Dear Friends and Family of Antioch,
Hello, my name is John Rathjen and I am the House Pastor here at Antioch House. I know it’s been a while, but I wanted to write a letter to all of the supporters of the house to let them know what has been going on in the house lately. We know that all of you support us in your prayers, and I know that we appreciate that quite a bit. Your prayers are very important to us.
One of my favorite parts about the house has always been that it is a student run house. The goal of the house is to bring up men as leaders who know what it means to serve Jesus Christ, and I think that Antioch is a great place where guys get to experience first hand what it means to be a leader and take charge. The fact that the house is run by students means that it requires guys to step up in the house and take ownership. For many guys, Antioch gives them the first opportunity to realize what it means to take on a leadership role. That is why I believe so strongly in this house, because I have experienced this firsthand.
This is actually my last term at the house, and it has been great seeing the new leadership taking on their roles. Its spring term here at the house, and there are a lot of exciting things going on. The term started off with our annual I-Week, and it was a great time for the guys to focus on their relationship with the Lord and with each other in the house. We recently just had our Mom’s weekend and Applicant’s weekend. It was fun getting to hang out with our moms and also see some of the new guys who will be living in the house next year. We have our annual Shasta Trip coming up where we rent some houseboats at Lake Shasta over Memorial Day Weekend and go up there to relax. We also have a lot of other fun things in store for this term like the Hoe Down. Spring Term is the most exciting time of year, and it seems there is never a dull moment!
Having two houses has still been a challenge that we have had to overcome, but I think we have done a good job of facing it head on. I know that the house would appreciate it greatly if you all were in constant prayer for us. We could use prayer for unification within the house (making two houses feel like one). Pray for the ministry that each guy has in their classrooms and at their jobs, that they would be a light and a witness in a dark place. Also pray for some pressing financial needs that the house currently has, including needing money to refinance our house. The Lord uses prayer to move mountains, but if no one is praying for us then our ministry would be dead in the water! I thank all of you for being so supportive of the house, your love and prayers and support are such a blessing to me and to Antioch House.
Under the Mercy,
John Rathjen
Antioch House Pastor
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:2-5