Merry Christmas!

Hello, and congratulations - you have almost made it to the end of the semester (some of you may be already done!). Hopefully the next few days won't be too difficult as you rush through your exams and turn in final projects & papers before the semester comes to a final close.

We pray that you will take time as a ministry to celebrate all that the Lord has accomplished in you and through you over these last several months. We also pray that you take some time this advent season to seek Jesus, to reflect upon Emmanuel - God with us. Let's seek him like the Magi did:

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."" (Matthew 2:1-2)

During this Christmas season we have the privilege of being able to seek and find the same Jesus that the Magi met 2000 years ago. Praise God!

"After they heard the king, they went on their way and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." Matthew 2:9-11

I thank God for the example he gave us of the wise men 2000 years ago who took the time and energy to earnestly seek the Christ child then to worship him and give him gifts from their treasures. Let us all take the time to seek Jesus and worship him this Christmas season. It would also be great for us to follow the example of the magi and worship Jesus by giving him gifts from our time and treasures.

Thank you for all you do to serve the Lord on your campus, and have a Merry Christmas!

P.S. Also, keep in mind the upcoming Boston Winter Conference. This is a great opportunity to join with others who are seeking Christ from your campus and many others throughout the Northeast. On-line registration is still open until noon December 26th (http://www.bostonwinterconference.com/register/) so you can still register and even if you don't get to pre-register you may still come to the conference January 2nd. I look forward to see many of you there!

The end is near!

Hello,

It's amazing to think that starting tomorrow December is upon us, the Christmas season has begun and the end of the semester is near. What would you like to accomplish before the semester ends? Do you have a friend you would like to talk with about Christ? Do you have a Christmas outreach planned that you and/or others in your ministry would like to follow through with? This is such a great time of year to show the love of Christ to our friends and neighbors!

Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Here are some things to keep in mind for your last week or two of the semester:

• Reserve your meeting room for next spring, plan on starting your meetings during the first week of classes. Starting early is key to involving returning students and attracting new/transferring students.


• Find out if there is any club fair or orientation that you can reserve a table for to publicize your ministry to new or transfer students, reserve any rooms or tables needed for outreach activities or special events.


• Choose or design your posters and make copies of them, then you'll be ready to put them up when you return.


• Meet with other leaders to talk about next semester. Topics to study, outreach ideas, plan something fun to do during the first few weeks of the semester.


• Celebrate the end of the semester and Christmas! Either in your last weekly meeting or at a separate time - have a Christmas party, take time to have fun with one another and to build memories before saying goodbye for the next several weeks.

Also, keep in mind the importance of registering for the Boston Winter Conference and for promoting it as well. The early pre-reg discount deadline is December 15th. Once classes come to an end, it will be much tougher to get students to register. The next week or two are very important. Please click on this website to learn more about the conference and register: http://www.bostonwinterconference.com

We are praying for you!

Christmas is coming!

Hello,

Most likely as you read this, you are eagerly anticipating your upcoming Thanksgiving break! Chances are, that you may think there is plenty of time to consider Christmas outreach after thanksgiving but even with this celebration just over a week away, most of us only have a few weeks before exams end. That means right now is probably just the right time to plan for some Christmas outreaches. People are usually much more interested in spiritual things at Christmas time, so I encourage you to be ready to share the hopeful "news of great joy" that we have with your friends and classmates.

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."" Luke 2:10-11

Some outreach ideas to the campus may include:

• Giving out any remaining evangelistic books and resources and/or give out the Case for Christmas at a table, or bringing them to a weekly meeting or small group and encouraging members to take 2-5 with them to give out to friends.


• Giving out candy canes and/or hot chocolate at a table near the campus bookstore when people are selling books back. (There is an interesting story about the Candymaker using/designing candy canes to tell others about Jesus--not sure if it is true or not but there is some interesting connections in the design).


• Showing the Charlie Brown Christmas special (there is actually gospel content in it!)or the Nativity movie and having a party where people invite friends. Play some fun games and decorate Christmas cookies (made in advance).


• Get together as a group and bake cookies to give out to non-Christian friends and to the people on campus that you want to thank.
• Use the everystudent.com Christmas posters found at http://everystudentpromotion.com/campaigns/20-christmas/index.html to offer students an opportunity to seek Christ this Christmas.

One other thing we would like you to consider is taking a few moments to thank those who help to make your ministry possible on campus. (Phil 1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you.")
Some of those people may include:

• Faculty Advisor


• The person who approves your posters


• The worker who reserves rooms for you


• The accounting person who you go to with your financial questions and for money


• Etc....

There could be many others, but consider how you might show some appreciation to them. A card signed by those in your ministry or leadership team, a small plate of homemade cookies etc. Nothing expensive or elaborate but it shows care, appreciation and the love of Christ

We pray that these ideas will help you reach out with the love of Jesus in a couple weeks as we enter the Christmas season. If you don't use one of these ideas I hope it helps spark your imagination to develop other methods of reaching out!

Praying for you,

Spiritual Growth: Community building

Hello,

"Dear friends let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7)

I hope and pray that your week has gone well and that you are keeping up with your classes! As you continue to build the ministry on campus this semester, please keep in mind the need to grow in love for one another. Cultivating community in your ministry is one of the best ways you can help students to grow in love and compassion for each other.

As students connect with one another in your ministry, they will grow in their concern for one another and their desire to come to other events and activities is likely to increase. If they keep coming, their relationship with the Lord is likely to grow. When they become more comfortable with others in the ministry, barriers will be broken down and people will more willingly open up about what they are thinking and struggling with.

Some simple steps to cultivate community:

• Incorporate simple ice breakers or games into your weekly meeting/bible study. Activities to get people sharing about themselves and laughing together. You can go to the website http://www.godsquad.com/discipleship/icebreakers.htm for some great ideas. If it isn't too difficult have snacks or refreshments at/after your meeting or Bible study.


• Plan some fun activities outside of your regular meeting times: game night, bowling, mini golf, make your own ice cream sundaes, go to a fall festival together. Go out with others after the meeting


• Get together as a smaller group - invite 2-3 people over to your apartment (if you have one) for dinner, or ask them to meet you at the dining hall. You could also meet for lunch on campus. It could be as simple as picking a day and time each week to meet in a particular area of the commuter cafeteria.


• Plan a girls night out/guys night out. This is a great way to bond and develop friends.
  People are much more apt to open up at bible study and volunteer their time to help out if they are friends with the people in the ministry. Don't forget the fun!

Acts 2:42,46 "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,"

Spiritual Growth: What do you thirst for?

Hello,

What are you thirsty for? What do you long for? The Psalmist David writes “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2

Isn’t it wonderful that the God of the universe loves us? He loves us completely and unconditionally. Our prayer for you is that you would grow in experience and understanding of God’s love for you. This is also a prayer I have for myself.
Eph. 3:17-18 "...And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ," He loves you no matter what. Do you really believe it?

One of the best ways to grow in our love relationship with God is by spending time with Him. Only as we practice recognizing his presence with us, talk with Him and read His love letter to us (the Bible) will we be able to truly grow in our love of and longing for Him. It is amazing that he is present with us throughout the day whatever we do and wherever we go. I find it helpful when I remember this and go through my day recognizing that he is with me.

There is actually a great little book that is very helpful for learning to practice or recognize God's presence with us. It is called Practicing the Presence of God and it was written by Brother Lawrence (a 17th century French monk who learned to practice the presence of God continuously).

Please take the opportunity to go to the godsquad website to check out some other ideas related to connecting with God.

Quite often in ministry we get so busy doing, that we forget Who we are doing it for! It isn't good for our ministry to be born out of duty or obligation. We experience so much more joy and motivation when it is an outflow of our love for Him and His love for us!We encourage you to take time with your Father today, and every day.

Spiritual Growth -- How well are you satisfied?

Hello,

What does it take to be satisfied with your walk with God? How about right now? Sometimes I don't feel as close to God as I would like or lack satisfaction in my relationship with him. When this happens it is an indication that I probably need to take a few minutes to stop and talk with God about some of the anxieties on my mind. 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Sometimes in our busyness and efforts to do good things like leading a ministry or sharing our faith, we can trust in our own efforts and strength to live the Christian life. When we take this approach, it usually results in frustration and discouragement. I want you to be encouraged and equiped as children of God to stay in fellowship with our Heavenly Father, to walk in the power of the Spirit.

This can often involve a moment by moment struggle for us. For example, I know that all too frequently I say yes to my flesh and no to the Spirit when I don't get my way. Often it can be as simple as me getting anxious or irritable because I'm behind schedule with what I want to accomplish, or the person driving in front of me is driving slower than I like or someone behind me is too impatient for my liking. Then if Melissa (my wife) asks me to help her with a small task or asks a question, instead of responding in love, sometimes I say yes to the flesh and get impatient and irritable ("the fruit of the Spirit is .... 'patience'"). Can anyone identify with this type of struggle? I am sure that at times you can, Paul illustrated this well when he wrote Galatians 5:16-26. Verse 17b says: "They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want"

The following are some principles taken from Campus Crusade's "Satisfied?" booklet:

It is only through faith in God and in His promises that we as believers can live the Spirit-directed life. As we continue to trust Christ moment by moment our lives will demonstrate more and more of the fruit of the Spirit and we will be conformed to the image of Christ.

Moment by moment we are making decisions to either gratify our sinful nature or say yes to the Holy Spirit.

We will also have a more meaningful prayer life and more fruitful times in the word. We will experience God's power in witnessing. We will be prepared for spiritual conflict and receive power to resist temptation and sin!

If you are ready to yield control of your life to Christ, confess any sin that you are aware of and desire to be filled with the Spirit; You can be filled with the Spirit right now by faith through prayer. This is based on God's command found in Ephesians 5:18 "...be filled with the Spirit" and His promise in 1 John 5:14-15 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."

As we yield to the filling of the Holy Spirit, He will produce great fruit in our lives (see Galatians 5:22-23). Please take some time this week with the Lord to read and meditate on Galatians 5:16-26 and Ephesians 5:15-21. As we apply the principles of the Spirit-filled life, He will transform us from feeling frustrated and discouraged. We will experience true joy and the excitement of seeing God at work!

How wonderful is God's provision for us!

Spiritual Growth: Helping New Believers Walk with God

Hello, We pray that you are doing well and that your fall semester is going well. We talk a lot about sharing your faith - the importance of taking the initiative, talking with others about Jesus, and reaching out to other students on your campus. We pray that you will get to see many students make decisions to begin a relationship with Jesus. We also want you to know what to do once you have seen someone trust in the Lord. Whether you led them to Christ, or they are a young or new believer that is involved in your movement, there are several excellent resources that might help you, help them.

On the website http://www.godsquad.com/discipleship/index.htm there are some tools that are called "Life Concepts". They are found under the discipleship section. These lessons cover valuable topics such as:

• Assurance of salvation
• Forgiveness of the believer
• Filling of the Spirit
• Walking in the Spirit
• Spiritual growth

New Christians need to understand who they are in Christ, the above topics will help lay that foundation. The new believer also needs help in these areas:

• developing a regular habit of spending time with the Lord in prayer and in His word
• finding a good local church where they can learn and grow
• close fellowship with other believers
• encouragement and equipping on how to share their faith with those around them

Ephesians 4:14-15 "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

What a wonderful privilege we have to be involved in what God is doing in the lives of His children! We pray that your ministry will bear much fruit and that you will have the awesome joy of helping others develop a closer relationship with Christ.

Spirtual Transformation: Small groups & Bible study resources

Hello,

Now that the initial start up and gathering phase of the fall semester is over, it is wise to focus on the spiritual development of those in your ministry.

Small groups are an excellent way for us to encourage one another in our faith. In Colossians 3:16 Paul says: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." So many elements of a small group in one verse! Wouldn't it be great if we didn't just know the Bible well or a lot about the Bible, but rather, that the Word of Christ dwells in us richly?

Here are some things to keep in mind about small groups:

• Small groups involve relationships! Ideally this is a place where students can come and grow. They can share about their joys and struggles, a place they can be real.



• Make sure it is a safe environment. Give people time to share and talk. What is shared in the group stays in the group (talk about that as a small group - people won't share if they are afraid others will talk about it). Be quick to listen and slow to correct others!



• It's good to have a variety of ingredients in your small group time: prayer, ice breaker, vision and bible study.



• As a small group - plan fun activities and outreach events together.



• Talk about evangelism in your small group! Talk about different people you are sharing your faith with, pray for students to come to know Christ.

We strongly encourage you to check out www.godsquad.com for great and easy to use Bible study materials. Here is a link to the bible study materials: http://godsquad.com/discipleship/biblestudy.htm There are many different kinds of studies, here are a few that are included either at this site or at another hyperlink included below:

• "Freedom Is" study on Paul's letter to the Galatians. All the topics are related to the Gospel: "The uniqueness of the gospel" "the history of the gospel" "the life of the gospel" etc. There are 10 different lessons.



• 1.5 page studies which have 13 different ones with the theme of "Understanding God, Understanding Ourselves" covering topics such as: Perspective on sin, assurance of salvation, loving others, making right decisions, sharing your faith etc.



• "The God Who Is" with 9 lessons. "God is Love", "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Jesus, the Humble servant"are a few.



• Cru.Com is another series of Bible studies. There is a CD that you could purchase, but if you click on the free sample section there are many listed there that you can download for free.

The great thing about these studies is that they are designed just for you and your audience (college students!). They come with leader's notes, are biblically sound, cover critical topics, have good discussion questions and most won't take a lot of time to prepare. They can be adapted for small groups or larger groups - just break your big group into smaller groups for easier discussion.

How can you help new students feel welcome and included?

Hello,

We hope that by this point of the semester, new students have come to your meetings and activities. We trust that you understand the importance of reaching the Freshmen class and helping these new guests get involved in your ministry.

We don't want new students just to show up once or twice, and just fade away as the semester progresses. It's important to cultivate an environment that will encourage them to keep coming. How will that happen you ask? The key is relationships. Lots of people will check out a club or ministry on campus once or twice, maybe even 3 times, but after awhile if they aren't connecting with others, getting to know people and feeling like they are wanted then they won't keep coming back. If they develop some real friends in the ministry then they will probably continue to come and assist with the mission on campus!

Here are some ideas that should help cultivate friendships and involvement:Invite new students to meet you for a meal (guys invite guys, girls - girls, you don't want this to look like a date!). You don't have to go alone, you can invite other students to join you. Don't make it too many people, or someone could be overlooked in the conversation. You have to eat anyways and this is a great opportunity to really get to know someone. Get other returning students involved in this as well.

Share the gospel with new students! Don't assume they are Christians just because they come to your study, or they come from a church background. Go through the Knowing God Personally booklet with them. You can introduce it this way: "Just so you know what we believe...." This familiarizes them with who we are as a ministry, and to one of our tools. Plus if they aren't a Christian - you get to share Christ with them!

Ask new students to help out with an event or activity. Hanging posters, bringing snacks, helping to plan a social activity. This helps them to start thinking of the ministry as "ours" rather than "yours" and they get to know others as they work along side them. (Don't ask someone that is new to lead a bible study or some other responsibility that requires spiritual maturity without feeling confident that they are walking with God.)

Personal invitation - invite students personally to come to a get together, help out with an outreach or to join a committee or small group. When you ask everyone in the setting of your large group meeting, normally, "everyone's ask is no one's ask". I hope these tips help. Building relationships is really foundational for a fruitful ministry - just like this example from the book of Acts.

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:46-47

Wouldn't it be great if our ministries reflected this scriptural picture of the early church?
Please take time to add comments listing an activity or two you have participated in or used in your ministry to have fun together and/or build community.
Thank you.
Have fun connecting with one another!

Praying for the mission

Hello,

I pray that you are doing well now that the semester has started. We know that there is so much to do - both personally and for ministry. In the midst of all your activities, I want to encourage you to slow down and take time to talk with our heavenly Father about your semester and the year ahead.

Some ideas to help prayer happen for you and others in your ministry:

• Gather with other ministry leaders for a special time of prayer. Pray for His leading, wisdom and direction. Pray for unity for the leadership team. Pray for the incoming freshmen class. Pray for students to come to Christ.


• Prayer walk - go out on your campus and pray as you walk. Pray for what you see. Pray for administrators as you walk past an office building, pray for the athletes as you cross the playing fields. Pray for freshmen as you walk past the dorms. Prayer walking is powerful!


• For the next few weeks, send out a daily email to others in your ministry asking them to pray for a specific topic or aspect of your ministry. (keep it short or it won't get read!)


• Ask your church or Sunday School class to pray for you and the ministry on campus. Give them specific prayer requests.

Prayer is a wonderful privilege, how amazing that we can approach the God of the universe and talk with him telling him our desires, wants and needs and asking him to give these things to us. It is so amazing and wonderful that he listens to us and cares about our needs and desires! Praise God!

Philippians 4:5b-7 "The Lord is ever present with us. Don't be anxious about things; instead pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your need and be thankful for what has come. And know the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus the Liberating King." (from The Voice Reader's New Testament)

I'm Praying for you

Welcome back!

We pray that you are doing well and that you had a great summer. It may be hard to believe, but the beginning of the school year is already here! Hopefully you have been looking forward to it.

Welcome back to your campus! We pray that this fall semester will bring glory to God and bring you closer to Him. We also pray that this fall many students will have the opportunity to hear about Christ on your campus.



Here are some thoughts in regards to starting the semester well as a ministry:
Prayer, be in prayer for the fall semester. Some things to pray about: your own academics, walk with the Lord and ministry to others.
Take time to dream and to ask the Lord about the "immeasurably more" He'd like to do on your campus and in your life this fall.

Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

As you dream, please take time to check out Campus Crusade's godsquad website for additional ideas and resources for the first six weeks of the fall. Also, please think carefully about how to welcome new students and welcome back returning students to your campus and to your activities and meetings. One way to do this is by considering your ministry's publicity situation.

If a Freshmen were to step on campus, who didn't know anyone and didn't know if there was a Christian group on campus, would he or she be able to find your ministry? Do the nonbelievers on your campus even know there is a Christian movement on their campus? You must make yourselves visible for new and returning students. At all times, every day of the school year, we want to have posters up around campus. This is so essential. You can plan great meetings and outreaches but if no one knows you exist or how to find you, no one will come.Some essentials to keep in mind in making up your flyer:

your ministry's name
day of your weekly meeting/Bible study
time you meet
room you meet in
Easy to read from a distance (If they have to get right on top of it to read it, most likely it won't be effective.)
Bright paper
Posted in high traffic areas
Keep it simple (so it will be easier to read)

If you want to communicate some sort of message about your group on the poster, try to focus on something to do with: love, friendship, acceptance, and community. You want people to be attracted to your group not put off by it. At your first few meetings, it is great to pass around a sign up sheet asking for people's names, addresses, phone #s and email addresses. Create an email distribution list and keep people updated on coming events, announcements and reminders.

Publicity is pretty simple to do, it doesn't take that much time or effort but for whatever reason we tend to neglect it quite a bit. So, let this be the semester that everyone knows how to find you! Check out http://www.godsquad.com/posters/index.htm and http://everystudentpromotion.com/ for more publicity ideas and poster downloads.

Summer Survival

Hello, You are in the home stretch now. Just a couple more weeks and another semester will be all over with. Summer often conjures up thoughts of relaxation, free time and opportunities to earn some much needed cash! Summer can also be a difficult time for people to make good choices to walk with God.

Family opposition, lack of fellowship, a different routine, the wrong type of peer pressure can all work together to pull students away from God. Here are some ideas regarding a few things to help with that:

• Prayer! Be in prayer for one another throughout the course of the summer, pray for growth in your walk with the Lord and pray against any schemes of the devil.


• Connection: connect often with one another through email, phone calls or visits if possible. Also - get connected to a good local church.


• Coordinate a summer study or small group. If you and several other students you know from your campus or from back home live near one another, this could be a great opportunity to encourage one another in your faith and have fun together. You could do it weekly, every other week, or monthly--whatever works well!


• Summer survival packet: we send this out each year. Please forward it to students in your ministry. It is packed with ideas on how to thrive during the summer months. http://www.godsquad.com/summer/index.htm

Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus throughout the summer! Hope this helps and that this summer is one of growth, great joy, and steps of faith!

Finishing Well

Dear Friends,

The countdown continues. Spring is in the air, maybe even summer with a high of 88 yesterday! Final exams and papers are right around the corner. Are you beginning to get restless? Spring fever settling in? We know that it can be difficult to press on with your classes when the end is so close and yet so far away….

We want to finish well, not only with classes but also with our ministries.

Philippians 3:13-14 "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Some ways to finish well:

• Continue having your bible studies, weekly meetings & prayer until the end of classes


• Thank the administrative people on your campus that help make your ministry possible. Your advisor, the person who books the rooms, approves the posters, handles your finances.


• Have an end of the year get together: party, cookout, picnic, etc to celebrate and say good bye


• Find a special way that you can honor and thank graduating seniors?


• Make sure your club officers and student activities paperwork is all in order(This will save you the many headaches next fall that could come with-running around trying to get recognized as a student club instead of welcoming the new students who are our future)


• Is it possible to put in your room reservations for next year? In many cases waiting until September is too late. If you can reserve it now, do so.


• Continue planning and preparing for next semester(particularly the first six weeks) "If you win the first six weeks, you should win for the year." You can go to http://www.godsquad.com/leading/topics/plan.htm for some good planning resources.

Take these next few weeks to finish well and enjoy some good times of fellowship and fun with one another. You won’t regret it! We will be praying for you.

Sending your Seniors

Hello,

Soon the semester will soon be ending and your seniors will be graduating! April is over half gone and for many, within a month's time you will be scattering for your "summer" destinations. You are being sent from your ministry to show Jesus love to others in the various locations to which you will travel.

John 20:21 "Again Jesus said, ' Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.'"

During each spring semester, you also have a special opportunity to send the seniors involved in your ministry. We want to encourage you to help your seniors end well on campus and prepare for after graduation (this may include yourself - if you are a senior!). Here are a couple of ways to do that:

At your last weekly meeting/bible study, consider doing something to celebrate your graduating seniors.

• Take time to thank them for their service to the Lord and to your ministry.
• If you have the budget, you could give a small gift. (memento from the college, an inspirational book or CD)
• Circulate a card and have students write a brief note.
• Have them stand and share their post college plans, have a time of prayer for them.

You will also want to help seniors to think about their spiritual life and how they can serve as a Christ-centered laborer post college. For many - their campus fellowship provides encouragement, fellowship, ministry and accountability that is hard to replicate once they move back home.
Here are a few questions to think about as you and others prepare for serving Christ after graduation:

1. What are some ways you would like to share your faith in your future work environment or in ministry after graduation?
2. How can you have an influence to help soften or improve the soil of our culture and increase the openness of others to the gospel?
3. What are some specific things you would like to do to proclaim the gospel or help positively influence others to increase openness to the gospel?
   

We pray for wisdom and guidance for you and the seniors you are sending as you both serve Christ and demonstrate his love to the others around you.

"Oh the Wonderful Cross"

Hello friends,

How amazing that we can call the instrument of death in Jesus' crucifixion, "The Wonderful Cross." This week is a great time to reflect on the significance of the gospel and what our wonderful savior accomplished on the cross.

I hope that you can take some time to reflect and treasure this special holy week. During this week I'd like to encourage you to join with me in taking some time to meditate on Jesus words from the cross.

I'd like to take this opportunity to take a look at the brief interactions recorded between Jesus and these two criminals in Luke 23:39-43.

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him ’I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

Please take some time to think about each of these criminals

What do you learn about each of the criminals? What are they like(try to think of 4-5 characteristics for each)? What are their similarities and differences?

In what ways are you similar to the criminals crucified on either side of Him? How does this make you feel?

What do you learn about Jesus? Why would Christ bring this repentant criminal of faith, you, me and so many others like us to paradise with Him?

Please take time to read and reflect on some of the other sayings from the cross. Here are a few references that predict details about or report the crucifixion of Jesus: Psalm 22:17-18, 69:20-21; Isaiah 53:4-12; Matthew 27:32-56; Mark 15:21-41; Luke 23:32-49; John 19:16-37

These specific verses contain the sayings from the cross: Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:34, 39-43, 46; John 19:26-28, 30.
Psalm 69:20-21

Hope you have a great Easter celebrating His resurrection and the victory that he has won over sin and death!

The fall is not as far away as you may think

Hello friends,

Spring is barely here, summer is around the corner and we are already thinking and talking about the fall. Are you? We think about the fall a great deal, because it is the most strategic time of the year.

In Ephesians 5:15-16, Paul encourages the Ephesians to: "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." Let's make the most of every opportunity next fall!
A couple things to keep in mind:

• Be prepared - are leaders in place? do you have a room reserved for the first meeting of the year? If it all possible, it is best to have the same room each week, that way people don't have to go looking for you.
• The first six weeks of the semester are probably the most important ones your ministry will have. It is during that time that most people make decisions of how they will spend their time and who their friends will be. You will want to start your meetings right away, have lots of posters up, and this is also when you want to do outreach and community building. (fun stuff)
• The importance of reaching freshmen/first year students. If you reach the freshmen class each year, you reach the campus. Freshmen come in eager to learn and eager to meet new people. If you miss a couple of years of reaching freshmen, most likely your ministry will die out.
• The necessity of having a plan. If you want to make the most of your 1st 6 weeks and if you want to reach freshmen, you will have to have a plan.

Here are some questions to consider when forming your plan:

What will you do for outreach?
What will you do for prayer?
How will you publicize?
How will you welcome new people?
How will you keep them coming back?
What will you do for your first bible study, your first weekly meeting?
Who will do what?
What do we need to make these things happen?

As a leadership team, please discuss these questions and come up with a plan for next fall. Pray and trust God for big and mighty things on your campus next year! I also encourage you to go to http://www.godsquad.com/leading/fallplan.htm for some additional planning tools and tips.

What does it take to transition well?

Hello friends,

Do you ever feel like you are in a race? At points during the semester life feels like a marathon. 3 more weeks until finals, 5 more days until Saturday. It's all you can do to endure! Other times (like now perhaps), it can feel like a sprint. So much to do in so little time!

Ministry can be like a relay race. The runners need to work together to accomplish the goal, and the trickiest part can be passing the baton.

As leaders, it is important to have a good hand-off to future leaders from semester to semester. The success of next semester could depend on how well you pass the baton in the next few weeks.

(2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.")

Here is a link to a brief article that helps identify some of the qualities that spiritual leaders need to develop: http://godsquad.com/leading/pictureldr.htm

Its definitely worth taking a couple minutes to read these resources, as you involve new leaders in the ministry.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Do we have leaders or a leadership team lined up and preparing for next semester?
• Do they know what their responsibilities are?
• Do they know who to talk to on campus to reserve a room or table, to request funds?
• Is the paperwork all taken care of? (some ministries flounder in the fall because previous leaders didn't submit a list of officers or request a room)
• How have you helped align them to our mission of turning lost students into Christ-centered laborers and the vision of building transformational community?
• For our favorite article on transformational community go to:
  http://godsquad.com/squadroom/leading/transcom.htm
  
  Let's do what we can to make the most of the opportunity to reach people for Christ during those first two weeks of the fall semester!

Easter approaches!

Hello Friends,

It may be hard to believe it at times with the gray skies and chilly winds of March but Easter is coming! Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, tulips and ham are what many people think of these days when they think of Easter. As Christians it is our most wonderful celebration of all! Our Lord was crucified for our sin, he died and rose again! He triumphed over sin and death and reconciled us to God. How amazing! Yet, it is so easy for us to get complacent and view what Christ did as an ordinary, every day event.

Easter is a wonderful time for us to appreciate again the gift of salvation and ponder the hope that we have in heaven. It is also a wonderful time to share the message of salvation with the many people around us who need Jesus.

As Easter approaches please consider what you and your ministry can do to share the Good News of Christ this Easter season. Easter is April 12th and the best time to do outreaches related to Easter is the week Before Easter so that means Passion week is less than 3 weeks away.
“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."" John 11:25-26a

Please check out this godsquad link for Easter outreach ideas:
http://www.godsquad.com/squadroom/seasonal/easter.htm

Some ideas to consider:

• Every students Choice Beyond Blind Faith poster campaign http://everystudentpromotion.com/campaigns/04-easter/index.html
• Give out free Easter Candy on campus, Easter Egg Hunt or Easter Baskets (college students like to have fun too!)
• Special Easter Dinner or Banquet, that you invite non-Christian friends to and have someone share story of how Jesus resurrection has changed your life.
• Prayer Table or Informational Table: conduct Easter survey, pass out free candy, articles, book about the life of Jesus or claims of Christ, Bibles, offer free prayer, etc.
• Plastic Easter eggs with candy and advertisement for http://www.everystudent.com/ in them.
• Show the Jesus film or Passion movie on your campus

Any combination of the above ideas and/or your own additions and thoughts.
We pray that God will use these special events in the lives of students on your campus!

Do you have any friends graduating?

Hello friends, The seniors in your ministry will be graduating in just a couple months. Please do what you can to honor and encourage those who are graduating. Here are a few questions that you can pass along to them (or look over yourself if you are a Jr or Sr.) to help them finish well on campus and prepare for life post college:


How can you graduate as a Christ-centered laborer?
God has given us time, money, talents and abilities. How will we use and invest His gifts to us?

Some related parables and scripture to read and reflect on:
The parable of the talents Matthew 25:14-30
The parable contrasting the two managers Luke 12:35-48
Counting the cost Luke 14:28-33

Please read Matt 28:18-20: "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"

As you graduate and move into the next phase of life, what are some ways you can contribute to helping to fulfill the great commission?

What do you want to do after graduation?

Why do you want to serve in this vocation?

What are some ways you can potentially share your faith in your future work environment?

How can you use your vocation to help demonstrate the love of Christ? How can you have a positive influence in our culture, potentially helping encourage the openness of others to the gospel?

What are some specific things you would like to do to express God's love and have a positive impact?

When and how do you think you may be able to do this?


Please take a few minutes to consider these questions and/or pass them along to juniors and seniors involved in the ministry on your campus.

How can you help reach others on your campus?

Dear Friends,

We pray that you are doing well, enjoying life and ministry on your campus!
Wherever we go in life, to a family get together, work, a walk down the street or on campus we are surrounded by people who need Jesus, people who are lost without Him. Matthew 9:36, tells of Jesus' compassion: "When He saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

As we go about our daily lives, it is often easy for us to become immune to the spiritual needs of others. Instead of forgetting the needs of others, we can choose to actively reach out with the love of Christ. 1 John 3:16-18 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

The following are some ideas to help you and others on your campus share the love of Christ with others.

Outreach Ideas for Your Campus

• Broad Exposure Outreaches: Freshmen Survival Kits, Everystudent.com posters or Facebook Flyers which advertise http://www.everystudent.com/ (to download the flyers and posters go to http://everystudentpromotion.com/)
• Community Service: invite others who don't consider themselves Christians or other student groups on your campus to join with you in volunteer at a local rescue mission or homeless shelter, have a food or clothing drive on campus, set up a basketball or volleyball tournament to benefit a charitable organization (have each participant contribute an entry donation & ask local businesses to donate prizes)
• Special Events: Evangelistic bands, speakers, and discussions; Info tables where you give out articles, books, and other materials. Prayer booths.
• Campus Needs: Get together as a ministry to support one of your campuses athletic teams that lacks a large fan base, Collect trash in the dorms, Pick up litter on campus, etc.
• Initiative Evangelism: Conducting surveys, asking students and friends about their opinions on spiritual matters.
• Relational: creating a list of 5 or so people to be praying for, looking for ways to care for them, and to share the gospel with them. Talking to your friends about Christ, sharing your testimony, going through Knowing God Personally with them. Attached is a document listing several questions you can use to start spiritual conversations. Please use the questions you find helpful.
  
  
  

Would you like to know God personally?

Hello friends,

We have all answered yes to this question: "Would you like to know God personally?" We’ve said yes to His offer of salvation and Jesus call to "follow me". As a result we have a relationship with God that can have make a difference in every area of our lives.

We also know that there are hundreds and thousands of students on our campuses who don’t know Jesus. However, many of them do desire to know Him. How confident are you in knowing how to share your faith with someone who answers yes to this question? Could you explain the gospel to someone and bring him or her to a point of decision? What about others in your ministry?

In 1 Peter 3:15, Peter writes: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

We encourage you to be ready, (willing and looking for opportunities!) to share your faith and that you would help equip others on your campus. One tool that we use to share our faith is a booklet called “Would you like to know God personally?” It is a brief 4-point outline of the gospel with scripture for each point. There are diagrams; questions to ask and a suggested prayer someone may use to express faith in Christ and receive Him as Lord. Chances are you have some of these at your campus. If you would like some, please let us know and we would be happy to send you some.

I have included some helpful tips below that will aid you in sharing your faith and using the Knowing God Personally or other similar booklets. We hope you find them useful.


Sharing Your Faith With Others

Tips on designing your testimony:
(for a worksheet go to http://www.godsquad.com/evangelism/topics/testimony.htm )
1) Keep it short (3-5 minutes)
2) Know it well (write it out and practice it)
3) Avoid Christian lingo (“then I got saved”, “went forward”, “prayed the prayer”)
4) Present the gospel in it (I realized that God loves me, that I had sinned against Him, but Jesus died in my place to pay the penalty for my sin and by trusting in Him to pay that penalty I’m forgiven, able to go to heaven and have a relationship with Him…)
5) If you came to Christ as a child, you can share the gospel and talk about how God has made a difference in your life (How he satisfied your needs so you never drifted from God) or how your life is different now that you’ve given Him complete control etc.
6) Pick a theme and weave your story around that. “I used to struggle with trying to please everyone”, “I wanted to be liked and popular”, “I never felt good enough” etc.

Ideas about sharing your faith

1) Communicate love and care, don’t argue or get upset with them (better for the person to sense the love of Christ than for us to win an argument) “… But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Pet. 3:15
2) You are inviting people to take the next step in a process or journey of faith in Jesus. Decisions are great if people are ready, but we need to be good listeners & patient.
3) Ask questions and listen for the answers
4) Be aware that the person you are sharing with may have past hurts or struggles that prevent them from trusting God, be sensitive
5) If you don’t know an answer to someone’s question simply say “I don’t know, but I’ll check into that and get back to you.” And then do!
6) Go in the power of the Holy Spirit
7) It is God who calls people to Himself, we are simply His vessels “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” (1 Cor. 3:6)

Benefits of using a booklet like “Knowing God Personally”

1) A leaving piece, something they can take with them
2) It helps you to focus on the person and not yourself as you try to think of what to say next
3) Aids you in staying on track, not getting off on tangents
4) Leads people through the gospel and up to a point of decision
5) The person you are sharing with knows you are not done, until the booklet is finished
6) It helps you to learn how to communicate the gospel, even if you don’t have the booklet with you. Memorize the 4 main points and 1 scripture reference for each, and you will be much more equipped to share your faith.


Pointers on using “Knowing God Personally”

1) Try to stick to the booklet and not add lots of other content
2) Hold the booklet so you both can see it
3) If someone asks a question unrelated to the page you are on, ask them if you can address that afterwards
4) Ask the questions that are printed in the booklet, listen to what they have to say
5) Ask them “does this make sense” often
6) Bring those who respond positively through, the prayer, it is so exciting to have the privilege of helping someone express their new faith in Christ.
7) When you bring someone to the prayer, ask them if they want to follow along with you out loud or quietly to themselves. Ask them to say amen at the end so you know when they are done. If they want to pray on their own later that is ok.

Want a way to beat the winter blues?

Hello,

Its sunny and cold outside, with snow in the forecast. I happen to like winter (I know I'm unusual in that regard) but I also like to think about the summer. Not because of the heat but because of the many wonderful opportunities students have each summer. This is such a unique time in your life, most students actually get 3 months each year that they can ask themselves, what do I want to do? This is most likely going to end when you graduate, unless you get a very unusual and exciting job (like being on staff with Campus Crusade)!

Campus Crusade for Christ has some fantastic opportunities for you. You can spend your summer growing in your walk with the Lord, learning ministry skills that will not only help you on campus but equip you for your future, have opportunities to share your faith with others and hang out with and meet Christians from all over the country! Most stateside projects are set up to have you working 35-40 hours a week in the community, so you can still earn money for school!

The Northeast has partnerships with US summer missions projects at places like New York City, Wildwood, Yellowstone and Acadia summer projects. Internationally we partner with Uganda Hope, South Africa (Praetoria), East Asia (Northeast 1) and Italy: Milan. Go to http://www.gosummerproject.com/ to learn more about summer missions and to begin an application.

Ephesians 5:15-16 "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Please pray about it, ask some questions from me (john.mitchell@uscm.org) or another student or campus crusade staff person who has participated in a summer project, and apply! For many of you, Summer projects are a great opportunity to make the most of this summer. You won't regret it!

Jesus loves you! Jesus loves me!

Dear friends,

Happy Valentines Day! This week we get to celebrate Love. As believers, we also get the experience and privilege of celebrating Jesus love for us! Many people may fail us but nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. It is amazing to think about his love and the significance of that love for us.

Sometimes we may be hard on ourselves. For example, I often feel overwhelmed with things to do and my failure to accomplish what I desire and plan to do. I have difficulty measuring up to my expectations for myself, never mind even beginning to measure up to the perfect standard of God's holiness. Thankfully God demonstrates his love through Christ. Christ died in our place and even made us holy! Hebrews 10:10 "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

God often reminds us of His great love. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus tells us who are weary and heavily burdened to come to Him and He'll give us rest for our souls. In John 1:12 we learn "to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." There are many other passages and verses where God tells us of his love. Please take some time to read and study some this week. Here are a few references that you may want to look at where the scriptures talk about God's love for us:

Romans 8:31-39, Ephesians 3:17-19, Romans 5:6-11, 1 John 3:1-2 & 4:9-11

We need to continually remind ourselves that God loves us as His precious children. Its not because of anything we've done but because of His great compassion, the great love that we see in Jesus as we read the gospels and experience a relationship with Him now.

Please take time this week to think about His love for you. I know that I would like to take some time to think about His love for me.

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day

Are You Catching Spring Fever?

Hello,

We're not sure what the weather is like where you are, but it is about 32 degrees and snowing here in Cranston RI this morning - a little cold, with more cold weather over the next several days! With weather like this, the longing for spring begins...

• Are you looking to escape the cold?
• Desiring to take a road trip with some of your friends?
• Want to have a destination with an eternal purpose?
• Want to learn more about God and have lots of opportunities to share Christ with others?

Check out: http://big-break.com/ ! Big Break is Campus Crusade for Christ's annual spring break conference in Panama City Beach, Florida. Lots of our campuses have gone in the past and have had a great time. Fun on the beach, amazing teaching and worship, training on how to share your faith and lots of opportunities to talk to others about Christ!

or if you would like to help reach students in another warm spot check out: http://mexicofocus.blogspot.com/2006/12/spring-break-2007.html This will help you learn more about investing your springbreak to help reach Mexican students in Mexico City, or how to participate in Big Break Acapulco!

If you would just like to help make a difference with the love of Christ by reaching out in the inner city then check out (You may not escape the cold! but you will have the privilege of serving others with the love and message of Christ): Here’s Life Inner City http://www.seizeit.org/

We find that students who participate in Spring Break missions opportunities not only have a great time but the fellowship and community within the ministry grows a great deal AND their heart for the lost increases as well as evangelism back on campus.

So check out these opportunities and consider what God may have for you this March.

Spring Break Opportunities:

Ø The Big Break Panama City http://big-break.com/

Ø Mexico City http://mexicofocus.blogspot.com/2006/12/spring-break-2007.html

Ø Big Break Acapulco http://mexicofocus.blogspot.com/2006/12/spring-break-2007.html

Ø Here’s Life Inner City http://www.seizeit.org/

Are You Playing Hide and Seek?

Greetings!

We hope that the beginning of the semester is off to a great start for you. We are sure that this is a busy time for you.

In Matthew 5:14-15, Jesus says: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Jesus is clearly talking about much more than our campus movements increasing visibility on campus in these verses, but your ministry is part of God's light on your campus.

Being visible and easy to find is one of the key ways to ensure growth in your ministry. When our movements are visible we invite other believers to join together with us in letting our "light shine before men"! However, publicity is often treated by many as optional - "if we have enough time". Word of mouth isn't sufficient - you want to be easy to find so that any new student knows that you are there and where to go for your meetings. We strongly encourage you to try some of the following tips:

• Posters! Make them bright (astrobright paper) and BOLD! Can they be read from several feet away? Better to keep them simple and easy to read than to design them with lots of info.



• Use every student's choice posters to get students on your campus thinking about Christ. (www.escmedia.org) These posters are free, easy to use and can help present the message of new life in Jesus.



• Use the power of email - send out weekly email reminders about your weekly meeting, bible study etc.



• Go to http://godsquad.com/posters/index.htm to check out the weekly poster strategy using every student's choice posters.



• Ask someone to be a publicity point person for your ministry. (forward this email to them if you already have one!) This person coordinates email, posters and other creative ways to get your ministry known on campus.

New Beginnings!

Hello, Happy New Year and Happy Inaugeration Day!

We pray you had a wonderful Christmas and that you enjoyed a refreshing winter break. A new semester lays before us - full of possiblities and promise! We hope that you are anticipating the upcoming months and eager to see the Lord at work in your life and in the lives of others around you. I think Ephesians 5:1-2 provides great perspective and guidance for us regarding what is really significant as we enter a new semester of ministry.

Ephesians 5:1-2 "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

As you begin the spring semester here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Care for yourself spiritually - please don't get so caught up in doing ministry that you forget to build your own relationship with the Lord. Live "a life of love" by spending time with the Lord in the word and in prayer and by connecting with an loving other believers both in your local church and with peers in your campus movement or ministry.
• Connect with other leaders - if you are blessed to have other leaders in your ministry, be in contact with them now about who is going to do what over the course of the semester. Please take the opportunitities God gives you to demonstrate love and care for one another as "imitators of God."
• Have a plan - when are you going to have your first bible study, weekly meeting? When will you host a fun outing, evangelistic outreach activity etc.
• Publicity - we'll talk more about this next week - but publicity is key in sharing about your ministry so people know you are there and when you meet.
• Check out www.godsquad.com for valuable resources and ideas. This is a Campus Crusade website designed specifially for you - the student leader.

The beginning of the semester can be a bit overwhelming, but also exciting! Please let us know if you have any questions, or need some information. We are praying for you.