August 2026
Dear friends, prayer partners, and supporters,
God Is Moving Among Students in Texas
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how God is moving among students across Texas.
Having been there when we began “See You at the Pole” in 1990, I’ve had the privilege of watching God take the prayers of a few teenagers and turn them into a movement that has reached around the world.
And I believe we are seeing that same kind of movement again—right here in Texas.
This year, more than 700 Texas campuses have been prayer-walked. Hundreds of students and adults have responded to the gospel, and hundreds of students and youth leaders have been equipped to share their faith and reach their schools.
But the numbers aren’t what excite me most.
It’s the students.
Students are praying. They’re sharing Jesus with their friends. They’re beginning to see their schools as mission fields. And leaders and churches are learning how to work together to reach them.
That is where much of my ministry is focused: equipping leaders, connecting ministries, and empowering students to become missionaries on their own campuses.
Through the National Network of Youth Ministries in Texas, I have the opportunity to work with leaders and networks across the state, helping them develop strategies for prayer, discipleship, evangelism, and campus ministry.
We are seeing this happen through campus networks in places like Arlington, Mansfield, DFW, and communities across the state. We’re working alongside ministries including First Priority, Decision Point, Collision, FCA, Students Standing Strong, Claim Your Campus, Dare2Share, and others.
The goal is not simply to have more youth ministry programs.
The goal is to see students become the ministry.
One of the highlights of August was Footprints on Campus, where we challenged ministries to adopt and prayer-walk every possible school in their area. More than 725 prayer walks were reported across Texas.
That leads us directly to:
See You at the Pole on September 23.
Once again, I’m excited to see students take the lead in praying for their schools, friends, teachers, and communities. And I get to share the gospel and SYATP story with students in Cuero, Texas, that night.
I also had the opportunity to gather with home-church Declaration students at our local “Declare” ministry. Many had just returned from camp, excited to follow Jesus and serve their church.
On August 23, we brought together our Campus Missionary small group and students from Generations Church for a day of discipleship and vision casting. We’re training these students to live as campus missionaries on a “9-month mission trip” and reach their schools through student-led initiatives.
This is what encourages me most.
God is raising students who don’t just want to attend church. They want to be the church on their campus. And He is raising leaders who are willing to equip them.
That’s why your prayers and financial partnership matter so much. You are helping make it possible for me to spend my time connecting leaders, training youth workers, developing networks, and investing directly in students across Texas.
I believe God is doing something significant among this generation, and I’m grateful that you are part of it.
Thank you for believing with me that God is not finished with the students of Texas.
I had the honor of preaching at Declaration, my home church, on July 26.
My message was “Living a Life Worthy of Imitation,” based on 1 Thessalonians 2:1–16.
August was also a month of connecting and equipping leaders. I met with DFW leaders in Arlington and Mansfield about upcoming opportunities, gathered with our Declaration missions team to plan for the coming year, and continued working on our National Webinar with Campus Alliance, which connects more than 70 national youth ministry organizations.
I also serve on the GenImpact board and as the Texas representative for Claim Your Campus and Dare2Share. I’m grateful for these partnerships and for the many ministries working together to reach students across Texas. Our Declaration Mission Team met to discuss future involvement (a favorite time for me), and some of us were able to attend the “Love Fosters Hope” fundraiser breakfast. It’s a student ministry based in The Woodlands that our team supports. Their mission is “Inspiring hope and bringing healing to children and youth in foster care who have been abused, abandoned, and neglected.”
Pray for Texas This Fall
Fall is a very full season, and I would especially ask you to pray for the students and leaders we will be serving. My goal is to have one hub leader (campus champion) in each of the 25 districts I have designated in Texas, along with a prayer champion for each, and a volunteer reporting ministry metrics in each area.
September 14 — Fields of Faith
September 18 — Discipleship Learning Lab, Arlington
September 19 — 50th anniversary of Reach-Out / Jesus Focused Youth Ministry
September 23 — See You at the Pole
I’ll be speaking at an after-the-pole rally in Cuero that evening.
September 24 — Campus Summit Webinar with Shane Pruitt, Greg Stier, CYC, and others
September 26 — Jesus Focused Youth Ministry training at Generations Church, Spring
October 5–6 — NextGen Conclave, First Baptist Bryan
October 29 — NxtMove DFW Gathering, DBU
Please pray especially for students to be bold, leaders to be equipped, churches to work together, and campuses across Texas to become mission fields where students live out their faith.
Please Pray for Nepal
My missions support organization, Links International, is responding to devastating floods that have brought unimaginable loss to communities across Nepal. Please pray for those who have lost loved ones, those still missing, the rescue teams, and the many families who have lost their homes.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” — Psalm 46:1
Links International Emergency Relief
Thank you for praying, giving, encouraging, and standing with me. I truly believe we are watching God do something special among the students of Texas.
Please keep praying. God is moving.
Blessings,
Rick Eubanks
Texas State Coordinator, National Network of Youth Ministries
reubanks@nnym.org
(and the NNYM Team)
