2024 by campusoutreach

Letter from the Director

On college campuses in DC, hope is in short supply. Most students believe that they will be worse off than their parents. Most assume they deal with anxieties and worries that few have faced before. And so this generation finds it easier to be cynical than hopeful.

2000 years ago the Apostle Paul prayed in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to be overflowing with hope. They could overflow with hope because they knew the God of hope; the God Who makes grand promises and keeps them, and Who moves history forward to its glorious destination. They could overflow with hope because of the power of the Holy Spirit, Who raised Jesus from the dead.

“Hopeful” is the theme of this year’s report. This past year our staff ministered with a firm hope in God, and we saw Him bless His Word in incredible ways. At times, we were even surprised by how receptive this generation is to the gospel of hope that we share in dorm Bible studies, weekly meetings, retreats, and summer projects. In our first year on campus at the University of Maryland, we ended the year by gathering over 100 students to hear testimonies from students on campus of how the hope of eternity had changed them. And though our ultimate hope is in Christ’s return, we have real reason to hope that better days are ahead in the near future for Campus Outreach DC. This year more staff have joined our team and more supporters like you have given than ever before. There is a palpable sense of expectation and excitement about what God is doing in us and through us in our nation’s capital. We pray that work spills over to places far beyond our city.

I pray this annual report encourages you to abound in hope and gives you fresh glimpses into what God is doing through your prayers and support. Thank you!

PAUL BILLINGS Executive Director | Washington DC

and Stephanie Billings Emma, Ainsley, Ava & June

“This past year our staff ministered with a firm hope in God, and we saw Him bless his Word in incredible ways.

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Partnership Update

The hope that we see in these pages comes ultimately from God. Yet, part of what makes God’s work on these campuses so astounding is the sheer number of faithful believers that He allows to be a part of it. Not just the 20-odd members of our staff team, but also the hundreds of faithful partners who have given donations and covered our staff and students in prayer. These min-

istry efforts and stories you are about to read about are as much yours as they are ours. Here in the Resource Office it is our privilege to serve as a bridge between your faithful support and the work being done here; between your home and DC college campuses. We pray that as you read this annual report you will be encouraged at the work you are doing through us.

Salary and Benefits: $1,331,109

Catalytic Events: $275,592

Staff Personal Ministry: $76,852

Operating Expenses: $69,462

Campus Events: $41,524

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” These ministry efforts and stories you are about to read about are as much yours as they

are ours.

Paul

CODC Resource Team

Daniel Johnson & Lauren Cho

MEETING with hope

Bringing gospel hope to students relies on one simple, yet often challenging, event: you have to meet them. This year we saw God putting us in contact with students in unexpected and wonderful ways.

A GATHERING POINT: FIELD

DAY AT UMD

CONNECTION AND COMMITMENT: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY TESTIMONY

Campus Outreach played a significant role in growing my faith my first year of college. CO provided me with not only Christian friends, mentors, and Bible studies, but also with a local gospel centered church. Through CO I was able to easily access all these critical aspects of Christian life all at once in a challenging setting such as a busy college campus. I was equipped to start my walk with Christ right when He drew me to Him. God continues to use CO to work in my life in many ways; particularly through the Alpha Project of Summer 2024 where I learned so much about personal growth and spiritual leadership. I’ve started integrating habits like daily scripture reading, confession of sin and accountability, journaling, intentional praying, and evangelism into my life. Over time, these small day-to-day things have begun to bear fruit, and I’ve learned to find biblical solutions to real life problems I’m facing.

“I

was equipped to start my walk with Christ right when He drew me to Him.

”This year our team focused on building more attractive “front porch” contexts for ministry. One of those was our Fall Field Day. Just as a front porch is a welcoming, accessible entry point for neighbors, our Field Day at the University of Maryland was our attempt to create a fun and attractive context for students to get to know Campus Outreach before deeply committing. We brought over 100 students from across the city together for a day of fun, good food, and a short evangelistic message. The event helped us establish inroads with new affinity groups on campus and set up many conversations about the gospel with interested students. There were also some epic campus competitions!

Front Porch: a welcoming, accessible, entry point for neighbors.

Abigail

GROWING through hope

Effective gospel relationships don’t just end after the first meeting. Hope in God causes us to want to return over and over again to His Word and His community. It has been our joy to see that and walk alongside students in it.

GROWTH THROUGH FELLOWSHIP: HOWARD

UNIVERSITY TESTIMONY

Howard University’s Campus Outreach has been an integral part of my testimony. My first time being able to connect the gospel to my life was during CO’s Winter Retreat. The sessions challenged me to think about how I can follow Jesus in every part of my life and why. Since then, I have been going to as many Bible studies and fellowship events as I can, and I began attending Anacostia River Church. Just recently, I became a member and got baptized. The joy of Christian fellowship I’ve experienced in CO has been something I can’t imagine my Howard experience without. Since God’s Spirit worked in me, I’ve been so blessed to see more and more people around me at Howard seek Christ as well.

“Zari

The joy of Christian fellowship I’ve experienced in CO has been something I can’t imagine my Howard experience without.

”GROWING THROUGH THE WORD: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND TESTIMONY Elijah

Coming into this year, I was a believer who wanted to walk with God but honestly did not know how. Then Matt and Jeff showed up. They started a Bible study on our team, and I began to meet with Matt regularly for discipleship. Matt taught me so much about how to read and understand the Bible and how to pray and talk to God. I’ve begun to learn how to be a man of God and what it looks like to be a good example to the younger men on the team. We’ve even started reaching out to students beyond the team, and I’ve gone with them multiple times now to share the gospel with students in our dining halls. Every time we’ve done it, I’ve been nervous. But through their example and encouragement I’ve really grown in not just knowing the gospel for myself but in talking about it with others.

ABOUNDING in hope

Romans 15:13 tells us that a God of hope can cause us to “abound in hope.” Often, we see students who are “abounding in hope” are not content to keep it for themselves! Instead, they are dedicated to loving their fellow students through the sharing of gospel hope with them.

HOPE ABOUNDS ON THE CAMPUS: GEORGE

WASHINGTON

UNIVERSITY TESTIMONY

I prayed this year that the Lord would give me one spiritually interested person to read the Bible with. The Lord answered that prayer at a Super Bowl party CO at GW hosted in Thurston Hall, a freshman dorm. That’s where I met Mallory. We had a great interaction, and the Lord provided an opportunity for us to talk about the gospel later on at a coffee shop. Mallory soon joined our freshman Bible study, and God moved my heart to keep loving Mallory throughout Spring Semester. I’ve been reminded of how lost I once was and have felt motivated to keep laboring so she’d come to know the same Jesus Who saved me. The Lord showed me why I should love her by often reminding me of how lost and dead in my sin I was if it wasn’t for Christ. The Lord brought me to remember my need for Him and His grace constantly and stirred up a desire in me for her to also know this beautiful Jesus.

Lydia

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I prayed this year that the Lord would give me one spiritually interested person to read the Bible with.The Lord answered that prayer...

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Two different fields to labor in...

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HOPE ABOUNDS TO FULLTIME MINISTRY: GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY TESTIMONY

This semester, I’ve been co-leading a Bible study for a group of first generation college students at Georgetown. Many of these students were engaging with God’s Word personally for the first time. Every time that the students came back to read and discuss Scripture was such an encouragement! Over and over, God showed us the compelling power of His Word. The Lord used this Bible study to grow me in perseverance as we hoped to plant small seeds and wait on Him to bring fruit. Getting to help students see the beauty of Scripture has become one of my greatest joys. Leading these studies and seeing students at Georgetown be impacted by the Word was one of the means that the Lord used to give me a desire to go on staff with Campus Outreach next year. I’m so excited to join the team at Howard and get to continue serving students in this way!

2 HOPE ABOUNDS TO THE WORKFORCE: GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY TESTIMONY

When I started college, I was very ambitious. I connected my worth to my efforts, my grades, my tenacity, my intelligence, and my ability to live up to my own expectations. That ambition came with loneliness, isolation, sleepless nights, and endless self-judgment that came with every failure.

During my sophomore year, God used Campus Outreach as the primary catalyst for real growth in my life. CO staff, CO students, and church members consistently pointed me to Christ through life-on-life discipleship and focused care for me in the hard times. Through CO, God showed His grace to me, impressing upon my heart and mind the love of Christ. I began to see that without the love of Christ, my efforts would amount to nothing.

God has provided a job for me in cybersecurity in DC, allowing me to stay connected to the ministry and continuing to grow in my local church. Because of CO’s impact in my life, I am now approaching my work with a new ambition: to bring glory to Christ and to love as I’ve been loved.