Swaney 1 Sarah Swaney Mrs.

Dagher English 1102 March 17, 2014 Starting a Christian-Based College Ministry Nathan, Blake, and I were sitting at a crowed booth in a small town restaurant on a cold December morning with our pastor, Brent Tysinger. All three of us are ministerial students in the Wesleyan Church, and Nathan is an assistant pastor at our church, Rushwood Park Wesleyan of Asheboro, NC. We were discussing the outreach, growth, and the potential our church had at that point, and still has today. The topic of starting a new service came up in our hours of conversation, and we all had different ideas of the possibilities of what to do with another service. I mentioned an alternative service on either a Friday or Saturday night for college students or young adults, instead of partying and getting wasted on the weekends. They liked my idea, but no one jumped on it. I didnt think about it again for several weeks, until Nathan texted me saying he was really interested in the idea. Long story short, the beginning of a college ministry through Rushwood Park was then a work in progress. There are several community colleges in the Asheboro areas, and in surround areas as well. The bigger universities are located in towns nearby, with only two or three 20-35 minutes away. We also want this ministry to be for individuals that are not necessarily in college but are college age, so within the age range of 18-25. Asheboro is an ideal location to start this college ministry. This was only the beginning, yet there were so many questions that we needed solutions for. How do we get people into this service that need to hear it? How do we keep them coming back once we get them there? What do we preach and speak on? What are the biggest

Swaney 2 struggles, temptations, and fears that people of our generation are facing? How does this service need to be different in comparison with the typical Sunday morning church service? Granted, all three of us were in college, but we stayed away from the parties, the drinking, the sex, the clubs, and numerous other behaviors. I thought it was time to do a little investigating. What temptations, struggles, challenges, and fears do college students or young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five face? In the Life Application Study bible, New Living Translation, there is a chart of sins discussed directly in the Bible (New Living Translation Bible). The chart of sins includes sexual immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry, drunkenness, wild parties, as well as a few others. These sins look appealing from the outside, and the world is full of them and the temptation to indulge in these sins. But as Christians, we are called not to be of this world or to love the things of this world (New Living Translation Bible, 1 Jn 2.15). While all of these sins apply to every person at any given age, because we all are human and susceptible to sin no matter how deep and intimate our relationship with God is, a few of these sins seem to be prevalent among college campuses and this age group in particular. Some schools, in particular, are known for the wild parties and the drinking, especially among the fraternities and the sororities. Even Dr. Karissa Horton, who has a PhD in Health Education with a specialization in Behavioral Health, discusses consuming alcoholic beverages and risky sexual behavior as two of the most health risk-taking behaviors in college students living on a college campus (Horton 553). I know of some students who entered college with the intention of not getting caught up in these behaviors, yet later have found themselves extremely involved in them. In my opinion, while some people drink to have fun, some, on the other hand, use alcohol and drinking to escape from the problems and struggles of this life. I feel as though some people try new drugs or use them on a regular basis to cope with the stresses of college and keeping up

Swaney 3 with the work. And I also think that some people look for love in random strangers in hopes to find that true love, or to attempt to heal from a broken heart in the past. But the Bible also tells us not to conform to the patterns of this world, and to resist the temptation. Romans 12:2 says, Dont copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (New Living Translation, Rom. 2.2). In the sermon I Dont Know What I Believe: Part 2, Steven Furtick, Pastor of Elevation Church questions if what were believing isnt affecting who were becoming, then do we really believe (Furtick)? If our behaviors in this life, if how we act and the activities were involved with on campus, do not match up to what we say we believe in and in the Christian lifestyle, then are we really Christians? The Bible also tells us in James 1:14 that sin is also enticing (New Living Translation, Jas, 1.14). I know, from personal experience, how hard it is to fit in and find your place on campus when you dont participate in the parties. I feel like peer pressure, or the desire to fit in, causes so many of college students to fall away and turn their backs on God. College students want the approval of others around them more than the approval of God (Furtick). In the Article Strategies for Beating Temptations at College, even says, You might feel like doing wrong and worthless things youre not even interested in just to fit in (Vervoom). So, how do we convince college students that they need to be brave enough to stand out from the rest of the world? We create a service where they can experience or meet God on a personal, intimate level and where they can believe without doubt that He is real. We remind them, or show them, that with the power of the Holy Spirit, they can choose to be their own person (Vervoom). We remind them that them that with and in Christ, all things are possible as so it says in Philippians

Swaney 4 4:13 (New Living Translation, Phil, 4.13). We remind them that sin leads to death, but the Gift of God brings eternal life (New Living Translation, Rom, 7.16). Research shows that parents want to get involved with their childrens lives and teach them right from wrong, but with difficult topics such as sex, talking about it becomes embarrassing for both the parent and the child, especially later in the teen year (Heisler 297). I feel as though if parents arent raising their children in church, teaching them the ways of the Bible, then it will be extremely easy for teenagers and college students alike to fall astray and become involved in partying, sex, drugs, and alcohol. From personal experience, I have found that there are a few professors on college campuses dont help to reinforce or instill Christian values. In fact, some very bluntly call Christianity a myth and a belief. I had a class last semester in which my professor referred to my Lord and Savior as a myth. If a freshman in college, unsure about religion and their personal beliefs, enters that classroom and hears a professor say that God is not real they are more susceptible to believe the lie. Four years ago, I doubted my faith, my religion, and if there was even a God. I believe if I had been told, on the collegiate level that there was no God, I may have at least entertained the thought and I may have possibly even believed it. There are so many beliefs, philosophies, and religions out there that talk about a god or multiple gods that it is very easy to not know what to believe (Baxter 91-93). So how do you know where to begin and what to believe in? In Next, we want the people that attend our service to make the decision to follow and believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We hope to help them define what and whom they believe in. We plan on sharing scripture and examples with them to help reaffirm their faith and belief, especially when faced with a professor like I faced last semester. We also want to talk directly about awkward or touchy subjects like sex. But our intention, from these examples, is not to make this service just for those that have

Swaney 5 already made a commitment to follow Jesus. We will welcome the unbelievers, too, as well as those that may be confused as to what to believe. We are hoping to make this service appeal to everyone who walks in through the doors. The number one thing Nathan wants to see happen through this service is a dramatic change in the lives of college students all over the state (Kiser). We want to The Ultimate Guide to Being a Christian in College helps to direct its readers how to still have fun and enjoy college life without going completely off the handle. This book says to draw healthy boundaries, have fun, not to abuse your freedom, to avoid procrastination, and to make Jesus a part of your every day life (Baxter p. 202-204). The healthy boundaries discussion encourages readers to live for love, not lust. It encourages the reader to set boundaries, and to make a commitment to themselves, to whomever they date, and to God not to cross those boundaries. How many college students have found himself or herself in a bed, completely naked, with a person they dont even know (Baxter p. 202)? This leads to consequences that could completely change or destroy your life. Not to mention the risk of STDs and the fact that they have become even more prevalent in the last few years (Heisler 295). We want people who have made mistakes in their or who are currently struggling to feel like they can enter into this service, and start over. We hope to create a safe space, or a safe environment for them. I believe there needs to be a service that helps people heal and move on, and maybe even find that God is trustworthy. Thats what we hope to do through Next. College is a fun and exciting time, but I feel like we have to remember who is at the center of it all, and keep Him there. We also have to remember that God created fun, and we want to incorporate fun into our service to show that Christians can have a good time without overstepping our morals and beliefs. Hopefully though

Swaney 6 Next, those in attendance will see that Christians can have real fun hanging out, talking, learning, and worshipping God together. Again, when I interviewed Nathan we discussed what he thought needed to be done differently with Next than the typical Sunday morning church service. He wants very contemporary Christian music with a live, upbeat and enthusiastic band. He says it has to be different, and it has to be unique. He wants Next to be something theyve never experienced before, and he hopes they experience God in a new way, as well. He says, The fact that it is a college age service led by college age people is different enough to attract people to at least give it a try once (Kiser). We are creating a college service, Next, to raise the next generation to life in Jesus Christ. We want to create a service that will help college age individuals to overcome trials, addictions, and temptations. Through Next, those in attendance will hopefully find or develop a relationship with a God that we believe is not dead. We fully believe and feel that He is alive and roaring like a lion. We also hope that Next will be a fun, exciting, upbeat, and enthusiastic place for people of our generation. The core team of Next truly wants this service to be about the people and about God.

Swaney 7 Works Cited "10 Strategies for Beating Temptations at College." Strategies for Beating Temptations at College. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. Baxter, Jeff. The Ultimate Guide to Being a Christian in College. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012. Print. Furtick, Steven. "Elevation Church - So That People Far from God Will Be Raised to Life in Christ Skip to Navigation." Elevation Church. N.p., 07 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. Heisler, Jennifer M. "Family Communication About Sex: Parents and College-Aged Offspring Recall Discussion Topics, Satisfaction, and Parental Involvement." Journal of Family Communication 5.4 (2005): 295-312. Print. Horton, Karissa D., Christopher G. Ellison, Alexandra Loukas, Darcy L. Downey, and Jennifer B. Barrett. "Examining Attachment to God and Health Risk-Taking Behaviors in College Students." Journal of Religion and Health 51.2 (2012): 552-66. Print. "Interview with Nathan Kiser." Telephone interview. 10 Mar. 2014. Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation, Ed. Tyndale House Pub, 2011. Print.