GLINK India: More Than A Gap Year

The gap year. A concept we're all familiar with as it's grown more popular over the last few years with students taking a year off after high school to go volunteer abroad or a month after college graduation hopping on a plane to start the adventure of couchsurfing, cultural immersion, and volunteer work. The gap year for its own sake does not offer much merit beyond self-discovery and personal memories; however, the same concept buttressed by the structure and vision of GenerationLINK proves to make the time abroad of infinite worth.

GenerationLINK may seem like another gap year opportunity to some as it involves taking a year between graduation and getting "a real job," and for me, the experience of living in another culture and getting to travel pretty frequently. I've even had a relative refer to my year in India as a "long vacation." However, vacations are marked by self-indulgence, rest, and the idea of getting away from real life for pleasure. My year in India has been anything but that. It has not been a miserable-stripped-of-all-joys experience. It has not been constantly painful or lonely. It has not been a break from my real life. It has not been martyrdom by any means, but living in India is not a vacation. This year has stripped me bear of comforts and securities taken in things besides the Living God. I have learned more about myself, who I am and who I want to be, my strengths and weaknesses. I have experienced the richness of community that comes through the bond of Christ breaking boundaries of culture and language. I have learned to manage money and travel alone to another country where I don't speak the language. I have learned to pack light. I have found more of what I was made for.

One of the advantages of being overseas through GenerationLINK is the strength of partnership provided through Crosspoint as a sending church. I have gotten to spend the last ten months in India with an amazing team of servants of Christ passionate for the work of the gospel being done among those who have not heard. Through this partnership, my time in India gains meaning it otherwise might have lacked as I immediately was grafted into a team established in our city and able to come alongside the work already in progress. Though I struggled in the beginning to figure out what my days would look like and how I would be a part of the work, I was never a lone-ranger in this city of a few million. I was able to come and begin with a foundation laid by the people who had previously come and those who were still here continuing the work.

About six months ago, my roommate and a national partner began visiting a Hindu home and shared with them stories from the Bible as well as prayed for the family. I tagged along a few times and became familiar with this family. Soon after the first of the year, the oldest daughter believed and was made alive with Christ! It has been awesome to see the transforming power in her life over the last few months. I began meeting with her to help me develop my Hindi speaking abilities, but soon we were translating stories from English to Hindi so we could share with others from the Bible. That time transitioned into a discipleship relationship in which we met to discuss the commands of Christ and what she is reading about in the Bible.

One afternoon we met together and discussed the command to love. Love your friends. Love your enemies. Love your neighbors as yourself. We looked at several passages, seeing over and over this basic command to love. She understood, but had a practical question. She asked me about when her neighbors and family ostracize her or treat her badly or talk about her negatively. How do you love then? Loving became more than just an abstract idea at that point; we weren't talking about the faceless neighbor or nameless woman at the grocery store who cuts in line or the man who cuts you off in traffic, but the neighbors within the walls of her own house. How was she going to love them, day in and day out? "But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 4:4-5). "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). We only have the power and ability to love because we have been loved. Only the gospel will enable us to love our enemies because we were once an enemy and we have experienced Love.

Praise the Lord for bringing me to India and doing much more than I would have ever imagined in intersecting my time in India with my sister's belief in Jesus! What grace that He would use me to teach this sister and water her with the Word that God might bring growth in her life!

GenerationLINK has given me much more than a gap year - it has been the means by which I have been able to be a light for the gospel in a very dark place, to meet this sister and be a tool used to help her grow in the gospel. It is the means by which I have partnered with work already being done to build upon a foundation previously laid and leave more accomplished for those who will come after me. It is the means by which I have gained vision for what's to come in my life, not because of self-discovery, but because of a greater understanding of The Vision, God's vision and how I can be caught up in it for the rest of my life.




Written by Rachel
GenerationLINK Staff | India

Kingdom-Minded Partnerships: The Benefits

Generation LINK Director Jeremy Chasteen explains the benefits of Kingdom-minded partnerships on the NACPF blog. 

Generation LINK: Theological Education

I can remember when I was a senior at Clemson University, looking toward graduation, and trying to figure out what to do next.  I was set to earn an engineering degree but I felt very strongly that God was calling me to give at least a few years to full time ministry.  When I heard about Generation LINK I was immediately drawn to the program because of one key factor: theological training. 

I already knew that I wanted to pursue a Master’s degree at a Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary from my prior experiences with them (conferences and such).  However, I never knew the extent to which Crosspoint Church in Clemson partners with these institutions.  Crosspoint is considered a Great Commission Equipping Center.  This means that Southeastern Seminary is able to offer classes to be held at our church and taught by our pastors and leaders.  When I found out that I could serve meaningfully in the church, get ministry training, AND begin my seminary education the deal was sealed.

Two weeks ago many of us met with other seminarians from around the South East at Anderson University for a marathon weekend with one of the resident Southeastern scholars.  At various points in the semester some of us have gone in smaller groups to the main campus in Wake Forest, NC and another extension campus in Charlotte, NC.  Needless to say, Generation LINK offers a very flexible environment that helps foster this kind of training.  I am about to finish up my second year with Generation LINK and I have been blessed with the opportunity to complete half of the required credits towards my degree in Ministry Leadership at Southeastern.  This semester we have staff taking classes in Old Testament, Hermeneutics, Bible Exposition, Church History, and Field Ministry (Field Ministry is administered right here at Crosspoint). 

I can’t begin to tell you how valuable it is to be learning and simultaneously wrestling with these issues in real life ministry.  My suggestion is simple:  If you are pursuing theological training for future ministry, consider Generation LINK so you can begin both now.

Written by:Will Jackson | Crosspoint Church | Clemson, SC

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