Our campus ministers are in a flat-out sprint into the front lines of a spiritual battle. And they desperately need your prayers. They will work six or seven days each week for the next month because it is so critical. They don’t mind the extreme schedule and here is why…
THE FIRST THREE weeks of a collegian’s time on campus are the most pivotal. They begin to set patterns that literally shape the rest of their lives.
- Will they pursue Christ holiness or the world’s standards? There are so many temptations.
- Will they develop friendships with those who will encourage them in spiritual development or worldly endeavors? Who you connect with in the first 3 weeks determines so much of what you do the rest of your life.
- Will they accept Christ or reject Him? 90% of the people who accept Christ will do so before they leave college. This is literally our last, best shot. We have the next generation gathered together in one location at one of the most transitional life phases. We must succeed!
- Will they embrace the faith their parents taught them as their own or walk away? Even our church kids have big decisions to make and so many are lost in the wave of cultural influence.
- THIS YEAR, perhaps more than normal, they search for hope and escape from anxiety.
So over the next month there will be tons of activities like, volleyball games, dinners for fraternity/sorority rush candidates, silent disco, welcome parties, international welcome baskets, dorm parties, pizza… lots and lots of pizza, info tables on campus, dorm visits, hundreds of phone calls and thousands of texts, leadership training, FreshLife events for freshmen, worship services, Baggo tournaments, late night capture the flag events, feeding band members, football teams, lunch meetings, coffee appointments, and I could go on and on and on. These activities ALL have one common goal… GOSPEL CONVERSATIONS WITH COLLEGIANS.
PLEASE PRAY for all the collegians headed to the campuses in Arkansas. Please pray for the Collegiate Leadership Teams who desire to see their peers come to Christ. Please pray for our Collegiate Ministers and families as they serve.
I would be shocked if 10% of our college campus population were Christians. I personally think it may be less than 5%. It truly is a unreached people group within our state, all gathered in one location, at an extremely important transitional time in their lives. MAY WE MAKE CHRIST KNOWN!
JOIN ME in praying that every collegian will be able to claim these words of Paul as their own testimony…
Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—
When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. Titus 3: 3-7
One Response
Very good article! Thanks for all that Collegiate Ministers are doing. Sometimes it is the little things that touch lives in the most significant ways. I remember as a lonely freshman at college that new friends at the BSU remembered my name. That set about some significant changes in my life.