[H2O] April 2025 Update!

Kyle Barta Kyle Barta

A Full Year Hello! As our 3rd school year on campus is coming to a close (wow... three already?!) I wanted to send an update on how the rest of this semester has gone! As I've been looking back, there

Tom Hogsed

A Full Year

Hello! As our 3rd school year on campus is coming to a close (wow... three already?!) I wanted to send an update on how the rest of this semester has gone!

As I've been looking back, there has been so much that has happened. I really believe the Lord is strengthening our church in some big ways and that it's going to result in a lot of good fruit in the years to come.

Our Spring Break crew! Go Bulls! 🤘

Spring Break Trip

This year, we sent our first group of students on a Spring Break trip to go and share the gospel message with other college students. We really wanted our students to get some more reps with sharing the message about Jesus and we also wanted them to rub shoulders with another college church in our network if possible. We just felt like our students could catch the vision for the kind of work God can do in and through them if they saw other students living their lives for Jesus from another, more mature college church.

So, they went to Bowling Green State University where our largest H2O Church is at and spent the week serving their church and sharing Christ on campus. This trip had a massive impact on our students as it gave them a great deal of confidence in how to talk about Jesus, and it also knit some of them closer together in godly friendship.

LT Students!

This summer, we have several of our students going to our Leadership Training program in the Adirondacks. I am so excited for them! Leadership Training (or, LT) is a program where students go and work for the YMCA in the Adirondacks all while learning how to follow Jesus in every area of their lives.

We've seen so many students grow so much in a very short time at LT. I can't wait to hear what God does in their lives and how He has grown them... and we also can't wait to see how it impacts the way they live for the Kingdom for the rest of their college career.

This summer we currently have 3 students going: Nathaniel, David, and Avonlea. Will you pray for them, that LT forges them into incredible leaders for Christ?

There was a conference for the Collegiate Church Network leaders and pastors that was held here in Buffalo! Pictured we are praying for help with sharing the good news on our campuses.

Vision for the coming school year

Two Sundays ago, we had our last members meeting of the school year. And in it, we laid before our members the vision we have next year for how we want to see our church grow. Really, the main thing is that we want our students to catch the vision that they have an incredible opportunity for Kingdom impact while they're here at UB.

And so, we are making some changes in our structure specifically for how people serve and lead in our church - especially in Life Groups (our communal bible study). The short of it is that we are going to split into two different Life Groups (instead of one) and commission two different leadership teams to lead them.

They'd be responsible for leading the Bible Discussion, but also for discerning how to best help the people in their life group grow in Christ. That might mean developing plans for a missional community night that our students can invite their lost friends to. It might mean spending time for one Life Group in extended prayer. It might mean equipping the other students in evangelism. We really want to give our student members and leaders a lot of ownership in our church so that they can see just how much God can use them.

We were so excited that many of our students are willing and excited to step into roles like these this coming year. They are also quite nervous because most of them haven't done anything like this before! Just yesterday, some of the students that were at this meeting led a night of outreach and evangelism. They invited a lot of people, tried to do some equipping, and sent people out to have conversations about Jesus. And they did this because we asked for some people to serve on an outreach team next year and they wanted to start this year! One of the guys I've been studying the Bible with (a student named Aaron) went to that last night even though he was terrified! I love the courage.

Lindsey and I went out to dinner for a last night of freedom before baby Barta comes!

A Family Update

Our baby boy is due tomorrow! Will you pray for Lindsey and baby Barta's health? Her doctor thinks he will be here this weekend, but who knows! We're dying to meet him!

I'll be sure to send pictures at some point this summer!

We are so grateful for your support during this time! ❤️

In Christ,
Kyle & Lindsey

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Prayers for Lindsey and Baby Barta's health.
Prayers for our LT Students: Nathaniel, David, and Avonlea!
Prayers for our student leaders to grow in their walks with Christ this summer!

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Kyle Barta - H2O Buffalo

196 Koenig Rd.

Tonawanda, NY 14150

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