A New Generation LINK Year!

A new Generation LINK year has begun! It has been incredible to see the Lord provide staff in Boston, Clemson, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, and Raleigh this year. We are looking forward to seeing how the Lord uses the 2013-2014 staff to impact nations for the kingdom now and in the future. Please join us in praying for Generation LINK staff members serving around the country.

To view all of our Generation LINK staff, please visit http://generation-link.org/#/staff/staff. Pictured below is Crosspoint Church's staff team in Clemson, SC.

Our Trip to Raleigh: The 9Marks Conference

Posted by Gray Gardner

Last weekend Crosspoint treated its Generation LINK interns to a two-day conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. The conference, sponsored by pastor and author Mark Dever's ministry, 9Marks, focused on conversion and happened on Friday and Saturday. In the span of 24 hours, we were able to sit under six sermons and 5 panel discussions from David Platt, Danny Akin, Tony Merida, Mark Dever, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Matt Chandler.

David Platt, famous for his book Radical and the Secret Church movement, kicked things off with an incredible message entitled "The Glory of God-Centered Conversion: How God saves people for the sake of His name." Platt focused on Ezekiel 36:22-32, discussing four truths from the text which connect personal conversion to global mission. I haven't heard such a powerful sermon in a long time. It was a great way to kick off the conference!

David Platt from 9Marks



Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), and Tony Merida, pastor of Imago Dei church in Raleigh and preaching professor at SEBTS, spoke in succession after Platt. Then, to conclude the first day, Mark Dever preached a sermon out of Acts 9-12. (If you've never heard Mark Dever read the Scriptures, you need to listen to one of his messages!)

One of my favorite sermons was preached first thing Saturday morning by pastor and author Thabiti Anyabwile of First Baptist Church of the Cayman Islands. Thabiti is by far the most encouraging person I've ever been around. He spoke so graciously with the other speakers during panel discussions, always using his words to edify others. His sermon was no different, giving encouragement and grace to all of us in the congregation.

The biggest takeaway from Thabiti's sermon was his statement that all Christians - all disciple-makers - are shepherds, and that all "shepherds should smell like their sheep." His point was that shepherds should be spending time with their sheep. They should be close to them, living among them, walking beside them through both the muck and the pastures. This challenge has encouraged me to get close to the "sheep" I am shepherding as a small group leader and staff member at Crosspoint Church.

Thabiti Anyabwile from 9Marks



After Thabiti, Matt Chandler, one of my favorite pastors to listen to from the Village Church in Dallas, Texas, closed out the conference with a sermon from Romans 8:28-32. Chandler nailed the theological significance that God works for the good of those who love him in light of the fact that He has foreknown them, predestined them, called them, and justified them, in order that he might glorify them. The depth of these realities lead Paul in Romans 8 to conclude, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

While the plenary sessions provided ample opportunity for us to learn, I think I can speak for the rest of our team when I say that the best part of the conference was having the opportunity to talk to the speakers. I was personally able to talk with Mark Dever, Matt Chandler, and Thabiti Anyabwile. All three conversations revealed men who were - despite their near celebrity status - very much shepherds and lovers of people. They encouraged and challenged me in our conversations and displayed pastoral care in taking the time to talk. Although they likely will not remember me, I was greatly impacted by the humility and grace with which they carried themselves.

After last weekend, I hope to make reoccurring trips to the 9Marks Conference every year!

Serving with the Student Ministry.

Over the next few weeks I will be part of a team that teaches our youth about biblical relationships.  This is somewhat overwhelming and certainly humbling.  I am grateful for the opportunity to speak truth into the lives of teenagers at Crosspoint Church through Generation Link.  Take a look at the post from the Crosspoint student ministry blog about the upcoming series.

The past few weeks have been busy for the student ministry as well.  During their spring break Caroline Cole and myself were able to get out of the office to invest in students while they were out of school for the week.  Ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and an orphanage outreach kept us busy.  That week proved very valuable in deepening of relationships with our students.

post by Will Jackson

Generation LINK Mid Year Retreat

At the halfway point of serving a year with Generation LINK, Jeremy Chasteen likes to reward his staff with a getaway. For the past three years, Generation LINK staff has had the blessing of spending four days together in Gatlinburg, TN.

Eighteen Generation LINK staff along with Jeremy Chasteen’s family and myself (making 25 people total!) spent December 18^th-21^st, 2011 on our mid-year retreat. We all stayed in one (large) cabin and enjoyed sitting around the fireplace, talking, laughing, and playing games together. We had a few heated rounds of mafia but don’t worry, no friendships were ruined! We also had several meetings in which we took time to hear a personal and ministry update from each Generation LINK staff and then encouraged that person with evidences of God’s grace that we see in their lives. I think that everyone would say these meetings were incredibly edifying to them personally and to the team as a whole. We also spent a morning evaluating our own personal walk with the Lord and our ministry area and set some goals for the new year. In addition, we gave Generation LINK staff the opportunity to give feedback and evaluate the Generation LINK program as a whole.

Some other highlights of the week for me were eating (a lot!), ice skating, and singing together. Most significantly, the retreat was an opportunity to get good quality time together and bond as a staff team. I pray that as we are faithful to fellowship with one another, we will “[bear] with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2b-3).

If you are interested in learning more about the Generation LINK program, please visit our website at www.generation-link.org or email Jenna (Generation LINK Assistant Director) at jwayment@generation-link.org or Jeremy (Generation LINK Director) at jeremy@crosspointclemson.org.

Posted by Jenna Wayment

Fall Getaway and Christian Leadership

Fall is the season of harvest.  We have been able to see God move in big ways already this semester.  A few weeks ago we ventured to Camp McCall with college, high school, and middle school students for Fall Getaway.  It was a great time of worship, sound biblical teaching, and community.  My favorite aspect was perhaps the first partnership between Crosspoint Church’s college and youth ministries for Fall Getaway.  It was such a beautiful picture of the church. Different walks of life were present and interacting with one another.  Yet the common denominator is Christ.  I look back on when I was in middle school and remember how having the Godly example of older students was such a motivation. 

 

I hope our younger students came back feeling encouraged and empowered to hit their schools with the gospel.  We can celebrate in seeing God work in the lives of the students as a result of the weekend.  One student came back saying, “For the first time, I trusted in Jesus.”  Praise be to Him.

            Another highlight of the fall semester for our team has taken place in the classroom.  On Tuesday mornings we meet for seminary training led by our pastors and other leaders in the church.  We are studying the principles of Christian leadership.  Most of our discussion is focused on figures in Scripture who provide great examples of biblical leadership.  So far we have looked at Hezekiah, who returned the focus and priority of Israel to God, Jeremiah, who led in spite of his self proclaimed inadequacy, David, who turned to God amidst trials and suffering, and Paul, who gained the respect of those who were imprisoning him by standing firm in times of fear.  This class has been both encouraging and challenging.  We are all leaders in some capacity at Crosspoint, and will most likely continue to lead in other areas of life in the future. I am looking forward to being challenged and stretched further in my understanding of what it means to be a leader.

Written by Will Jackson

Clemson Scavenged and Crosspoint Discovered

Sunday, September 18th was our first Discovering Crosspoint of the Fall semester, and it was a huge success. God is blessing our fellowship tremendously with numerous individuals from every walk of life who are excited about pursuing the mission of God locally and globally as a part of the Crosspoint body of believers. With approximately fifty attendees at the two-session event Sunday, the Crosspoint pastors (Ken, Jeremy and Jason) led the group through sessions that included Crosspoint’s History, Crosspoint’s Doctrinal Beliefs, and even Crosspoint’s Church Structure.

GLINK staff with Pastor Ken during scavenger hunt

During Discovering Crosspoint, attendees hear a biblical presentation of what Christians believe from Scripture, how, historically and practically, Crosspoint has been structured as a church, and why it is important to intentionally and faithfully join together with other believers in a church. Although we would love for everyone who goes through Discovering Crosspoint to become a member of Crosspoint Church, we recognize that God may have something else planned for some of the attendees. So whether or not they end up joining with us, we encourage every one of them to find a biblical, local church that they can join and serve in and through, because we believe that God has called us to pursue him and his mission while in intentional Christian community.

Also last week, the Generation LINK staff was able to take a much-needed break from the busyness of life and spent a fun evening together on a surprise scavenger hunt. The staff was divided into teams, and each team was sent on a search to find different locations around Clemson. At each location, rather than finding a particular item, the teams were instructed to take several pictures documenting their escapades. Some of the highlights of these escapades included taking pictures that depicted the essence of fall, taking personality pictures based on the personality of each member of the group, taking pictures with feet off of the ground, and, my personal favorite, taking awkward pictures. Everyone enjoyed the time getting to know each other and having fun, and the best part is that several awesome pictures were taken throughout the course of the night (if you have Facebook and are friends with any of the Generation LINK staff, then you may see some of these pictures in the coming weeks).

Written by Bailey Pearson. Photograph courtesy of Caroline Cole.

Generation LINK Christian Leadership Class Kicks Off!

GLINK staff at summer 2011 GCEN class in Myrtle Beach

In partnership with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Generation LINK is a part of the Great Commission Network (GCEN). As a member of the GCEN, Generation LINK is approved to teach 18 hours of seminary credit. We are in the fourth year of this partnership as we desire to equip the next generation of leaders serving in churches and in the marketplace all over the world.

This week, Generation LINK launched a seminary class called “Christian Leadership” and there were 25 students who attended the class. During this course, we will examine Biblical leadership, evaluate current models of Christian leadership, and learn how to implement Christian leadership within the context of the church. Our pastors, staff, and Christian leaders from the community will help facilitate the lecture portion of this class.

Published by Jenna Wayment

Ministry at Work: Chick Fil A

Hello everyone!

Wanted to share about my past year working part time at Chick Fil A.  I am thankful for the opportunity to work both at the church and in a secular job.  Some of you may be chuckling at the fact that I just called Chick Fil A a secular job.  Granted, many of my managers believe Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and repent of their sins, yet not everyone working there is a christian and nor everyone that comes to eat.

I personally do not have much direct contact with our guests as I am in the kitchen preparing the hot foods. My ministry to the guests of Chick Fil A includes making the extra efforts that we are serving quality food.

Living the Gospel at work isn't easy.  It is unnatural...at first.  Though living the Gospel at work can be difficult, we are called to live out the Gospel.  We are called to work our hardest to glorify God.  We are called to serve our bosses and be obedient to them.  We are called to speak the Gospel to others as well.  I believe it is easy for most of us to work hard.  It is harder to serve our bosses joyfully.  It can even be harder to actively speak the Gospel.

What does it take to actively live out the Gospel at work?  It starts with an understanding that:
1.  We are sinners
2.  We deserve the wrath of God
3.  Jesus Christ took our wrath
4.  We are called to know God
5.  We are created to be image bearers of God
6.  We are called to love others...one great way to love others is to share the Gospel of Christ that they may have eternal life!  Your co-workers may be on a path to face the wrath of God...love them and share the hope in Christ!

The fast paced work of a fast food restaurant prevents opportunities for enough time to have conversations.  Most are short conversations.  I have worked with two people that openly profess that they don't believe in God.  I have worked with one younger brother that I have been able to encourage and disciple some.  I have had some opportunities to discuss some doctrine with some of my managers.  These conversations have been a joy!  And I am challenged every day at work...the way I work represents Christ to my unbelieving friends and encourages or challenges my christian co workers to work for the glory of God.

It has been a sweet and challenging time.

G-Link Retreat

Hello Everyone,

Last week the Generation-Linkers had a retreat up in Gatlinburg, TN.  We all stayed in a three story cabin with a loft.  Some pleasant attributes of the cabin included: hot tub, sauna, foosball table, air hockey, pool table, king size beds, a wrap around porch, fireplace, rocking chairs, and a great view of the mountains.  Needless to say, the trip was filled with fun and relaxation.

From Monday-Thursday, we sought the Lord through quiet times, discussed our past semesters as Generation-Link staff, evaluated the Generation-Link program, encouraged one another, played together, and ate well (most importantly...Apple Barn).

To hear the testimonies of everyone's past semester was encouraging.  Everyone shared what was going on in their personal life and in ministry.  It is awesome to hear of God's faithfulness through trials and celebrations.  After everyone shared their testimonies, we spoke encouragement into that person's life of how God has used them, how they are maturing, and how God has blessed them.


This past week was a great time to recharge for the semester.

We also saw some snow.  The mountains were beautiful!