Life ventures

My name is Christian Roper and I am a marketing major finishing my junior year here at UT. My experience with the body of Christ on campus has been nothing short of uplifting, specifically my time spent as a part of Ignite. Being the only student from my high school set to attend UT, Ignite retreat was the first opportunity I was given to meet other students. I was immediately blown away by the welcoming atmosphere and the depth of friendships that were seemingly instant. After coming as a camper in 2014, I volunteered to become a counselor in 2015 and again in 2016. This year I am currently overseeing outreach initiaitves as a member of the media team.

This summer I am touring for two months with a worship band as a photographer and marketing intern. I’ve spent several years of my life on the musician side of worship and this gives me an opportunity to experience a completely different side of it. I am pumped about this opportunity for three big reasons:

1. I get to put 3 of my biggest passions to use while in one of the best missional positions I will ever have. These passions are music, photography, and travel. I grew up around music and spent several years of my teenage life as a guitarist in worship bands, and this is my opportunity to jump back in and gain a new outlook on worship.

2. I will be challenged. For those who don’t know me, I plan on eventually doing freelance photography full-time, all while traveling and living out of a black Land Rover I’ve named Poe. This means giving up so many of the things that society says to idolize and so many of the things that I’ve been told give me worth and success like dating, money, and material possessions. I’m in business school. Almost every day I’m told that my value is found in how rich I can get and how many meaningless possessions I can accumulate. This summer, I’m taking my camera, my computer, and some clothes with me, spending the entire summer away from everything that makes me comfortable.

3. I get to spend two straight months in constant community. There will be seven of us crammed onto a single tour bus. We will spend every day together and almost every night worshiping. Every day I’m encouraged to dive deeper into prayer and scripture. I’m hoping this experience will spit me out with a rejuvenated mind and a burning desire to be a light among the unreached at UT. I still have a year left. That’s plenty of time.

See Christian at Ignite retreat last year in the photo below!