Student Ministry Fall Retreat

A few weeks ago, our student ministry had a fall retreat that was also at Camp McCall. We took around 45 students and 15 leaders. The weekend included three sessions of teaching, low ropes activities with small groups, capture the flag (along with other games), and a bon fire with smores to end the weekend. We had so much fun!
It was a great time of fellowship and learning for everyone. It’s trips like these where relationships between leaders and students are strengthened which is huge when it comes to our small group times on Sunday nights, and the level of impact we will have as we pour into them and point them to the Word. These trips are also extremely beneficial for the students as they make new friends to feel more included in the youth group, and grow closer to each other. When they grow closer as friends it’s also very beneficial to the effectiveness of their small group times as they hopefully feel more comfortable sharing with one another what’s going on in their lives.
Doug Hunt taught on authentic faith and what that looks like lived out in our lives. The sessions were a great reminder of the beauty of the Gospel. One student confessed to his leader his brokenness over his sinful state, and they got to go through the gospel together. Afterwards, he prayed to surrender his life to Christ. That is why we do what we do as a student ministry, so it makes all the planning and serving for the weekend even that much sweeter!
Overall, it was a great trip! Enjoy a few pictures!

International Student Association Fall Break Trip

November 1st-2nd thirteen Crosspoint members attended Clemson's International Student Association fall break trip. The trip was in Sunset, SC at Camp McCall. There were approximately 45 international students and 20 Americans who attended. The nations were well represented with students from India, China, Ghana, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Germany, and many other countries!

We began Monday morning with a beautiful hike. Once we got to the top of the mountain we ate our lunches and spent time getting to know one another better. The rest of the day, we did the ropes course, swing shot, and other fun things that camp McCall has to offer. That night, we had a campfire and many international students had their first experience eating a smore! The Camp McCall staff also took us on a night hike to a spooky house called "the rice house."

On Tuesday, we spent the day doing more fun activities around Camp McCall. Unfortunately, fall break quickly ended and that afternoon we departed and made our way back to Clemson, SC.

It's a great blessing to be able to participate on trips like this one with Clemson University. It is our prayer at Crosspoint that the relationships built will continue on well into the future.

Cynthia (Ghana) and Sai (India) getting geared up!

The whole group!

Spring Break DC

No matter what school you go to, spring break has always been a big part of the college experience. While many head to the beach to get a tan, or back home to catch up with family, most college ministries usually take a mission trip of some sort. The usual fare is a trip to the beach to witness to tourists, a work trip to help with disaster relief, or to the inner city to minister to the poor. I have personally been on each of these types of trips, and all have been great experiences.

This year, however, our college team wanted to do something different. In light of our developing international ministry, Jenna Wayment came up with the idea to take international students on a sightseeing trip during the break. So last week our team took 46 students to Washington DC for five days. Half of these students were from China and India; the other half were American students from Crosspoint Church. The result was a wonderful trip – probably the best one I have ever been on!



Our trip began Sunday, March 14, and after a day of travel, we arrived in Annapolis, MD and headed to host homes set up through Weems Creek Baptist Church. The host homes were what made the trip so great. Not only did we get to share rooms with students from different countries, but they were able to experience life in the home of an American family. We had breakfast each morning with our family, and spent one night eating dinner together. I heard several stories from the internationals that this was a great time of fun for them.

Monday through Wednesday, we spent our time in the DC area. Together, we saw the Capitol and Mount Vernon; the rest of the time groups split up and saw everything from the monuments, the Smithsonian museums, Arlington Cemetery, the White House, Chinatown, and the International Justice Mission. At the end of the day we were all worn out, but it was worth it! Wednesday night, we ended with a potluck dinner provided by Weems Creek and then walked around downtown Annapolis.

A big thank you goes to the folks at Weems creek for being so hospitable to us and cooking us great southern food! You all were great!

The next day, we headed home and made it back safely. Overall, it really was a great trip. So many friendships were formed and we were able to have endless conversations about what we believed, cultural differences, and ultimately, about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the reason we went out of our way to show love to these students.

Please pray these friendships continue and that the Gospel will continue to be displayed to the nations through our church!

The Alpha Course

What is the meaning of life? How can I forgive? Why don't you save everyone? How can you expect us to believe in something that we can't even see? Why would a loving God send someone to hell? What is the purpose of life? Does my life matter? What relevance does Jesus have today?

Have you ever asked these questions? Have you ever had a friend with questions like these? This February through April, Crosspoint is holding the Alpha Course at 7pm in the student union every Thursday evening.

The Alpha Course began in London in the late 1970's. Today, over 13 million people worldwide have attended an Alpha course. Alpha is an opportunity for anyone and everyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting

So far, there has been an average of 5 international students attending the course regularly. These students come from Agnostic, Buddhist, and Hindu backgrounds. We have had great discussions and these students have asked very difficult questions as they seek to understand Christianity. Please pray for these students and for the discussion leaders and volunteers.

20/20 Conference

This past weekend 54 students and 5 Generation Link Staff headed up to Wake Forest, NC to attend the SEBTS 20/20 Conference. 20/20 is put on by Southeastern Seminary every year to provide an environment where college students are engaged with the gospel. This year’s conference title was A City Within A City: Church, Culture, and Counter-culture. The conference description was: "God’s church always finds herself in the midst of a broader human culture. We as believers have the great privilege and responsibility of finding ways to display the truth, goodness, and beauty of God and his gospel. Come and join us as we explore how to witness for God in the midst of a skeptical, morally confused culture." We heard from Matt Chandler, David Platt, J.D. Greear, Clayton King, and SEBTS President Danny Akin. It was a great conference and was very challenging!




In the midst of attending the conference Bay Leaf Baptist Church provided a place for all 59 of us to stay. Their gracious hospitality provided a great time of fellowship to play basketball in their gym, play games, and discuss what the Lord had taught us over the course of the conference. Many of our students were encouraged and challenged by the teaching. I pray that as the students continue to mature in their walks with the Lord they can look back to times, like this weekend, and be reminded that as Christians we never move past the centrality of the gospel to our lives.

Prayer, Praise, and Pizza

Psalm 47:6 states “Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” One of the privileges of serving as a Generation LINK staff is seeing students take ownership of the college ministry here in Clemson, SC. Our college leadership team meets twice a month to share life and plan times for the college students to gather together for the sake of proclaiming the gospel. Sometimes this is through fun fellowship, such as a swing and shag night; other times we gather to serve such as pancake supper in a dorm. This past Friday, many of our students gathered together to praise the Lord through prayer, song, and fellowship at a college event called “Praise and Pizza”. For this event we combined the aspects of fellowship and praise for a night that left many students encouraged and spurred on in their walks with the Lord.


(Students making their way through the pizza line)

Earlier this month, the Generation LINK staff completed a week-long intensive J-term class at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forrest, NC. The subject of the class was “The Ministry of Worship” which personally challenged me with my limited view of the act of worship. One of the books we read, “Engaging with God” by David Peterson, challenges the reader with the following statement: “Worship is ‘an engagement with God on the terms that He proposes and in the way that He alone makes possible.’” What a privilege we have in worshiping such an awesome GOD! As I reflected on this statement Friday night my prayer was that the students would grow in their view of worshiping God as they live with and serve their roommates, as they faithfully attend class and excel in the classroom, and as they gather together for events such as “Praise and Pizza.”

Student Appreciation Day

The end of a semester is a time of relief, celebration, and at times, sadness. Serving at Crosspoint Church is a privilege, especially serving alongside our college students who are eager to serve in whatever capacity they are asked with a joyful heart. Because Crosspoint is blessed to have such wonderful students as a part of the congregation, we wanted to encourage them in the midst of their exam week. Two Sundays ago, December 6th, several Connecting Point Groups (CP Groups) came together to provide a dinner and exam care package for the students. I was reminded of how heavily Crosspoint relies on these college students help as it took several CP Groups came together to put this event on.

(Two of our college girls - Sammi and Lauren)

With students closing out their semester and with the preparation of final exams Student Appreciation Day was a great time of fellowship and encouragement, especially for those who will be graduating in December. Earlier that morning Crosspoint recognized 6 graduating seniors and 9 students who will be spending their Christmas breaks serving in overseas missions. As each senior was recognized that Sunday morning, I was reminded of a short poem that John Piper quotes in his book Don’t Waste Your Life, a gift we gave to each graduating senior. The poem states - “Only one life, / ‘Twill soon be past;/only what’s done/ for Christ will last”.


(Students waiting in line to get food)

As I reflected on this seemingly simple poem I was led to rejoice in the work that God has done in each of these senior’s lives. Each of these seniors will leave Clemson having done work that will leave an eternal impact. I pray that as they continue in their walks with the Lord that they will have an eternal perspective that seeks to glorify and honor Christ in all that they do.


(Students eating a delicious meal in the sanctuary)

Merry Christmas! To all of our college students - THANK YOU for all of your service to Crosspoint Church. We love you and we are so very grateful for you!



(Some of our college girls with one of our kind CP Group ladies who helped to make a delicious meal)