Amazing in April


Hello, everyone!

Let me start things off with a quick announcement / life update: after much prayer and reflection over this past school year, I will be transitioning off of FOCUS staff at the end of May. I have learned so much this year, and God has grown and matured me in many unexpected ways. I hope that I am able to take everything that I’ve learned and continue to apply it through life. 


All that being said, I am giving my second sermon on Friday, May 31st. All 10 pastoral apprentices will be giving a sermon on our three biggest takeaways from this year. Look out for a text from me in the days leading up to the sermon, with more information so that you can tune in online or come listen in person. It's sure to be a day full of joy and tears — you don't want to miss it! 


Several UTD students put on a worship night on campus, which was a ton of fun. Seeing our students take the initiative to host and give back to our community shows the love and care our students have for each other. It was also a good reminder, as we go into finals week, of the importance of still worshiping the Lord despite the busy and hectic whirlwind that is life. I also want you guys reading this to remember this as life gets busy. In our busiest moments in life, it is good to take a couple of minutes to remember God and reflect on how He is working in our lives. 



Another highlight of the month was MEGA CORE! What is a megacore, you might ask? Think of all the Thursday night cores (small groups) getting together for a time of worship and sharing. We had a total of 5 cores participate. Core is a great way to bond with other students and grow closer to God together. The aim of megacore was for the members of each core to get to know other students in the community that they might not ever meet otherwise. During megacore, we had a sharing time, in which we all reflected on spring semester and how God has been working in our lives, and shared how we hope God will continue to work in our lives this summer.


The last — and funnest — thing that happened was UTD’s End of Year Picnic. Each year we have a party to celebrate the end of the school year — this time, it was a picnic. There were both indoor and outdoor activities for everyone, including karaoke, tug of war, jump rope, tie-dye, and even a dance party at the end (always a classic at any FOCUS event). 


One of the EOY party traditions is core posters, which are usually themed and feature pictures and/or names of all of the members in a core. Jadon’s and my core’s poster theme was Coup, a deception-based board game. 



One of my favorite things about the EOY party is that it's a time to honor all those who have served in our community, from the greeters and ushers to our worship and A/V teams. Their hard work and dedication is highlighted, as we could not build and grow our community without them! 


UTD FOCUS staff gave away tickets for our students to enter into a raffle for a chance to pie a staff member of their choice. And as luck would have it… I got pied. Here's a picture of the aftermath:



Overall, it was an amazing party. At certain points throughout, I was on the verge of tears, knowing that it was my last major FOCUS event. 


Thank you for walking alongside me and supporting me in ministry this year. I cannot thank you all enough for this opportunity. 


Until next month!

- David Galeas 


Student Testimony Time! 


Every month, we feature a student’s testimony of how their time in FOCUS has grown and shaped them. Here is this month’s:






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