by Aaron Marshall, Director of Ratio Christi Ministry at Utah Valley University
At the beginning of TP USA’s event at UVU, Charlie Kirk was interacting with the crowd.
“When people stop talking, bad stuff happens. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilizations stop talking, civil war ensues. When you stop having a human connection, with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group. What we as a culture have to get back to, is being able to have a reasonable disagreement where violence is not an option.” – Charlie Kirk
The following article was Aaron Marshall’s first person reflection on the events of September 10 where Turning Point USA’s Founder and President, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, UT.
Aaron Marshall (right) and his children attending Charlie Kirk event at UVU.
Orem, UT – On September 10, I was at the Charlie Kirk event at Utah Valley University (UVU) with my wife, my oldest daughter Adalyn (a freshman at UVU), my youngest daughter Isabelle (12), two of our Ratio Christi staff and some other friends. I’ll be honest, I had never watched a whole lot of Charlie Kirk’s videos before that day. My wife is a big fan and was super excited to come to the event. My daughter got there early and saved us all a place about twenty yards from where Charlie’s tent was set up. There was an incredible energy in the crowd. It was overwhelmingly pro-Charlie, although there were a few protesters that were set up on a roof top walkway near the stage. When Charlie came out the crowd went wild as he passed out hats and posed for pictures. He challenged the protesters to come down and debate him with a wave of his fingers.
As he sat down to begin, the first question was from an LDS student we have had some interaction with at our table previously. For the past three years as we have tried to get the Ratio Christi chapter at UVU off the ground, we have done tabling evangelism almost daily. Much like Charlie, our goal is to foster conversation across religious and political divides. We are known around campus as the “whiteboard guys.” The county that UVU is in is overwhelmingly LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – they do not like to be referred to as Mormons anymore) and so much of our interaction at the table is with LDS students. So, when the first question for Charlie was about Mormon vs Christian theology, I recognized the student and the questions he was offering as we have heard much of the same before. Charlie did a great job (especially for someone that isn’t well versed in Mormon Theology) of outlining some of the major differences between Christianity and Mormonism and pointing out some of the reasons why he doesn’t think that Mormonism is true. He also was able to share the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection and the Biblical gospel with the crowd of thousands. It would be the last thing that Charlie Kirk ever did.
Overlook of the crowd attending event at UVU with Turning Point tent in background.
The next question was about transgenderism and mass shootings and as he began to answer that question, we heard a loud sound from behind us. I was staring at Charlie when the bullet hit his neck. Everyone dove to the ground and started screaming as we became aware of what was happening. After a few seconds, we all realized that there were no more shots and started moving quickly towards the inside of the school building behind us. My daughters were in hysterics. I was trying to keep us all together in the mass of people and keep them calmed down. We moved inside and got temporarily separated. I screamed at everyone to stay together. I knew we needed to get to the other side of campus, so we started heading in that direction. Some people were being ushered into “safe” rooms, but I wanted us to keep moving (we found out later that people in those rooms were stuck there for hours). People were understandably freaking out all around us. I just wanted to get us to a “safe” place. We moved through the campus and out the other side. We were able to get to my wife’s car that was parked off campus and drive home safely. My car was left on campus and I wasn’t allowed to pick it up until the next morning.
The next week was really rough for all of us and for our community. At first, it was the nervousness that the killer had not been caught. Then it was just coming to grips with what we saw and experienced. The girls would jump every time they heard a loud noise. I went down the dark rabbit hole of “X” and reddit to find out as much information as I could about the shooter and what happened (I later found out this is one of the six stages of grief). My conclusion was that those are two of the most vile places on the internet. I cannot imagine how young people are able to constantly be on those sites, and those like them, and not be permanently traumatized.
One week later, the site of the UVU event looked very different, an American flag and pavers take up the space where Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
UVU was closed the next week and reopened for classes the following Wednesday (one week after the shooting). It was a weird feeling returning to the campus. There were tons of police there that day. There were news crews and “onlookers” all over campus. They had turned the shooting scene into a memorial. We went out that day to pray with students and just be with them. We were able to pray with the student that was asking the question about transgenderism when Charlie was shot. He was super shook up over everything that happened. I saw him last week and he told me how much it meant to him that we were able to pray with him that day. He is not a believer. Only 0.5% of Utah County are believers. If the numbers correlate (and I think it’s probably worse) that means that less than 300 students at UVU are believers. That means over 44,000 students are trying to process what happened at their university on September 10 without Jesus. Can you imagine how hard that would be?
Greg Laurie and Harvest ministries will be hosting a Hope For America Crusade on UVU Campus November 16
In the few weeks since the terrible event at UVU we have seen an incredible openness to spiritual conversations on campus and in the Salt Lake Valley. The pernicious problem with that in this area is that so many people think that Biblical Christianity and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one in the same. Our evangelistic conversations so often are a mix of proclaiming the true gospel while at the same time trying to separate this from the LDS message these students have heard their whole lives. To say that this is hard soil is an understatement. But we keep going – because the gospel is worth it.
Charlie Kirk died immediately after sharing the true Biblical gospel of eternal life by grace through faith alone. In the weeks since the event, I have been contemplating our ministry in light of that. This has been one of the hardest seasons in ministry since we joined Ratio Christi back in the early days (my Supported Missionary number is 1 – 430001 to be exact!). Doing ministry in Utah is hard. Doing ministry in Utah County, Utah is even harder. It feels like there have been all kinds of spiritual attacks on us and this community in this season. It even got to the point where I was contemplating if we should leave. But the events of September 10 have helped me to begin to change my mind (there are still days I want to leave). I think about Romans 10:14 – “How then will they call on him whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching.”
How will the LDS ever learn of the true Jesus? How will those that have rejected Mormonism (the stats say that upwards of 80% of those that walk away from Mormonism will go atheist or agnostic) ever learn about the true Jesus that loves them because he loves them and not because they are keeping the rules? How will people find true freedom outside of man-made religion?
Aaron Marshall praying over Utah Governor, Spencer Cox, as he visited the campus.
Only if someone is here to tell them. And I think a ministry like Ratio Christi is uniquely able to not just share the truth of the Biblical gospel with those that are lost but then also help them understand the reasons and evidence behind why the gospel is true. Ratio Christi is a ministry that encourages students to ask hard questions and seek those answers. It encourages students to go where the evidence leads, not just where someone in authority tells them to go. And a ministry like Ratio Christi is so needed in a place like this. God is working at UVU even though it doesn’t feel like it all the time. God is using us and has been using us. And maybe we are here on this campus for such a time as this.
On the Wednesday that students came back, we also got a chance to pray for the Governor of Utah – Spencer Cox. After we prayed over him, he addressed the students that had gathered around us while we prayed. He said that this would either be the end of something terrible and the beginning of something better or it was the beginning of something far worse. My prayer is that September 10, 2025 will not be remembered solely as the day that Charlie Kirk was assassinated at UVU but will be remembered as the beginning of something much better. The beginning of true Revival at UVU and in Utah County and in Utah.
Aaron Marshall has served for several years ministering on the campus of Utah Valley University. A portion of your State Missions Offering supports his work, but there is so much more that can be done to help him remain on the field where his needed now more than ever. If you would like more information about how you can be a part of his Support Team through prayer or financial gifts, visit his support page at https://give.ratiochristi.org/missionary/aaron-marshall
Pioneer Community Church celebrates with visiting mission teams from Georgia and South Carolina
By Karen L. Willoughby
EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah – Six years after Pioneer Community Church was started by Barry and Jennifer Smith, it moved from its location at a dance studio on Ira Hodges Blvd one mile north, to Cedar Valley High School.
In those first six years, the church grew from five people to about 85. The first service in the church’s new location was on March 2, 2025.
“Mostly, it (the move) was for the kids,” Smith told UI Connections. “We usually have 30 or so under 18 and needed another kid’s room. In the dance studio, they were split into two rooms, infant – 5 years old and kindergarten through fifth grade. Most of our kids are third grade and under.”
The Smith couple – who have five adult children – moved from Florida in 2013 to plant a church in Saratoga Springs. When it didn’t come to fruition, they helped at another church plant for two years before focusing on the rapidly growing Eagle Mountain community.
“We’ve always been about making the Word central in the service,” Smith said. “We preach the Word, sing the Word, pray the Word, and see the Word through the elements, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. We’re constantly going back to the scripture.”
“People tell us they love the fact the Word is so central here,” the pastor continued. “I try to pray scripture as much as possible. We also sing songs from the scriptures. People often tell us, ‘I’ve never heard stuff like this before.’”
Pioneer Community Church pastor Barry Smith and his wife, Jennifer
For the Smith couple to drive nearly 2,500 miles and not find a positive outcome at Saratoga Springs was humbling but didn’t deter them from their call from God to minister among the dominant religious system in Utah, Smith said. “God was growing and maturing us to be prepared for Eagle Mountain.”
Pioneer Community now has a worship center in the Performing Arts Building at the high school and three classrooms for better age-graded classes: birth to 2-year-olds, pre-K, and Kindergarten through third grade. Fourth and fifth graders remain in the main service. They listen to the sermon with the help of a “Big Kids Worksheet.”
The youth group currently consists of three teen girls. A college student moved from northern Florida earlier this month to lead them in a small group. Smith said a youth game night on April 27 will help add teen boys and more girls to the group.
Pioneer Community has added to its numbers through a wide variety of people, the pastor said: Some searching for God, some moving to the area, some unchurched, some who had de-churched themselves, some Googlers, and some invited by friends.
The pastor said the growth—in addition to God’s providence—is that Smith and the church’s other elder ask follow-up questions of the questions asked to them.
“We always have many unbelievers asking questions,” Smith said. He prefers to respond to a question with a question to see where the person’s thinking is coming from. “Sometimes it’s a ‘gotcha’ question, but most of the time they heard something in the sermon, are going through something, or read something on the internet.”
Asking people questions and listening to their responses shows the pastor’s innate respect for all people, and that respect opens the door to building relationships. Coffee before and after services encourages people to arrive early or stay after so relationships can start building.
Two women came to Pioneer Community – one for two years; the other, four – who sat on the front row. One finally made public her decision to follow Jesus and was baptized. “That spurred the other,” Smith chuckled.
“We have men coming whose wives aren’t, or weren’t, [believers]” the pastor continued. “God has blessed us with men. I don’t know why. I don’t think I’m doing anything special.”
“We get guys who left their religious background years ago,” Smith continued. “They tell me they want to hear the truth of the Bible. We’re walking through whole books of the Bible, and many of them are not used to that. It’s more in-depth than they’ve heard before, and it’s all Bible.”
Pioneer Community Church pastor with leaders from Corner-Stone Church in Jefferson, GA
But since several of the men seemed serious about deepening their faith, last fall Smith started a Pastoral Training Apprenticeship that includes weekly meetings and the discussion of five books each semester on preaching, church membership, theology, and practical ministry, including “Worship Matters” by Bob Kauflin, “Preaching” by Timothy Keller and “Dangerous Calling” by Paul David Tripp.
“The goal is to meet the biblical requirements of an elder and get to a level of a theological understanding to respond to people’s questions after the service,” Smith said. “An elder is a pastor and overseer. Some are better at sermons; some better at service.”
The pastor added that the men present sermons in class to prepare them to preach from the pulpit. Some in the class might eventually be called into the pastorate, perhaps to start a church, and others to a supporting role that strengthens a church or church plant.
A Tuesday evening “Home Group” predates the launch of Pioneer Community. A Friday evening Home Group was added this past January. For the last two years, the pastor’s wife, Jennifer Smith, has led a women’s Bible study on each month’s second and fourth Saturday mornings.
Vital to the pastor: becoming known in Eagle Mountain. “I try to ensure that the service honors the Lord, and I attend as many community events as possible,” Smith said. “I show up, and God does all the work.”
An open-air grill trailer is used by PCC to bless their community, provided by funds from the UISBC State Missions Offering
A mission team from Corner-Stone Church in Jefferson, Georgia, plans to lead Vacation Bible School June 23-26 for the fourth year in a row for Pioneer Community, one of the church’s major evangelistic outreaches every year. Berea First Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C., plans to help with outreach during Eagle Mountain’s Pony Express Days May 28-31. This will be their fourth year as well.
With help from its partner churches and the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention, Pioneer Community Church bought an open-air grill trailer to use on the final day of VBS, Pony Express Days, neighborhood block parties, lunches at the high school, and other outreaches throughout the year.
“We’re in a season of encouragement right now,” Smith said. “We’ve had attendance in the 90s a couple of times, but I’m not a numbers guy. Seeing spiritual growth is more important and exciting.”
Students from Charleston Southern University in South Carolina are helping church planters in Northern Utah through a ministry called The Bridge
By UI Connections Staff
Ogden, UT – In January 2025, Redemption Family of Churches began a national partnership with South Carolina Baptists to explore and begin a student internship program where students from NAMB’s GenSend Summer will extend their mission and stay for an entire semester to help church planters sow seeds of the gospel in communities where college students and young adults live, work, and play. In order to make this happen, leaders from the church reached out to Utah Idaho Southern Baptists and we partnered with Redemption to help launch “The Bridge” ministry utilizing State Missions Offering/Mission >>>UI dollars to pilot this project, in partnership with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Below are two of the stories from student missionaries who have come from Charleston Southern University and planted their lives in Northern Utah to plant seeds of the gospel.
Stories from The Bridge
The month of February has started to pick up with some normal ministry rhythms and the students have already plugged into some great ministry activity. By now, most have found jobs and are starting to build relationships in those jobs. They have also connected to their local churches with half of them connected to Redemption Ogden and the other half at Redemption North Davis in Kaysville. They’ve been given leadership opportunities in a young adult ministry in Ogden. This is where they are connecting many of those they are sharing the Gospel with.
This path month these students have connected with five different individuals that are leaving or have recently left the LDS church and are not yet believers. Leadership school has been an effective way to equip the students for how theology, ecclesiology, hermeneutics, and understanding the Bible affect real life ministry. Redemption Church leader, Casey Swails, has been teaching an evangelism class on Tuesdays and Thursdays which also gives real course credit with Charleston Southern University. The guys have been going through “What It Means to Be Protestant” with Gavin Ortlund working through the distinctive of our faith from a polemic perspective.
Below, the students have written up their reports for the month of February. Thank you all for contributing to this program. Already God has brought fruitfulness to this program. Several current CSU students have reached out asking how they can participate in this program in the future. Please be praying for how we can continue to offer this in 2026. Thank you Utah Idaho Baptists for your giving and care for these students.
COREY WADE
Ministry here has been difficult in a number of ways but so worth it. I’ve been working as a pharmacy technician and only 2 out of 10 of my coworkers aren’t LDS. Of these two, one is less resistant to thinking about religion than another. She told me early on when I was explaining why I moved that Utah doesn’t have enough religious options in her opinion. Her openness to something else being true has been encouraging and my hope is to continue to scatter gospel seeds that land when these kind of conversations come up.
While her openness is encouraging, I’ve also gotten to see the brokenness and anger that the LDS Church causes toward religion in general. A pharmacist from another store filled in at my store one day a few weeks ago, and upon finding out from me why I moved and what my Christian Studies program was like, decided to press in to see why I thought my faith was right and everyone else’s was wrong. He expressed to me why it bothered him that even more kinds of churches were coming to Utah and that he thought religion was for the weak.
Despite the challenge of some discouraging conversations, many relationships being built are great encouragements for us. Our friend, Porter, has been seeking help for how to challenge his girlfriend of 3 years and her family on their LDS beliefs. A few Sundays ago, his girlfriend visited our church for our young adult gathering with him and got to hear the gospel and discuss some implications of it with other young adults in our discussion groups.
A new friend of mine named Nicholas who cheers for the college in town has been sitting down with one of our pastors and I to continue his search for fulfillment after an injury ended his season. We’ve had the opportunity to share with him the kind fulfillment that will only come from Jesus and he’s continuing to press in to hear and understand more about Jesus because of it. Please continue to lift up these relationships in your prayers, as well as the Young Adult ministry at Redemption as a whole. We have a good group of people coming who genuinely need community. Pray that they would find it in the true community of Christ’s church.
KATE SAUNDERS
It’s been roughly 7 weeks since we made the trek from South Carolina to Utah and life here is finally finding a consistent rhythm. I can’t begin to talk about the last month without rejoicing in how kind the Lord has been to provide for me. He has put so many people and ministries in my path that I have grown to love and take such joy in. The church family at Redemption has welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to be involved in so many ministries. These have included weekly young adult meetings and events, Sunday morning serving the church, Weber State campus outreach, and helping with mission teams that come to visit.
Outside of official ministry, Leadership School and Evangelism classes through Redemption Ogden have constituted a continuous pour of information and learning. Please be praying for the churches ministries as we see new ones take shape and existing ones continue to grow. Three weeks ago, I began working part time and have been stewarding relationships and foundations for gospel conversations while trying to be aware of HR rules and limitations. The Lord has been kind to put many questions in people’s minds so that I can directly answer things without getting in trouble.
Please be in prayer as I continue in this workplace that I would have opportunities to share the gospel and love my co-workers well. I am grateful for the several warm and sunny days we have seen recently that show spring is on its way. However, I am thankful for winter sports like snowboarding and indoor pickleball which have consistently provided means to great conversations with people.
Please be in prayer as we stay consistent with our weekly activities and share the gospel with our new friends. I am so thankful to live in Utah and be supported by so many amazing people and organizations! Thank you!
These are just two of the stories shared by students serving GenSend Semester in Northern Utah. They are joined by many more students that are investing their lives to reach college students and young adults in Utah with the gospel. By your gifts to the Mission >>> UI/State Missions Offering, college ministry can be funded now and into the future. Thank you for giving to help reach this important generation. https://uisbc.org/smo
By Nathan and Amber Harden, A Carpenter for Christ Ministries
RBC Students learn Bull Riding among other skills
Jerome, ID – When you watch rodeo events in the grandstands, it really doesn’t look that hard. You just have to ride that horse really fast around the barrels or stay on that bucking bull for just a mere eight seconds. You might sense you have to have some skill to throw a rope at a running calf but for the most part, it just doesn’t look like a ton of skill.
Yet when you watch the clinics at Rodeo Bible Camp, you learn that there is so much skill needed to really flourish at the sport. If you have an event that requires you to have a horse, you must learn to handle your horse. You might have to teach it to back into the corner or approach a goat or when to start turning him around that pole or barrel. It needs to know what to expect when you get that rope on a calf. If you are riding rough stock, you need to know how to come out of the chute, how to spur it, and how to get off as safe as possible if possible. All of these skills are taught to the kids at Rodeo Bible Camp by people who have had plenty of experience.
Beyond learning rodeo skills, RBC students discover how they can experience eternal life. Four kids were baptized at RBC this year
As important as these skills are, they also get to spend a couple hours of each day hearing about Jesus and all that He has done for them. Four of the kids asked to be baptized at the camp. Many testified that that they desire to spend more time with the Lord. It was a sweet camp!
Rodeo Bible Camp is one of the key outreach events that takes place in churches across Idaho and Utah that is fueled by your State Missions Offering and gifts you give to the Cooperative Program.
Rodeo Bible Camp teaches valuable skills
Cattle Roping takes skill and coordination, as students at RBC learned
A bucking bronco wants to end your run before the eight seconds tick off, but RBC students learn to persevere
Barrel racing is a fast pace skill learned by students at RBC
The most important lesson learned at RBC is how they can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
Ogden, UT – Semper Veritas has just completed their Bible study through the book of Galatians for the semester. This Bible study proved to be extremely fruitful and generated lots of great discussion. One Weber State faculty member saw one of our posters advertising for our Bible study and decided to attend. He said that there weren’t very many genuine Bible studies that he could attend, but this one worked with his schedule. He and I talked for a while after the Bible study. Through our conversation at the Bible study and a later lunch conversation learned that he attends a local ward, but holds mostly to orthodox confessional Christianity. The reason he hasn’t left the ward is in order to avoid conflict in his family. I am maintaining contact with him and plan to meet with him again to help him walk through some basics of what it means to follow Jesus according to the Bible.
One of our student leaders, Connor, has been engaging other students as he goes to the gym. He said that he met a student named *Stephen who is LDS, but was curious about Connor’s beliefs since he was wearing a Redemption Church shirt that said, “Bringing Hope to the Valley.” Stephen asked Connor if he had ever read the Book of Mormon. This began a long conversation between the two about the differences between the LDS faith and biblical Christianity.
Connor had a similar encounter with another LDS individual named *Mark. They engaged in the same conversation where Mark was very intrigued by what Connor had to share about biblical Christianity. Mark ended up attending a Semper Veritas Bible study and Connor is staying in touch with him.
Another student leader, John, was able to connect with an agnostic classmate named *Dennis. They discussed together evidence for the existence of God and the validity of the Bible. It was a challenging conversation for John. As he invited Dennis to attend the Bible study with him, he politely declined the invitation. John hopes to continue to engage with his classmate.
We are excited to pick up a new teaching series in January for the start of the Spring semester. There is much planning going into reaching the campus with the gospel next semester. We will have mission teams helping engage the campus, we will have a “Perspective” event with Dr. Jamie Dew, President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he will give a presentation on “What happens after we die?” We are praying for God to continue moving in the hearts and lives of students at Weber State. Thank you for praying along with us and for your support. – Casey Swails
Casey is a volunteer collegiate ministry leader from Redemption Church in Ogden and leads Semper Veritas college group on the campus of Weber State University. Check out this recent report of the work being done on that campus through resources you provide through the Utah Idaho State Missions Offering. 10% of the State Mission Offering is designated to do work on our college campuses across Idaho and Utah. Thank you for supporting collegiate work through your prayers and giving through the York-Dillman State Missions Offering.
*names have been changed to protect the identity of students who are questioning their current faith traditions on our college campuses.
Orem, UT – When you give to your state missions offering, do you sometimes wonder if your money is actually making a difference? To the students at Utah Valley University, it certainly is. UVU is located in Orem, UT and Utah County, the number one most unreached county in North America. Aaron Marshall is a college ministry leader for Gospel Grace Church in Salt Lake City. Last month, he made a trip up to the UVU student union to look for an opportunity to connect with students and possibly open the door to a gospel conversation. Here is his testimony of how that went:
We were tabling at Utah Valley University a few weeks ago. When we table we set up a table with all kinds of Christian literature and information that people can take. We also have a whiteboard that we write a question on to try and get students to engage with us. On this day the question was, “Could you be wrong in your religious views?” We had some good conversations but one in particular stood out. *Arthur is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He actually said that “he could be wrong in what he believed” which I appreciated. “Because of the kinds of claims we are making, religious claims are either true or false for all people, at all times and in all places. They are not just my personal truth.” I responded. He agreed. So then we started talking about ways that we could investigate to determine if our religious views were correct.
We talked about how we needed to have objective, external evidence that we could look at that could give us more confidence that our position was true. We also agreed that if there was good external evidence that went against our position that would mean that there would be good reasons to not hold our current position. So I challenged him with two Biblical tests regarding his faith position. The first test was from Galatians 1 where Paul says that there is only one Gospel and any other Gospel is false. Arthur and I agreed that the gospel that I was sharing with him (the Biblical gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone for eternal life) is different from the Latter Day Saint gospel. We agreed that both of us could not be right. I then challenged him with the Biblical test for a prophet in Deuteronomy 18 and whether Joseph Smith met that test. I gave him two prophecies of Joseph Smith to look at:
(1) the prophecy that a Temple would be built in Independence, Missouri in his lifetime and
(2) the Civil War prophecy.
I challenged him to read those prophecies and determine if they came true. We had a great conversation and he said he wanted to keep talking. Please be praying for Arthur that I can continue to challenge him with the truth claims of Biblical Christianity and the lies of the LDS church.
(*name of the student has been changed to protect his identity)
Plans are currently in place to bring noted apologist, Dr. Frank Turek to the campus of UVU later this month. He will share his message to UVU students titled “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist”. A similar event to this one was hosted on the UofU campus last year. The event takes place on Tuesday, October 18. Please pray for students to hear and respond.
Stories like these happen on a weekly basis across Utah and Idaho campuses, and the leaders who have those conversations are funded in a small way through money you give to the state missions offering. 10% of every dollar given to the State Missions Offering is designated to start, maintain, and facilitate ministry on college campuses across our two states. Our Convention Collegiate Network Coordinator, Ben Neiser, maintains direct connections with these volunteers and missionaries serving on these campuses. He uses these funds to fund free lunches for students, outreach events on the campuses, and retreats that disciple and equip future campus leaders from the students they serve.
I hope you pray about what your church will give towards the State Missions Offering this year. It is not too late to participate in this transformative work happening to reach the next generation of our church leaders studying on our Utah and Idaho campuses right now.
If you want more information about how you can partner to reach a college campus in your area, please contact ben.neiser@gmail.com. He would love to connect with you and your church.
COREY WADE 
KATE SAUNDERS 
Stories like these happen on a weekly basis across Utah and Idaho campuses, and the leaders who have those conversations are funded in a small way through money you give to the state missions offering. 10% of every dollar given to the State Missions Offering is designated to start, maintain, and facilitate ministry on college campuses across our two states. Our Convention Collegiate Network Coordinator, Ben Neiser, maintains direct connections with these volunteers and missionaries serving on these campuses. He uses these funds to fund free lunches for students, outreach events on the campuses, and retreats that disciple and equip future campus leaders from the students they serve.