corresponding evening outreach events for each assembly.

A Successful 2007-08 School Year
By God’s grace and through a lot of hard work, we got the 2007-08 school year filled up with speaking opportunities. We presented at 165 assemblies and were able to set up 30 evening outreach events. At these events, students from the assemblies were invited back and we boldly shared the Gospel, many times to an audience that was largely unchurched. We know of nearly 600 who indicated they accepted Jesus for the first time and many more that made a recommitment to Him at last year’s events.

Moving Forward
We are continuing to do assemblies and events this school year. We've had some amazing opportunities and we are excited for what the future holds. Please pray for new opportunities for us to share the Gospel.

Blessings,
Ryan