Cookout with WCU at the Balzer House

What a great semester!!! May the Lord give you perseverence, some rest in the middle, and a great memory as you take your exams this week!

So What is RUF?

Reformed University Fellowship is the campus ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America, but students from lots of different backgrounds are involved, and everyone is welcome.  RUF exists at ETSU to reach students for Christ and equip them to serve. We want to help students come to know Jesus Christ and to mature in their relationship with Him. There are three main truths from the Bible that we emphasize to help us mature:

1. The Bible is the Word of God and is authoritative, sufficient, and relevant for all of life.

2. Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, and those who trust in Christ are now righteous in God's sight because Christ OBEYED in their place, SUFFERED for their disobedience, DIED in their place, and ROSE AGAIN in their place. God "imputes" or credits Christ's perfect record to those who trust in Christ. It's God calling sinners righteous without lying. It's called justification, and it's Good News!

3. Those who trust in Christ have been brought into a real, spiritual union with Christ by the Holy Spirit and are now (though still sinful) in a real sense dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. They have been set apart from sin to God in union with Christ. Though all Christians will continue to sin throughout their lives, the Holy Spirit will continue to work in them to give them power over sin and conform them more and more into likeness to Jesus in His love for God and for others. This is called sanctification.

But what does maturity in Christ look like? What does Reformed University Fellowship want ETSU students to experience in their lives? We believe that the maturity Christ brings into the lives of Christians can be expressed in four main categories:

1. Growth in Grace 

2. Fellowship and Service

3. Evangelism and Missions

4. A Biblical Worldview 

                             WHAT DO YOU WITH RUF?
                           

LARGE GROUP: At "large group" we sing, pray, and hear God speak to us through His Word. This semester we're studying Ephesians. We meet on Tuesdays at 7:30PM in Culp Meeting Room 6, which is on the 3rd floor by the ramp.

SMALL GROUPS: In small groups we seek to have our lives shaped by the Word of God as we get to know each other better, share concerns, and ask questions.

The Girls' small group meets on Thursday nights at 7pm at Ezra and Micah’s (428 West Locust St., Apt. B--upstairs, entrance is on the right). Bring $3 for dinner. They are studying Colossians.

The Guy's small group meets on Thursday nights at 7:30pm at Oasis Coffee House in Johnson City on State of Franklin. We are studying Colossians.

ONE-TO-ONE TIMES: The Lord Jesus Christ uses RUF to send pastors to the campus. One of David Balzer's privileges as an RUF campus minister is to meet new students and get to know students better. He gets to walk with them in the ups and downs of their college years, seeking to be a listening ear, encouraging friend, and source of wise counsel. He'd be happy to meet with you on campus if you need someone to talk to. Please feel free to email him at dbalzer@ruf.org or call his cell phone # at 423-963-9174.

MINISTRY TEAM: The RUF ministry team meets once every other week to learn about the RUF philosophy of ministry as a whole, reflect on and discuss the RUF ministry at ETSU, and help coordinate the D Teams.

D TEAMS: The Discipleship Teams, or D Teams, are organized according to the specific goals of RUF, focusing on one main aspect of discipleship to promote in the RUF group as a whole. The D Teams are opportunities to discover and use your spiritual gifts in RUF and the local church. We are still in the process of forming these teams and could use your help.                      

To see a 2003 video on RUF on YouTube, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWG4ZrrIoI0

To learn even more about RUF, click here.