Summer LINK Clemson: Week 3

Go and tell the world!!! This past week we CLINKers really focused on being good stewards of our down time and going out intentionally to share the gospel. Monday was the first night we talked about this desire to be good stewards of our time. We met at the men’s GLINK house and had a wonderful meal prepared by the Alfords. It seriously was some of the best baked spaghetti that I have ever eaten in my life! After we devoured the food we gathered together and had the privilege of hearing some of the Alford’s testimony and how God put them together and has grown them as a married couple. I am honestly blown away at how God works and uses different situations and people in our lives to grow and mold us. The Alfords definitely exemplified that Monday night through their testimony.

After good food and an awesome testimony we dove into a book called The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman.  This was the start of a thought-provoking and challenging conversation about how we use our downtime and what changes needed to be made to effectively spread the gospel. It was very encouraging to hear from all of my fellow CLINKers that they were not satisfied with what they were currently doing and that they recognized the growth and change needed to occur. What was even more encouraging was that the growth and change that they were talking about did not necessarily have to deal with the structure of Summer LINK; rather, it had to deal with themselves and how they were stewarding their time. This was exciting for me to hear and be a part of because to me that is a sign that God is truly working in our hearts and is molding our hearts to be more like His. After that encouraging conversation we split up into male and female groups and talked about being peacemakers and what that entails.

Tuesday and Friday we had a great opportunity to work a booth at Clemson student orientation where we were able to meet new students and their parents and speak to them about Crosspoint. What makes this totally legit is the fact that we were able to get contact information from some of the students and follow up with them. Sharing the gospel and getting them plugged-in is totally legit! We are actually going to be able to work most of Clemson’s orientations for the rest of the summer! That is super exciting!

On Wednesday we were able to setup the WOP wall or Words of Praise wall for all the staff. Everyone on staff has their own bag posted up with their name on it. What is great about the WOP wall is that the staff can encourage each other by writing notes or leaving a little gift in each others bag. Words of affirmation and encouragement definitely aid us in growing in Christ and in growing together as a staff.

Saturday was one of the best days ever!  We as a team went to Turtle Back Falls at Gorges State Park in North Carolina. The car ride there was full of awesome conversation, singing, dancing and laughter. Once we arrived there we hiked the mile and a half up to the falls talking to various people along the way and petting every dog in sight. There had to have been at least 15 dogs on that trail! Once we arrived at the falls a few of us braved the cold and the current and slid down the falls. It was so much fun! After an hour or two we hiked back and headed towards Clemson. The car ride back was very different from the car ride there. Instead of dancing and laughing there was silence and sleeping. Everyone was tired! That night we had a fun game night over at Emilyn’s apartment and played Apple’s to Apple’s and attempted to watch the NBA finals only to find out that they were supposed come on TV Sunday instead of Saturday.

All in all this past week has been a time of great fellowship and sharpening from each other. God is so good and He continually shows His faithfulness everyday!

Update by: Michelle Ellis

Summer LINK Clemson

Summer LINK Clemson: Week 2

What a great week to be CLINKED up. On Monday night, the Chasteen family blessed our group with biblical wisdom and delicious food. We got to gnaw down on some chicken and rice, salad, carrots and topped that off with some splendid dessert. Afterwards, we had the dessert after the dessert, the Word of God. We explored purity in biblical context. Of course the group ended up splitting into gender groups, but that made the conversations so much more meaningful. Accountability was taking place, which was AWESOME!!!

Tuesday was an ULTIMATE day. And for those of you who do not catch my drift, the college team put together an ultimate frisbee event to be had every Tuesday starting at 8:30 PM. Ultimate Tuesday was a great time to come together and fellowship and get some exercise on. We had staff meeting earlier that morning and it was encouraging to hear our brother’s and sister’s testimonies. Brock and Laura graced us with the story of how God gave them grace, which was truly an encouraging experience. 

During the week, we work in what is now named the Think Tank. It is the place where we congregate and build community. Whether by joking around, working steadily, or even passing through, the Think Tank is lit up with wonderful lights of Christ. It is encouraging to be able to come into work with my fellow Summer LINKers, because it spurs me on to greater works.

Thursday was a monster of a day. We got the monster of grills, the 8–Burner Event Grill. This puppy can cook 65 burgers or 126 hotdogs AT ONE TIME!!! This grill would play an important part to our cookout the following day. A group of us went to library bridge to invite people to come to the cookout we would be holding that coming Friday. The night came upon us and one of our own, Brock Bass, lead our CP group. It was a refreshing night in 2 Peter, and boy did we learn and get a good handful of knowledge.  

Friday was gameday. The day we had been preparing for all week, College Cookout Day. Jonathan Whittle and Red Schroeder manned the grill while the rest of our group manned the evangelism and invitations. We had a great turnout and it was awesome to have those intentional conversations about the Gospel and Christ. This was an area on which we were able to keep out focus.

Our weekend kicked off with a Friday night Bonanza. We met at the Union on Clemson’s campus and bowled, played ping-pong, some air hockey, and even a little bit of cards. It was an encouraging time of fellowship and out-of-office fun. Afterwards we went to Cookout to get dinner/dessert and just laughed the night away. 

Saturday morning at noon the group decided to go thrifting. Some of the locations visited were Goodwill, the Jamaica Relief Store, and Goodwill again. There were some great deals to be had and it was a great time to be a bargain shopper. Later that night we all gathered to hang out and watch a movie.

Overall, it has been a great week to be part of this wonderful fellowship. We have set the bar high, and by the grace of God we will continue to pursue growth together. We are Summer Link Clemson, hear Christ roar from within us!

Update By: Red Schroeder
Summer LINK Clemson

Summer LINK Clemson: Week 1

Thursday, May 24th marked not only the beginning of Summer LINK Clemson, but also the beginning of new friendships, adventures and a summer we will never forget. I think all of us would say that we are excited to be a part of the team and even more excited to see God work in and through us this summer. The fellowship that took place even on the first day was a sure sign that this was going to be a fun summer, which has already proven true even in this short amount time. 

It has been so encouraging to see that in a group full of very different people, we all have a unified vision - not to contain the joy that we have in Christ, but to spread it to Clemson and beyond. I think this reigned true with our outreach event we had on Friday morning. The extraordinary heart and passion this group has for ministry was clearly portrayed as they knocked on every door at University Place, serving the students with the ultimate aim of sharing the Gospel.  We plan to return there throughout the summer to serve them and reach out to them.

On Friday night, May 25th, we gathered together for a cookout. We ate and played the game “Family.” It was great to get to laugh and bond together. And let’s be honest, it was even greater for me because I won both rounds. All jokes aside, it was a wonderful evening, which was but a glimpse of the fun that we are going to have this summer.

We also started our college CP group this past week as well. It was a blessing to see that the vision of the Summer LINK team was not limited to us, but shared among our college community here this summer. In the midst of familiar and unfamiliar faces, we came together and were reminded of many of God’s great attributes and the greatest commandment. I think God will do great things through our time together every week. 

To finish off the week, Saturday (June 2nd) night we went to Greenville for the baseball game. Among all the conversation and laughter, I was reminded of how happy I am to be a part of this team. As much as I thought that an internship elsewhere was the only thing that was going to suit me this summer, God showed me otherwise and I thank Him so much for his sovereignty. I can’t wait to see how God works through me as well as the team in the next nine weeks!

Update By: Katrina Ross
Summer LINK Clemson

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.” Psalm 51:12-13