Then and now: FOCUS’ first day on campus

One of the many perks of serving the alumni is hearing stories and seeing photos of the early days of FOCUS. Above is a throw-back photo from FOCUS’ first day. Megan (Monahan) Wurtz laughed when I asked what she remembered about that day.

It was a sunny August day in Greely, Colorado and the first full-time FOCUS missionaries set out to meet students at UNC, the first full-time FOCUS campus. Megan (pictured right of the UNC mascot) remembers feeling a bit uneasy, despite receiving weeks of training that summer in sweltering Steubenville, Ohio. 

That day (and the entire year following) she and her fellow missionaries, Mary Claire (Almeter) Hayes (pictured left of the UNC mascot) and Joe Wurtz (not pictured) still felt nervous in the face of the daunting task to evangelize. They held a raffle to collect names and contact information for students, but beyond those slips of paper all they had was their deep-seated faith and warm smiles.

Being at the activity fair felt like a flop to Megan, Mary Claire, and Joe. They hadn’t collected many names and grew disheartened from being brushed off. But then they saw Justin, a student they had met a few days prior. They enthusiastically invited him into a Bible study. He was receptive because Megan had remembered his name. “Recognition of a name and a smile, that’s how FOCUS began,” said Megan.

Now, 13 years, 73 campuses, and over 300 active missionaries later, FOCUS will be storming campuses around the nation again this Fall. Fortified with new methods and the strength of experience, these hundreds of missionaries and the student leaders will show up to activity fairs, dorms, student unions, and commons on those campuses around the nation to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

“Justin, the student we recognized on that very first day, ended up becoming a missionary,” Megan shared. “I am amazed at how much FOCUS has grown in every way! But, you know,” she said as her tone became a little more reflective, “maybe it’s not all that different.  To be a great missionary you still have to be present to people, smile, and remember names. That’s what incarnational evangelization is about. And that’s why it works and FOCUS is still doing it today!”