Highlights : – RUF is located in 58 Presbyteries, 37 states along with Canada, Mexico, Peru and Greece; – We have grown from 55 ministries in 2000 to 140 in 2011; – RUF employs a total of 230 staff with an operating budget of $19 million

A Message from RUF Coordinator, Rod Mays

Imagine for a moment that you’re a new college freshman. For the first few weeks, as you walk around campus, you may feel a rush of excitement about your new found independence. On the other hand, you might feel a tug of insecurity. You wonder how you’ll do academically, and if you’ll make the friendships that you’d always hoped to make during your college years. Each college student has his or her own unique background and set of circumstances which set the stage for the upcoming four years.

In terms of spiritual growth, some students arrive on campus with an eagerness to get involved with a campus ministry. They want to study God’s Word and find Christian fellowship. Then again, some students have been exposed to elements of Christianity during their upbringing, but they have reservations about what it will mean for them to embrace Jesus as Lord. Some students have no Christian background whatsoever, but they do find themselves carrying questions about the meaning and purpose of life.

RUF campus ministers, staff, and interns encounter students like the ones just described every single week of the school year. As laborers for the gospel on the college campus, they consider it a privilege to get to hear each individual story brought to them by students. We believe that the Lord loves individuals, calls individuals, transforms individuals, and sanctifies individuals. As we strive to reach and equip college students, we have the joy of getting to see the Lord at work in thousands of lives. Each of these stories is unique, and we marvel at the evidence of God’s hand at work.

The college campus is ripe for harvest. We’re excited about all the work that is to be done! The Lord has richly blessed RUF from the very first years of its existence. He continues to bless us by opening new avenues of ministry each and every year. For many people, the college years are a time of significant spiritual growth and development. What a strategic time and place for ministry!

RUF has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. We’ve been remarkably blessed by the missional vision of hundreds of churches across the country, as they desire to send workers to their nearest mission field-the local college campus. We’ve also been blessed by the prayers and financial support of young adults who were part of RUF as college students themselves. These men and women honor how the Lord used RUF in their lives by supporting their local RUF campus staff, so that more students may be reached and equipped for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m excited to report that, as of 2011, RUF is now in existence on the following college campuses:
· Boise State University – Boise, Idaho
· Erskine College – Due West, South Carolina
· United States Air Force Academy – Colorado Springs, Colorado
· University of South Alabama – Mobile, Alabama
· Texas A&M RUFI (Apprenticeship) – College Station, Texas
RUF has also played a key role in the birth of two new church plants:
· Bloomington Church – Bloomington, Indiana
· The Vermont Project – Burlington, Vermont

In addition to our 140 campus ministers, RUF has been blessed by the addition of 46 new interns and campus staff, bringing us to a total of 93 interns and campus staff members.

Without the faithful and generous support of donors like you, the ministry of RUF would not be possible. Due to our partnership with you, RUF campus staff members are able to reach and equip college students. We strive to train our students to have a biblical world and life view. We strive to connect them with the beauty of the local church and cultivate within them a heart for service. We long for our students to taste and see that the Lord is good-during the college years, and during each of the future seasons of their lives as well. He is our cornerstone yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Thank you for your partnership with us. I’d be delighted to discuss RUF and our vision for the future with you. Please feel free to contact me (678.823.1070 or [email protected]) or visit www.ruf.org to learn more about what the Lord is doing on college campuses across the nation and throughout the world.

I’d like to ask you to prayerfully consider a year-end gift to the ministry of RUF. The prayers and financial support of churches and individual donors have been the means by which the Lord has enabled RUF to minister to thousands of college students for the last 40 years. Please consider designating a gift to our Partner Fund, which provides financial strength to the establishment of new works in underfunded areas. RUF is a 501c3 organization, which means that your gifts to RUF are tax-deductible. Thank you for your generosity. We eagerly anticipate what the Lord will do within RUF in 2012.

Rod Mays has served as the national Coordinator of Reformed University Ministries for 9 years. Prior to becoming the Coordinator, he served as senior pastor of Presbyterian Churches in West Virginia, Mississippi and South Carolina. Rod and his wife, Debra, live in Greenville, South Carolina and have a married daughter, Morgan Elizabeth (Meg) Benthall.

A Message from our RUF International Coodinator:

The most “invisible” world mission field may be international students on USA campuses. America is the world’s leading destination for foreign-born students. According to the Commerce Department, they contribute more than $20 billion to the USA economy. In 2011, the number of international students increased almost 5% since 2010 – up 32% since 2001. The largest numbers are from China and India. Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country virtually “closed” to vocational missionaries, but Arabian students increased almost 44% since 2010. And Turkish students are up 14%. Who will reach future world leaders and culture shapers who are “right here now”?

RUF International (RUFI) equips Christians as kingdom ambassadors – and area area churches as kingdom embassies. For churches and Presbyteries, RUFI builds a bridge to a geographically close, cost-effective mission field. Church members and prospective missionaries can directly experience world missions without leaving home. In partnership with Christians and churches, RUFI campus ministers:
· Welcome the nations through the practice of biblical hospitality.
· Explore the gospel with internationals – both on campus and with partner churches.
· Equip internationals to become future servant-leaders for Christ’s kingdom in their home nations.

After 30 years as a church sr. pastor, Al LaCour is RUF’s coordinator for RUF International. Al provides pastoral support and coaching for RUFI campus ministers at six USA universities: Clemson, Georgia Tech, the University of Delaware, the University of Georgia, Texas A&M, and the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Among the top 25 campuses for internationals in the USA, RUFI currently serves at two: Georgia Tech and Texas A&M. Pray with us that RUFI can expand to other leading campus destinations for international students. We continue to challenge the churches to think “global-local!”