Dear Cornerstone Family,
When I look back on the years of my life up till now, the years between 18-22 years old were among the most formative. I was away from home for the first time, having to do my own laundry and wash my own dishes. I was making my own decisions about the use of my time, money, and energy. I was learning (slowly) what it meant to be an adult and take responsibility for myself and others.
At the same time, I was coming into a deeper understanding of and commitment to Jesus. One the primary channels through which that happened was a campus ministry and a college pastor. In fact, I can still hear Rev. Larry Goff’s voice. I can quote specific lines from meetings we shared. He was the first person to encourage me toward pastoral ministry. Humanly speaking, it’s hard to know where I’d be without his influence.
Though it’s not everyone’s story, a significant number of folks credit the years post high school in college or entering the work force as a critical time for Christian growth and development. This is part of the reason why Cornerstone has actively supported our denomination’s campus ministry, Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), from the very beginning. Today in worship, we’re taking time to focus on the ministry of RUF and introduce you to one of the campus minister’s we support, as well as the area director of RUF for our area.
Richie Sessions is the RUF Campus Minister at Vanderbilt University. Richie is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas. He and his wife, Laura, met in college and were married in 2000. He graduated from Belmont University and attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. In 2004 he graduated from RTS with a Master of Divinity degree. Richie ministered as the Associate Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, MS from 2004-2007 before becoming the Assistant Pastor to Young Adults at Independent Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2009, Richie was called to be the Senior Pastor at IPC where he served until 2015. In 2015 Richie accepted a call to minister with RUF at Vanderbilt. Richie and Laura have three children, Mamie, Griffin, and Margaret.
Britton Wood is an RUF Area Coordinator. Britton is from Birmingham, Alabama and attended Vanderbilt University. He and his wife Elizabeth met serving RUF at the University of Tennessee. After attending Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO, they served RUF at the University of South Carolina for four years before moving to Stanford where they served for seven years. They have two sets of identical twin girls: Mary Walton and Shelby; and Britton and Katherine. (You read that right!) As an Area Coordinator for RUF, Britton provides pastoral care and guidance for campus ministers in WesternKentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
Super excited to have these brothers with us this morning! I have no doubt you’ll be blessed by sitting under their ministry and learning about the mission of RUF.
Your servant,
