A Heart for RU

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” Luke 4:18

If the Bible ever taught anything about how to be an RU Director, Luke 4:18 would be it. God has given me a heart for Reformers because I know what He has delivered me from, and where He has taken me.

First and foremost, an RU Director must “Love his Physician”. The Lord is our HEART DOCTOR. He is our student’s heart doctor as well. In order to see good progress in a student, that student must first meet Him. He wants to heal students spiritually (salvation) and then physically as they become free from their addictions.

Secondly, an RU Director must “Love his Pastor”. Jesus is the heart doctor and the pastor is the HEARTBEAT of your RU. Nothing has more effect in growing my chapter than when my preacher mentions RU from the pulpit. He uses student testimonies in his preaching, and this stamp of approval boosts the morale and teamwork of our chapter.

Pastors need to be great supporters of their RU chapters, because the church will follow their example. If he does not support it 100%, neither will the church. In addition to being a great supporter, the pastor should also set a great example of truly loving people and showing compassion. It has been said that, “Having compassion is not something you say, it is something you do.”

Thirdly, an RU Director must “Love his Program”. This will be your HEART MONITOR. Make it exciting! Your Friday night program should be the most exciting place in town. Your program will be the monitor for the growth of your students. If the program is vibrant and growing, you can expect a great majority of your students to be vibrant and growing. The heart monitor never lies!

In addition, make your program presentable to normal, average people. Our chapter sees visitors from local businesses as well as the local jail. Make sure your church is prepared for the people your program will attract. Your program should be presentable to the local court system. God has blessed us in Delaware, and I have a great rapport with judges and probation officers. They often comment, “I can’t believe so and so! His demeanor and outlook on life have changed so much since he has become involved with RU!”

Make RU presentable to the community. Our chapter loves hanging up the appealing, attention-catching RU posters, and we haven’t had problems hanging them in public places. People like to do things to help others in their community. Once a month, I personally thank the business owners for allowing us to place brochures and posters in their storefronts.

Finally, an RU Director must “Love his Pupils”. They will be his HEARTBREAKERS. A sad part of giving your heart to people is that some will break it. However, you will never know how much you love them until you get to know them. It is important to love them as they are. Most of our students with have gone a lifetime without knowing that someone truly loved them. I love being with them and helping them to see what God can do if they will yield to Him.

The most exciting part of being an RU Director is watching God continually change people. RU Director, develop your heart for Reformers. It is my life’s blood. There is no doubt in my mind that I am in the center of God’s will. Please open your hearts to be compassionate about people in your community. Get them saved, and then watch God change their lives!

RU Director Tim Farley