| 2:8 Update |
September, 2009 | |
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Dear Friends,
Greetings once again from the 2:8 House and the OU Nazarene Student Center. God is at work in some very exciting ways, and we count it a priviledge to share this update with you today. Last week our weekly Fat Tuesday attracted an estimated 250 students from around the world. That's right, 250. We have been averaging about 180 students each week. However, the weather was beautiful on Tuesday, and students just kept coming. We served them all thanks to some leftovers in the refrigerator. This week we served around 200 students. You will find additional information in another article in this newsletter.
This Saturday, we will celebrate another significant milestone in the life of the 2:8 House and the OU Nazarene Student Center. We have been notified by the Church of the Nazarene Foundation that we will be presented with the deed for the house prior to the OU-Baylor football game. The local ministry will own the house, debt-free. Again, look below for additional information.
Finally, we anticipate the need for an additional $5,000 during the month of October. While our monthly income has increased this past year, our periodic donations have not. We typically receive donations from Northeast Oklahoma and Southwest Oklahoma districts in November, so this need is specific to this month.
Thank you for your continued partnership with us. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to make Christ-like disciples at the University of Oklahoma.
LOVE WINS.
Dave & Rhonda Kyncl Craig and Anita Shepperd |
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| Reservations recommended?
Last week marked a significant milestone at the 2:8 House. Our best estimate is that about 250 students joined us for lunch on Tuesday. Yes, I said 250.
The weather was beautiful that day, which allowed many of the students to enjoy one of our five outdoor tables. : )
This past week we served about 200 students.
Please continue to pray for us as we reach out to students by providing a free lunch each Tuesday. We have found this has been a GREAT way to DEMONSTRATE God's love by serving students.
You also may be interested in getting involved in other ways. A few possibilities include:
1) Sponsor a lunch. Our lunches cost an average of $400, which is about $2 per person.
2) Provide some dessert. Each week we serve a combination of home-made cookies and cakes. Last spring, several members of the Mustang Nazarene Church provided a variety of goodies to help with our Finals Week lunches. It would be GREAT if there were a few adult Sunday School clases who would work together to provide desserts on a one time or monthly basis. Anyone want the second Tuesday each month?
3)Volunteer to help. If you are available on Tuesdays from about 9:30 a.m. until about 2:30 p.m., you could help us serve the students. Additional help in serving lunch also allows us some much needed time to build relationships with the many students we see each week.
Please contact Dave at kyncl@28house.org if you or your small group is interested in helping! |
 Nazarene Foundation
to donate house
The Church of the Nazarene Foundation has announced that it will present the deed of the 2:8 House to the local ministry this weekend.
Several years ago, the house at 700 Chautauqua was purchased by a foundation affiliated with Hobby Lobby. The foundation offerred a long-term lease to the ministry for $1 a month. The house was later donated to the Nazarene Foundation, and the ministry has been able to utilize the house rent-free. This Saturday, the house will become the property of the Nazarene Student Center for the University of Oklahoma, Inc. A local realtor estimated the value of the house at $400,000.
"God continues to work in miraculous ways, and this is another way that He has provided for the ministry's needs," Dave Kyncl, director of the ministry, said. "This donation will continue to allow the 2:8 House and the OU Nazarene Student Center to continue to reach and disciple members of the University of Oklahoma community for many years to come."
The house, which was built in 1915, is a large, two-story building. There are two, two-bedroom apartments on the second floor, and an additional three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms on the main floor. The main floor also has a large living room, dining room, library and kitchen. The house is located in the Chautauqua Historic District.
The Nazarene Student Center for the University of Oklahoma, Inc., was formed to provide outreach and disciplehsip activities in 1992. The nickname of the ministry was changed 4 1/2 years ago to the 2:8 House, which is based on 1 Thessalonians 2:8, "we loved you so much that we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too."
David and Rhonda Kyncl have served as the executive directors of the minstry since 1998. Craig and Anita Shepperd joined the ministry team in September, 2008.
A special edition of the 2:8 Update will be published following the weekend event. |
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Financial support needed
As we prepare for the beginning of a new school year, we also need to continue to build the financial support team.
A few specific financial needs include:
1) Regular Budget--We continue to need $3,000 each month in addition to our regular monthly donations. Several months ago, our Board of Directors initiated an effort to increase our monthly giving to support payroll expenses. We currently need an additional $774 given monthly to meet this goal.
2) Indebtedness--The total debt owed by the ministry is $4,000 ($3,000 to Sam's Club and $1,000 to Lowes).
3) Fat Tuesday--Each week during the semester, we feed an average of 180 to 200 students a free, home-cooked meal. The average cost for each lunch is about $400.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
The following individuals and churches have provided financial resources to the ministry in the past few months:
Nazarene churches: Bethany First, Broken Arrow, Chandler, Lawton First, Marlow, Mustang, Norman Community, Pauls Valley, Regency Park (Tulsa), Silver Creek (Owasso), SouthPointe (OKC) and the Southwest Oklahoma District.
Individuals: Jim & Joyce Allman, Gary & Linda Banz, Lisa Blankenship, Ken Brown, Mitch & Charlene Dietz, Vic Diffee, Chris Ely, Gary and Nancy Gilles, Brent & Amy Hardesty, John & Carolyn Jensen, W. Talmadge and Genell Johnson, David & Rhonda Kyncl, George & Eleanor Kyncl, Darrell and Myrna Latham, Jim & Stephanie Lawler, Phyllis McArthur, Robert & Donna McArthur, Meloni McDaniel, Mitch Mullen, John & Nancy Porter, James & Shirley Posey, Elmer Shellenberger, Craig & Anita Shepperd, Don & Earlene Shepperd, James & Evelyn Stevens, Patrick & Teri Walls, Jim and Brenda Weaver, John & Edna Westmoreland and Michel & Janet Whittenberg. |
| Ways to join the 2:8 House ministry team
We are often asked by individuals, adult Sunday School classes or pastors about ways to become more involved in the 2:8 House. Here are a few of the possibilities:
- Pray for our students and ministry--Every week we meet new students. As our friendship grows and we share each other's personal stories, we believe that God will be glorfied. We also believe He will continue to draw students to Himself.
- Organize a 2:8 Support Group in your local church--We are beginning the process of recruiting individuals and/or couples who would be willing to organize a support group within their local church. These leaders would help us identify others in their local congregations who would be interested in learning more about our ministry at OU. This might begin by developing a list of e-mail addresses of people who might be interested in receiving this newsletter. We also would be willing to host a dinner for memers of a particular church who are interested in learning more about our current ministry and our vision for the future.
- Introduce us to a student-- If you know an OU student, bring them by so we can meet them.
- Bake some cookies--Each week we feed an average of 180 students a home-cooked meal. We also enjoy serving home-made desserts.
- Join our Century Club--We believe that God will provide for the needs of this ministry through the faithful giving of 100 individuals, churches and districts. Our current monthly donations range from $50 to $620 while our periodic donations have ranged from $5 to $10,000.
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Spiritual Direction 
Craig and I have begun the process of reading and working through Henri Nouwen's book, "Spiritual Direction." We believe that it will be a process that will draw us closer as brothers and co-laborers in Christ.
Below is an excerpt: "There is a real tendency to think of the spiritual life as a life that will begin when we have certain feelings, think certain thoughts, or gain certain insights. The problem, however, is not how to make the spiritual life happen, but to see where it actually is happening. We work on the premise that God acts in this world and in the lives of individuals and communities. God is doing something right now...Our task is to recognize that, indeed, it is God who is acting, and we are involved already in the spiritual life."
I am encouraged as I think of our role at OU as joining God where He is already at work.
We thank God for the opportunity we have to see God at work in our lives and the lives of students each and every day.
Thank you for your continued prayer, encouragement and support. And, we encourage you to join God where he is at work in your local community and your local church!
LOVE WINS. |
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| Deuteronomy 32:1-2 (The Message) |
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Listen, Heavens, I have something to tell you.
Attention, Earth, I've got a mouth full of words.
My teaching, let it fall like a gentle rain, my words arrive like morning dew,
like a sprinkling rain on new grass, like spring showers on the garden.
For it's God's Name I'm preaching--
respond to the greatness of our God! |
| Contact Information |
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700 Chautauqua Ave.
Norman, OK 73069
405-447-7027
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