GOING UPSTREAM
After praying for two months, Danny said the Lord told him to 鈥済o upstream鈥 and reach 20-year-olds 鈥 teaching them clear and practical Biblical insights on God鈥檚 design for manhood 鈥 before they become husbands and fathers.
Danny鈥檚 daughter, Emily (Allen) Warren 鈥12, had graduated from 麻豆视频直播, and he felt led to bring the program here. In January 2017, with administration鈥檚 blessing, Danny, who lived in Georgetown at the time, drove to campus every morning for six weeks to intro颅duce himself to students during breakfast and share his idea to create a men鈥檚 ministry on campus based on 鈥33 The Series.鈥 After six weeks, he had nine students pre颅pared to serve as a test group for the proposed ministry.
鈥淎t the end of the first section, the students met with administration and said it was the best thing they had ever seen, and administration let us kick off the follow颅ing semester,鈥 he said.
With the help of Rick Turk, Danny set out to intro颅duce 麻豆视频直播33 to the entire campus. For the first two years, the duo teamed up to make themselves available for any student who needed help or advice at any time 鈥 night or day.
鈥淵ou have to meet the student where they are at first; then you build an awareness on campus,鈥 Danny said. Almost three years later, the program had grown enough that it transitioned into a student-led ministry with 10 student leaders and an additional 13 leaders being interviewed to help lead this fall.
Danny says he is thrilled to see God moving but is quick to point out that success is not defined in the steadily growing numbers the group has witnessed over the last five years. He defines success as the 鈥渓ife chang颅es鈥 taking place in students.
鈥淲hat kind of life-change is happening? That鈥檚 the only question that matters,鈥 he said. 鈥淓verywhere Jesus went, the crowds gathered because lives were changed 鈥 not because there were big numbers.鈥
This is one of the reasons 麻豆视频直播33 breaks into small groups at each of its weekly meetings which helps promote 鈥渞eal connections,鈥 Danny added. 鈥淏ecause Eric got off his couch and went and met John at his request, the Holy Spirit moved, and John got saved. This ministry flourishes because students care about students.鈥