The Great Northern Adventure: Spring Break 2011

March 19th-24th twenty-five college students, twenty-five international students, and 7 Crosspoint staff spent their spring break in New York, Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis. The international students were from ten different countries including places like China, India, Russian, Tunisia, Iran, and Germany! Weems Creek Baptist church in Annapolis, MD was kind enough to host all 57 of us in 17 different homes.

The purpose of the trip was for Crosspoint college students to spend time building relationships with international students. Did you know that at Clemson there are over 1,000 international students from more than 80 different countries? At Crosspoint, we desire to be faithful with the gospel by seeking to reach these students with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to partner with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. We had the chance to walk around the Naval Academy and then join the midshipmen in BCM for dinner. After dinner we participated in the BCM weekly meeting. It was a lot of fun to interact with the midshipmen and to see a part of Annapolis that a lot of people don't get to see!

Another favorite part of the trip many students have mentioned is the stay in their host home. The students seem to really enjoy getting to have dinner with their family and being a part of their lives. I pray these students would see a picture of the gospel through the hospitality of these families.

Overall, the trip was a huge success (I mean, no one got lost in New York)! The students seemed to form close relationships with one another. There were many opportunities to have good conversations and to share the gospel. Hopefully, these relationships will continue into the summer and fall. Please pray for the relationships that were formed and international students in Clemson, SC.

Yijie, Hannah, Wenshen, and Yaxin in Baltimore, MD

Morgan with Ashima (India) and Jing (China)

Our whole group in Washington D.C.

Written by Jenna Wayment

Student Ministry Girls' Lock-In

Posted by: Caroline

This past weekend, the student ministry held a girls lock-in at the church. Overall, it was a great night with little sleep! Amy Chasteen was able to share her testimony along with a clear presentation of the Gospel. The girls also had the chance to hear the testimonies of Leslie Mansfield, Lauren Pippen, and Savannah Stone as well. They were challenged to place their identity in Christ and to find their worth and beauty reflected from God’s word, not the world. We also had fun times playing sardines in the dark around the church, having a Project Runway competition, dancing, and decorating journals.

I was reminded at the beginning of the semester that the last thing we desire as a student ministry is to be a social club for the students. While that seems obvious, it can be easy to get caught up in making sure that the students are having fun, while failing to be intentional with the gospel at every event. Therefore, when planning the lock in, I wanted to make sure it was more than just a night of fun activities. The ladies who spoke throughout the night were faithful to proclaim God’s truth and point the girls to Christ as they testified of God’s grace in their lives. I’m so thankful for the speakers and their willingness to sacrifice a little sleep because I know that the Lord used them in a big way!

Thanks to everyone for your continual prayers for the students at CrossPoint and the work we do with the student ministry!

Enjoy some pictures from the night…

 

20/20 Conference

One of the biggest events in college ministry during February was the 20/20 Collegiate Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This conference was designed to equip students to engage the culture around them and on their campus with Christianity and the Gospel. It is common today for many people to have objections against the belief in a God, the idea of one absolute truth, the claim that Jesus is the only way for salvation, and more. This conference sought to provide students with a logical approach to confronting these issues with the goal of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ as the only hope of salvation.

The Group that went to 20/20 in Southeastern's Binkley Chapel

We were able to stay with a host church in the Raleigh area who has graciously provided lodging for us the past two years and continues to be exceedingly hospitable to our group. This year we took about 67 students and staff to the conference, which is the largest group that we have taken so far! One student has already shared with me after the conference how she was challenged to be more intentional to share Christ with those around her. Hopefully, this type of encouragement was true for many of the students who went, and we hope their lives continue to reflect the Gospel to the world.

Crosspoint Kids - On a Mission!

God has definitely been at work in the Children's Ministry at Crosspoint Church.  Not only have we seen major growth over the past few months (we had 79 in attendance at the Kids Christmas party - the most we've ever had!), but there has been an overwhelming zeal from many of the children to learn about God.  

Most recently we have begun a missions curriculum for the four-year-olds through third grade during Kids Worship and for the four and five-year-olds during Kids Connection.  For the months of January and February the children will be learning about world missions.  Each week we will be “visiting” a new country and will be learning about the country’s attributes and physical characteristics, as well as missions and missionaries associated with that country.  The verse we will focus on is Matthew 28:18-20 - The Great Commission.

It's so neat already to see the kids' excitement each week as we visit a new country.  And it's even more exciting to see them making connections between what they already know about God and what it means to do missions.  It is our hope that as we continue to disciple these children and teach them more about who God is they will begin to recognize more about who they are, seeing their sin for what it really is, and ultimately, responding in worship to the holy God.  It is worship that fuels a passion for missions.  So it is a passion for God that we hope to instill in our children at Crosspoint Church.  

"When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God’s true worth, the light of missions will shine to the darkest people on earth. Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak."  Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper

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!

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!

Student Appreciation Day

At the end of the semester, Crosspoint has Student Appreciation Day where we honor those graduating and commission those serving in missions over the break during the morning service. Also, in the evening we host a party for students right before their exam week. In doing this we hope to provide a way for students to have a break from studying and enjoy a free meal while sending them home with a packet of goodies to have throughout their exam week. Although we overestimated in our predicted numbers, we probably had close to 100 students come and many more people who helped make the event happen!

Graduates Being Prayed For

In the morning, we recognized eight graduates who are transitioning into a new phase of their lives. We presented them with a copy of John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life. At the end of the service, we commissioned four missions teams and one individual going to countries such as India, China, and Thailand. As a church, it is our desire to continually be a part of fulfilling the Great Commission. We certainly delight in seeing those who are willing to sacrifice of themselves by going to foreign lands with the Gospel, but we also hope that as a church we are helping to develop mature, worshiping missionaries in each of our members including college students. Whether these graduates and short-term missionaries give their lives for the Gospel in another country or remain in the U.S. for most of their lives, we hope their lives will be characterized as one that gives all for the sake of the Gospel.

Missionaries Being Commissioned