Part of what we do on my team is called "movement launching" wherein we usually travel to a campus that doesn't have a Campus Crusade ministry to identify interested students, faculty, and community members and churches. We will usually set up an information table, hand out Bibles, silly putty, and music cd's, and host an informational meeting for students that have come by and expressed interest. We're experimenting with other ideas for casting the net wider to more students, but the table is the main thing we do right now. Believing that within five miles of every campus are the resource to reach that entire campus for Christ, we also try to develop partnerships with faculty, administration, and local churches and ministries in order for every student on campus to have a chance to respond to the Gospel.
This semester we decided to try to "launch" five new campuses. We've been to Alva, Tulsa, Talequah, El Reno, and next Monday we'll be going to Chickasha. It's kept us really busy so far, but it's been great to get some experience going to all these different campuses and to dream and pray about what God might do on these campuses. We've met students on the basketball team, students from other countries, students who are already involved in ministry on their campus, faculty who want to lead a Bible study, and a church that is trying live in authentic, healing, and missional community near one of the campuses. Although we've seen a lot and met many people, we don't have many strong leads yet. Please pray that God would water and cause to grow the seeds that we were able to plant and that we would be faithful in cultivating them. Also, pray that God would help us to see where He is working the college in Chickasha and that He would use us there.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
From Death to Life
The Tuesday following James' death I was back in Edmond after being with the students at SWOSU for a couple days. We decided as a team to go up to UCO to meet some students and hopefully talk about Jesus with them. After all that had happened, we all just felt like dropping other plans and going to talk to people about Jesus.
I had brought several different copies of the Knowing God Personally booklets that we use including one that I had in Japanese. As God would have it, I ran into a Japanese friend that I had not seen in a while. I had watched the Jesus film with him and two other students last semester, but we had not talked much since then. At the time he was interested, but not ready to make any decisions. I told him, Taiki, that I had something about the Bible in Japanese and I wanted to know what he thought about it. As we were reading through the booklet (he was reading really, since I don't know Japanese), I asked him if he had ever heard this before (I knew he had, but I thought I'd ask). To my surprise, Taiki said, "No, I've never heard this before." So, at the end, I asked if he wanted to trust in Jesus and invite Him into his life, and Taiki said, "yes, I do"! Well, it was clear that the Spirit had been at work and that having it in Japanese made a huge difference!
Over the past couple of weeks we have met to read through the first four chapters of the Gospel of John, and it has been encouraging to see Taiki become more and more interested in knowing Jesus and following Him. I hope to include him in a Bible study with other international students, including one other Japanese Christian guy, so that he can grow with them. Please pray that he would grow, that I would have wisdom in helping him, and that he would seek opportunities to share his growth in Christ with others.
I had brought several different copies of the Knowing God Personally booklets that we use including one that I had in Japanese. As God would have it, I ran into a Japanese friend that I had not seen in a while. I had watched the Jesus film with him and two other students last semester, but we had not talked much since then. At the time he was interested, but not ready to make any decisions. I told him, Taiki, that I had something about the Bible in Japanese and I wanted to know what he thought about it. As we were reading through the booklet (he was reading really, since I don't know Japanese), I asked him if he had ever heard this before (I knew he had, but I thought I'd ask). To my surprise, Taiki said, "No, I've never heard this before." So, at the end, I asked if he wanted to trust in Jesus and invite Him into his life, and Taiki said, "yes, I do"! Well, it was clear that the Spirit had been at work and that having it in Japanese made a huge difference!
Over the past couple of weeks we have met to read through the first four chapters of the Gospel of John, and it has been encouraging to see Taiki become more and more interested in knowing Jesus and following Him. I hope to include him in a Bible study with other international students, including one other Japanese Christian guy, so that he can grow with them. Please pray that he would grow, that I would have wisdom in helping him, and that he would seek opportunities to share his growth in Christ with others.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Remember. Grieve. Celebrate.
A lot has happened in the past couple of months.
I'm sure you wish that some of them hadn't; and I bet that you cherish the memories of others. We've had a few of each of those as well. And, while I am grateful for each turn of events, at least one of them was not a welcome change in direction.
To begin there, about two weeks ago Kristin and I were in Weatherford visiting with our student leadership team at SWOSU. We were taking them through some training in planning for the semester, and not everyone was completely engaged in the process. We all seemed a bit worn out. During one of our breaks, around 5 p.m., one of the students received in a phone call the news that one of the students, James Hensley, had died in a traffic accident that afternoon. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. It was all shock for about the next hour.
James Hensley was a student who had just begun to get involved with Campus Crusade this year, although he had been involved in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, a Christian camp, and his church back home for many years previously. Although he had a few mild handicaps, he was a guy whom everyone on campus knew by virtue of his introducing himself and asking how he could pray for you. And then he would run off to someone else. Everyone, it seems, who knew James felt that he had challenged and shaped their life by his tireless friendliness and concern. At the campus-wide memorial service, a video memorial was shown in which there were pictures of James serving with and befriending all sorts of people and a short clip of James sharing about his relationship with God and the things he cared about. Hundreds and hundreds of students came to the memorial service. It was standing room only. And every single one heard and saw the life of Jesus and the glory of God standing in the ballroom at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
The students are doing well now. They continue to remember, to grieve, and to celebrate. Of course, James wasn't perfect, and it's easy to forget that or feel bad about remembering it, but my prayer is that students would remember how the life of Jesus was remaking James into His image and would seek more passionately the same for themselves and others that don't yet know Jesus.
I'm sure you wish that some of them hadn't; and I bet that you cherish the memories of others. We've had a few of each of those as well. And, while I am grateful for each turn of events, at least one of them was not a welcome change in direction.
To begin there, about two weeks ago Kristin and I were in Weatherford visiting with our student leadership team at SWOSU. We were taking them through some training in planning for the semester, and not everyone was completely engaged in the process. We all seemed a bit worn out. During one of our breaks, around 5 p.m., one of the students received in a phone call the news that one of the students, James Hensley, had died in a traffic accident that afternoon. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. It was all shock for about the next hour.
James Hensley was a student who had just begun to get involved with Campus Crusade this year, although he had been involved in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, a Christian camp, and his church back home for many years previously. Although he had a few mild handicaps, he was a guy whom everyone on campus knew by virtue of his introducing himself and asking how he could pray for you. And then he would run off to someone else. Everyone, it seems, who knew James felt that he had challenged and shaped their life by his tireless friendliness and concern. At the campus-wide memorial service, a video memorial was shown in which there were pictures of James serving with and befriending all sorts of people and a short clip of James sharing about his relationship with God and the things he cared about. Hundreds and hundreds of students came to the memorial service. It was standing room only. And every single one heard and saw the life of Jesus and the glory of God standing in the ballroom at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
The students are doing well now. They continue to remember, to grieve, and to celebrate. Of course, James wasn't perfect, and it's easy to forget that or feel bad about remembering it, but my prayer is that students would remember how the life of Jesus was remaking James into His image and would seek more passionately the same for themselves and others that don't yet know Jesus.
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