We hosted a prayer retreat over the winter break near Jasper. It was a great time to do just that — retreat from the world around us and draw close to God through prayer. Ten young adults attended the three-day retreat. We also had two special guests join us for an afternoon — Tony and Laura Crocker, who served in the past as missionaries and are now serving at Worden Baptist Church in northeast Arkansas. They shared with the students what their journey into missions had been like and encouraged the students to be faithful and obedient to the Lord regardless of where they are. If you’ve never taken an extended time of prayer like this, I’d encourage you to try to find some time in your schedule to do so. I’ve already heard how this retreat was a turning point for some who attended!
There are many interesting aspects about the story of Moses in the Old Testament, but one that always catches my attention is an interaction between Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro (or Reuel or Hobab or whatever his nickname is in that story), not long after Moses led the people out of Egypt.
This interaction is described in Exodus 18. Moses had set up shop as the judge of any disputes between Israelites. If two people in Israel had a dispute, they would come to Moses to settle it. Of course, this sounds simple but given the fact that there were over half a million Israelite men over the age of 20 and they were not exactly the most easy-going bunch, this would have been a lot of work. So, when he brings Moses’ wife, Zipporah, and his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, back to Moses from a stay in Midian, Jethro sees a problem with this system.
Picking up the story in Exodus 18:14-18 (ESV): “When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?’ And Moses said to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.’ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.’”
Jethro saw that Moses was not able to sustain this work without eventually causing problems for himself and the people. Simply put, Jethro pointed out to Moses that he needed help.
The story continues in Exodus 18:21-22 (ESV), Jethro speaking: “Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So, it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.”
As I see it, this is where we are at The Hedge. There is more work than I can sustain on my own, and, given time, this will cause problems not only for me but also for the students and the ministry as a whole. I need a team member to bear the burden with me.
The board of directors and I have been discussing this for the past year or so, and we are at a place where we know who we are looking for to fill this position. Let me describe the needs:
• Evangelism and discipling are the load of the work for a campus minister, and there’s only so much that one person can do.
• Young women are currently without opportunity for one-on-one discipling at The Hedge because I don’t feel it’s above reproach for me to disciple women one-on-one.
• Our budget will not sustain another team member long term, so adding another person to the staff means that person will need to raise support for the work.
I’m asking you to pray that God would guide us to the right person for this work. Also, feel free to share this with those you think might be interested or to recommend names to me. Here is the complete job description:
The Association of Baptist Students at the University of Arkansas is seeking applications for a full-time ministry team member. Preferred candidates will have experience in disciple-making and working with young adults, and some post-secondary education is required (degree completion is preferred). Only applicants currently residing in the northwest Arkansas area or those willing to relocate will be considered. The ministry team member will be responsible for raising full financial support for this position (the ministry will provide a portion of the support budget for the first 6-12 months in the role). Please send resumes to or request additional information from Stuart Estes at thehedge.uark@gmail.com.
That’s what I see when I look back on the last month at The Hedge.
