Student Ministry

Working in student ministry often means putting together ridiculous games at the last minute that may involve toilet paper, frozen mayonnaise or flippers!  It also means taking phone calls on Valentine’s Day to deal with the unexpected box of chocolates from a not-so-secret admirer.  Most importantly, it means sharing the Gospel with teenagers who may or may not know the Lord and may or may not care to know the Lord.  Oftentimes, encounters are more exasperating than they are encouraging, but the work of the Gospel does not always mean seeing the fruits of your labor.

If there is anything that I have been learning since August, it is that the Lord asks us to be faithful to speak His Word.  He calls us to pray and submit our relationships to Him.  He calls us to love and in that ultimately calls us to Himself, since He is in fact love. 

Student ministry holds an abundance of opportunities to practically love people.  I’m not sure if you remember much of your youth, but there is the constant battle over insecurity, for validation, and to define this mysterious identity that everyone is always telling you to figure out!  The Lord has had to humble me greatly in order to to take my focus off the tiny details and to focus on those around me.  He has to take my eyes off myself and place them on Himself, recognizing that it is only through Him that I will see the precious opportunities to obey His commandment to love others.

I struggle to love in the little things and I am constantly seeking out some grandiose way to love people rather than being a listening ear, a chauffer, a friend or sister.  The biggest blessing in ministering to the youth girls of Crosspoint has been the continued effort to love them unconditionally where they are.  It cannot be about my expectations for them, but my expectation of Christ to move in them and draw them to Himself.

A verse that has convicted me so much in its simplicity the past month has been:      “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

As with any area of ministry, loving people requires a deep reliance on the merciful love of our Father.

Sammi Fife

Stressed Out vs. Under Stress

Seminary is tough. Ministry in the local church is non-stop. Discipleship is exhausting. Evangelism is scary. Leadership puts a burden on the leader. Real responsibility carries real-life consequences.

It's too bad more folks don't experience all these factors at the same time. Yep, you may think I'm crazy but I'm thankful that I faced all of these at the same time! Why? 

Why am I thankful that I had too much to do? Why am I thankful that I had to take a little lower grade on some papers than the grade I knew I was capable of making? Why was it beneficial to face the tension of one hundred good things begging for my attention while only having time to pursue one? 

Because this is the best training for real life. This is the best training for real ministry. Theological training in seminary alone is good—but combining seminary with ministry and discipleship and community and real life responsibility in the local church is far better. Why?

Through this tension I learned that there is a difference between being under stress and being stressed out. The difference is in the heart—in my heart and in your heart. When I am stressed out, I'm focused on me. When I'm focusing on Jesus, I remember God's will—and he has NOT called me to sin.  When I'm stressed out I am not patient or long-suffering or gentle; I'm short-tempered, demanding immediate gratification, and harsh. When I am stressed out I do not evidence the character of God. But how can I refocus?

Is Jesus ruling in my heart? Am I resting in the reality that Jesus has authority over creation—that Jesus calmed the raging storm on the sea with the power of his word? Have I forgotten that Jesus loosed the woman who was bound up in Luke 13—and when I was bound up by sin and unable to loose myself he did the same for me? Am I remembering that Jesus brought Lazarus back to life and that he has authority to grant new and eternal life to those who repent and believe? Do I sit in awe that God desires my faithful obedience and that I trust his providence?

God graciously and providentially sends testing my way as a means to develop my character and worship discipline. When I am under stress but still trusting God, I can handle the situations and prioritize without losing self-control. I can remain sober-minded because in my weakness God is made strong. I can't handle all the pressure. But Jesus can. The Holy Spirit will guide me and will evidence the character of God through me if I will walk in the Spirit and not the flesh (Romans 8). 

Learning to endure stress and prioritize rightly and glorify Christ is a key component to Generation LINK, because no matter the vocations God holds for us in the future, handling stress in a Christ-like way is crucial. After all, which mom doesn't face stress of too much to do with and for the kids and too little time? Which church member doesn't work a full-time job and feel stretched to squeeze in time for God, his Word, and his people? Which pastor doesn't have 100 urgent emails demanding responses? Which Christian is not burdened by the number of people in the world who may never hear the Gospel if someone doesn't take it to them? Christ is sufficient. We are both deficient and inefficient, but Christ is sufficient. He calls us to be faithful and obedient—not stressed out.

Written by Jared Ownby

Raleigh Area Director, Generation LINK

Relying on God's Strength

I had the great privilege of spending this past summer in India.  While there, I often complained about the lack of things to do.  We often filled our time  reading, spending time with each other, or trying to strike up conversations with Indians.

I am a doer; a fixer; and a person who likes to get after it.  You need a task done?  I’ll do it.  I have to be reminded to rest sometimes.  Being in India proved hard but, I believe I should have cherished those days more.

In Assimilation Ministry, the work doesn’t stop.  Correction:  On GLINK the work doesn’t stop.  To add to Assimilation Ministry, I also work in Women’s Ministry, am the senior pastor’s assistant, take graduate level courses, work the front desk answering phones and monitoring visitors, and strive to maintain a normal social life. (Every GLINKer experiences their own set of duties and responsibilities.  These are mine.)  Some days I wake up and think that surviving the day seems impossible.  Other days I wake up believing the day will be easy and will not require that much energy, only to come home exhausted from a workload never imagined.

The job is constantly emailing, connecting one person to the next, setting up events, tearing down events, and a myriad of other things.  It makes me long for days in India when we spent copious amounts of time in the Word or when we played spades for the millionth time.  When the calm comes—and it does come—I know I will not trade my job for anything.  It’s busy.  It’s stressful and while, I don’t always handle the stress well, I have the strange, wonderful privilege of seeing my humanity.  This job makes me see just how inept I am at my job and my relationships.  

Because of my ineptness, I also get to see the provision, love, and grace of God.  Just this past week I experienced all three. Our membership class provided enough food for me for a week, saving money and the time necessary to cook the food.  My second job this week had me sitting at a table by myself reading textbooks so I could stay afloat in class.  When I wasn’t very kind to a friend because of the stress, I not only received her forgiveness, I also had the chance to work off the stress by putting in some good, old manual labor.  When I thought to myself, “I cannot live in community anymore, I need space,” God showed me just how wonderful people are.  He pointed out to me my limited ability to love and showed me how patience and kindness work wonders in other’s hearts.  

I love my job.  I love the days when one moment I am answering phone calls about Mercy Ministry in the middle of trying to determine the Women’s Ministry core values having just finished writing an email coordinating volunteers to do various tasks for our membership class but before completing the few tasks Pastor Ken requests of me.  And while there are days that I definitely rely on my own sufficiency, my notecard of Isaiah 40: 28-32 brings me to reality.  Isaiah writes:

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹ He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.” 

If there is anything I learned from being in India and experiencing a slow down of sorts, it is that being in the Word on a consistent basis is necessary.  Here, on GLINK, it is what determines whether or not I get through a day glorifying God’s name or wishing I could start all over. 

Post by Mary Emily

Making the Connection

There is a particular area of my life the Lord has brought to light that needs some attention. That would be influence with outsiders and relationships with unbelievers.

More than ever I realize what a bubble I am in. I serve on staff at Crosspoint with believers, I live with believers, I spend my free time with believers.

It would be accurate to say that I have minimal to zero relationships with unbelievers.

And I realize, as the Lord ever so graciously points out to me, that I am not exempt from sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with unbelievers because I serve on staff at a church. We are all commanded in the scriptures to go and proclaim the gospel. Pastors, ministry leaders, church staff? Yes.

For several months I have been wrestling with what this looks like in my life. It has been suggested that I spend time outside the office “working”. For example, a local coffee shop or on campus at Clemson University to seek to engage in conversation with unbelievers.

I am not against this. But I find that I can work 8 hours in a coffee shop and not have one single conversation with anyone. What I am speaking of here is relationships and life together with people who do not know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

I was sharing this with one of our pastors at Crosspoint and he reminded me of something I never even considered.

I spend much of my time with unbelievers. They are just about 3 feet tall and not quite my age.

Because I primarily serve with our Family and Children’s Ministry at Crosspoint, I spend much of my time with children. I was quickly reminded of what a great opportunity I have each time I babysit (which is quite frequently!) and each time I serve with our three and four year olds on Sunday nights at Kids Connection.

The deepest need of each of these children is that they would repent of their sins and trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. They are potential future brothers and sisters in Christ. They are our future pastors, ministry leaders, husbands, wives, dads and moms.

How quick I was to dismiss my time with them as anything but coming alongside their parents to share the gospel with them. What a precious reminder to be intentional in the time I spend with these children and to point them always to Jesus.

More and more I am learning what it means to “tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord” (Psalm 78:4). By God’s grace, may I grow more and more intentional as I spend time with these precious little ones.

I’m grateful for this sweet reminder from the Lord. I so want to continue growing in my relationships with unbelievers. But I do not want to discount these natural relationships I have with the little ones.

I continue to be more and more grateful for Generation LINK. It is one of the means by with God reveals truths such as this to me. What a sweet gift of God’s grace to me my time at Crosspoint is.

Written by Krystal Brummitt
Generation LINK Staff | Clemson
Kids Worship Director

CP Groups

One of the biggest ways Crosspoint Church does discipleship is through Connecting Point (CP) Groups.  As Crosspoint Church continues to grow, there is a great need for more CP groups.  These groups range from the youngers all the way to the not-so-youngers.  These aren't mutually exclusive with each other.  There are many college students that have jumped on board and gotten into an empty-nester group.  At the same time, there have been families of 5 jump into a singles group.  This is the beauty of the body of Christ.  Whether old or young, married or single, with or without kids, the one thing that brings people together is the Gospel.

As a younger person, I love hanging out with people older than I because they are wiser than I.  Being married within the past 6 months, I need all the wisdom I can get!  Just imagine a 6 month old baby and that is what my wife and I are in this whole thing called marriage, haha.  But we want to learn!  I was afraid to hold a young baby because I thought that I would break it.  I am in a CP group with 4 kids.  I have learned  over the course of time that babies are a lot tougher than I thought.  Same reason that those college students are in the empty-nester group, they are learning so many new things from these brothers and sister who are so much wiser than they!

Discipleship is growing in the Word and at the same time it is learning the practical things as well.  How helpful is it for a single guy to hang out with a married guy, to learn how to lead and respect the sister in Christ he is pursuing?  How helpful is it for a new believer who doesn't know how to spend some time in the Word and study Scripture for you to invite them in to study Scripture with you? How does a new married couple learn how to budget their finances so they can be good stewards of what the Lord has given them?  And the list could go on and on.  These are all practical aspects of discipleship and it's beautiful because these things happen in CP groups!  We are pursuing growth together.  Not only hearing the Word on Sunday, but then gathering together during the week, discussing the Word, and then seeing how the Word can be applied to our lives.  We don't have to do this alone, that's why we have brothers and sisters around us to encourage and help us out.

Think about it, a body of believers who is serious about making disciples. The church is going to the lost!  Ah, it's so beautiful.  CP groups are awesome!  Seriously.    

Christmas in India

Mid-January, the new year is in full swing, and I've almost forgotten that a month ago I was hoping to spread some Christmas cheer while singing loudly for all to hear! I'm thankful to celebrate Christmas in a foreign country, a Hindu/Muslim culture where Christmas and its traditions are unfamiliar to most Indians, and I want to share with you a part of my experience this year.

Christmas carols are one of the most common signs that the holidays have arrived. We sing of joy coming into the world through Jesus, Emmanuel, and often times, the words become background noise until a Christmas Eve service where we finally slow down and listen, being called to come and worship, come and adore Christ the Lord. However, India provides a different opportunity not often afforded in America, at least, never before for me: house to house caroling.

Two of my friends, a brother and sister duo, started going to their friends' houses last year in the week leading up to Christmas to sing carols and share about the meaning of Christmas. This year, they invited one of our friends and myself to join them. It was quite a wonderful, joyous experience that caused me to look and long for Christ in a new way.

The week before Christmas, we visited three or four houses each night where we sang a few Christmas carols from this collection: Silver Bells, Silent Night, Joy to the World, Come All Ye Faithful, Oh Holy Night, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. After singing four of these songs, my friend would share about the tradition of caroling and why Christians celebrate Christmas. He shared Matthew 1:18-24 about the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. These families, whether friends, colleagues, clients, or students, always showed such warm hospitality as they welcomed us into their homes with snacks (called namkeen) and chai or coffee. Some even gave us gifts! It was very sweet.

One night, as we sang for my house helper and her family, a few boys in the apartment building behind mine, came down to invite us to come sing at their house. A family we did not know and had no intention of going to invited us into their home, and we were able to sing for and share with them also.

We ended the week of caroling singing at a local chai (tea) bar where about 20-30 college-aged students and young professionals gathered and sang along with us! In these moments, I realized how easy it is to localize Christmas and its meaning to myself and my own family missing the opportunity it can be for sharing with others, who may not know, the reason for celebrating Christmas.

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

Posted by Rachel

GLINK Mid-Year Retreat

Our Generation LINK staff embarked on the annual GLINK retreat with the purposes of encouraging one another in truth, building on the relationships that have been growing since August or before, and dreaming and preparing for the future of GLINK whether in Clemson or in other locations! What a blessing it was to take a few days in the middle of December to encourage one another in Gatlinburg, TN.

As a first year GLINKer, I had no idea what to expect.  I anticipated long days filled with activities and meetings and I was slow to believe the veterans when they spoke of merely enjoying togetherness and sharing our hearts with one another.  Needless to say, I quickly fell into step with the other GLINKers as we embraced this four day relaxation process.   This entailed copious amounts of snacks, beautiful scenery, a cabin with games galore, and the people that we serve with day-in and day-out. 

What I didn’t realize was just how precious and valuable these friendships had become.  In the hustle and bustle of everyday office life, I fail to sit and reflect on just how beautiful these relationships are.  It is so easy to speak merely about tasks, rather than to ask deeper questions and learn about someone’s joys and struggles in ministry. 

Romans 15:14-21 set the pace for our retreat, reminding us that God is accomplishing His mission to bring His people to Himself and receive all of the glory in the process.  He is revealing His mission to His people by His grace and in the power of His Spirit! 

“For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,”  Romans 15:18

We met twice a day each day for a couple of hours to hear from each staff member, allotting them the time they needed to give updates on their personal life and their ministry.  This was such a sweet time of listening, praise, and prayer!  We were challenged to bear one another’s burdens as well as rejoice in the blessings of one another’s lives.  After each person was able to express what the Lord laid on their heart, the floor was open for the encouragement from brothers and sisters.  It was a beautiful time for people to speak into one another’s lives and attest to the work being done!  What a joy to live out Romans 15:18, to speak of Christ and His accomplishments, to rejoice in His work through each of our lives this fall, and to spur one another on in a lifestyle marked by grace. 

This opportunity was rare and rich.  It allowed each of us to stop and consider one another and to enjoy and cherish the people which with we work so closely.  It fostered prayer and community with the intent of refreshed hearts and revitalized ambitions as we resume life. 

Summarizing my feelings from this trip is very difficult.  I came away rejoicing for my co-laborers and recognizing what Godly, special people I brush shoulders with every day!  I look at my brothers and delight in their humor and tenderness for one another and the Gospel.  I respect our leadership and their care as they planned a week with the intent of loving us well.  Whether our staff are in India, leaving for India, or returning to Clemson, I can confidently say that Romans 15:20 rings loudly in each of our minds: 

“and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel…”

Let this be our ambition, our passion and our love, to preach the Gospel and to love the people that the Lord has entrusted to us for His glory.

Written By:  Sammi Fife