Showing posts with label missional. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missional. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Temi's Real Life Video

Temi is a Nigerian student who I actually made contact with even before she enrolled in Cornell last year because she was actually living in New Mexico! (Cool story)

She took some time the other night to record things at our weekly large group meeting.

This is a fun look at our Friday night gathering.


Monday, July 11, 2016

Nick Biebel; Faithful Ambassador


Throughout the past few months, people would ask me "how are you going to replace Beebs?"  The truth is, there is no way to replace Nick Biebel!   We will simply miss him!  

An alumni recently visited Ithaca  and lamented the absence of Uber.  Cru undergrads probably don’t feel the lack because they’ve had Nick!  If I just wrote about the way that “Beebs” used his minivan to help other people over the past two years, you’d be able to get a sense of how tirelessly Nick has worked to serve the body of Christ at Cornell.  Week in and week out Nick was driving people and sound equipment and ministry supplies to different meetings and gatherings.  He took people to the grocery store, he took people to the airport, he picked up people from the train station and the bus station and the hospital!   I am sincerely thankful to those who have supported Nick’s “van ministry!”  The amount of money he spent on gas is a gift to the kingdom all the way through!  
Nick was part of the marching band and Pep Band during his time here. He built many significant friendships


The departure of our man Nick Biebel from Cornell will be felt not only in Cru, but throughout the Body of Christ at Cornell.  Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Tabernacle Baptist and Chinese Bible Study will all sense that something isn’t quite the same as will people from many other churches and Christian groups.  (Nick’s passion for unity in the Body is contagious!)   “Beebs” and his wife Ronkui are headed to California.  Right now, Nick is at Cru’s New Staff Training in Florida, but the plan is for Ronkui to attend grad school at UC Davis and for Nick to join the staff team there.  
Nick took up Power Lifting over the past couple of years. 
Nick has left a large hole in our community and not just because he’s a really big dude who’s been here for six years!   Nick is a fun-loving, encouraging and energetic guy who has been spreading the fame of Christ here at Cornell since his freshman year!  You may recall the story I wrote about him putting a sign on his dorm room door inviting others to talk about faith.  When he first popped into the small group I was leading on North campus in the fall of 2010 I had no idea what an ambassador for Christ he would become.  Throughout his time here he has helped develop younger students into sold out disciples for Jesus.   He’s lead small groups, coached ministry teams and helped organize all kinds of events!  Additionally, Nick put together a discipleship resource that we are presently using throughout our ministry here at Cornell.

When it comes to helping students to grow in their understanding and experience of the gospel, we are always on the search for helpful materials.  Some resources are free and others cost way  more than they should!  Over the years Cru has developed many different follow up and discipleship packets that we use to develop and mentor students in their faith.   Somewhere along the journey to find a really good resource that was both theologically robust and easy to use, Nick decided he would try and format something new.  Working in cooperation with numerous friends, Nick wrote and modified existing Cru discipleship materials to form up a packet of lessons.  This was no small feat and took hours of life!  But in and through it, Nick’s passion for theology and gift for teaching were put to good use.  He named the resource “The Fullness of Christ” and it presently serves as our primary set of discipleship materials.  What a gift!

Over the years I have appreciated Nick’s passion for evangelism, his zeal for good theology and his overall dedication to the ministry.  At any given event or meeting or outreach you could depend on Nick to come early and stay late.  He was “all in” in every way.  Nick managed our facebook account and helped organize our leadership meetings.  He spoke at our main meetings and also out in Cortland.  Nick was a key player in some of the biggest outreach and worship events on the campus including Easter on the Quad and the 2016 Worthy Event where we filled up Bailey Hall! And beyond all of that, Nick helped foster community.  Together with Ronkui, Nick helped make Cru feel like a family.  He loves people with such consistency, he would serve and meet up with people all the time.  He would open his home for game nights and spend his money to buy food for others!  


Nick has an exciting chapter ahead of him, but we’ll miss him here in Ithaca in the fall!  


Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Kainos Community

We believe that God created ethnic diversity and that he loves it.  Jesus Christ makes it possible for people who are really different from one another to come together and experience amazing fellowship!  For the Glory of God, Cru at Cornell is a distinctively multi-ethnic community.   




Pastor (and author) Bryan Lorritts has been a huge influenced me tremendously on this topic of multi-ethnic Churches.  His message at Wheaton College titled "The Multiethnic Church as the Cure to Ferguson, Charleston and Beyond" is amazing!  

Although world history is full of division, warfare, oppression and a whole lot of racial tension, we believe there is a better way.  Things are not as they should be; God did not create mankind to devour and destroy each other!  But our disregard for God and his perfect ways, (what the Bible calls "sin") is the reason everything in the world and in our lives is so messed up!  


Sin creates animosity between man and God and also between people.  Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again in order to defeat sin and make the way for people to be reconciled back to God.  Jesus' victory over sin also enables mankind to enjoy communion with one another.   The gospel bonds people together like nothing else can.  

In Ephesians chapter 2 Paul is explaining the amazing community that God's grace makes possible.  He says that Christ's sacrifice on the cross actually "Killed the hostility" that existed between Jews and Gentiles.  Being brought together in Christ, people from different backgrounds and cultures were able to experience profound unity!   
In verse 15 Paul says that God  "created, in himself, one new man in place of the two..."  The greek word for new in that verse, is the word Kainos.  Kainos is the word used to describe something that's never been seen before; Kainos implies something that is unprecedented and revolutionary!  God's grace breaks into our racially fractured world and brings a new and beautiful peace.  Through Jesus we can have access to the Father through the Spirit. 

One of the things that makes Cornell so special are the cultural and ethnic demographics.  It’s amazing!   Cornell has people from every U.S. state, students from a wide array of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and students that are literally from countries all around the world.  Even still, the natural tendency of people is to "silo" themselves into cultural and sub-cultural enclaves. Generally speaking, most people hang out and share life only with people who are very much like themselves; they are not truly experiencing the blessing of cross-cultural interaction. Sadly, even among Christians in the Church this has historically been the case. As a ministry, we strive for something different! We actively embrace the glorious opportunity to live out the kind of intercultural "togetherness" that is completely out of the ordinary.

God loves the world and is at work re-connecting a diverse collection of people to himself. In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John gets a vision of heaven where he sees, gathered around the throne of almighty God, a unified family of Christ exalting worshipers. He sees a gathering of people from "every nation, tribe, people and language." When someone comes to one of our Friday night meetings we want them get a glimpse of heaven! We want our inter-cultural fellowship to be an overt display of the power that the gospel has to bless and unite all kinds of people! In and through every part of our ministry, we want the peace making, transformational power of God's grace to be tangible and active on this campus! Being a part of Cru means coming together and sharing life with people who are different. It means uniting in worship and in mission so that "all the families of the earth will be blessed."

(Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:11-22, Revelation 7:9, Genesis 12:3)

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Steak & Bacon......Kale & Quinoa

The vision for Cru at Cornell is that we would be a ministry of small groups.  This means that we regard our Community Groups as our primary vehicle for both discipleship and evangelism.  Among ministries and churches there are different philosophies and methodological approaches, but we believe gospel-centered missional small groups are they way to go.  Cru at Cornell has experienced consistent growth over the past 8 years primarily by raising up and developing small group leaders who help groups of people to discover and follow Christ.

This year, we have over 20 Community Groups in Cru.  A few of our groups took the time to take "group pics" when we were out at our Fall Getaway last month.  I love these pictures because they are portraits of "how we roll" here in Ithaca.

Often when we are promoting our "CG's" I'll say something like this:  "Community Groups are our main course here with Cru.  We used to say they were our 'bread and butter' but then we thought; who eats bread and butter as a main course?  Maybe we should be more gloriously specific!  Now we think of CG's as our 'steak and bacon'!  And if you're a vegetarian and that isn't calling your name -let me describe them as our 'kale and quinoa'!  Either way, we want you to partake!"  
Most of our groups are single gender groups, but we do have a couple of co-ed ones as well.  
I actually believe that it is fundamentally impossible for a student to thrive spiritually apart from a small group. Even going to church every Sunday will not be enough for a student.  A church service isn't nearly personal enough!  People must be united in dynamic fellowship with others who will help them to believe the gospel and walk closely with Christ in order to grow and experience the joy of knowing God.  









Monday, September 14, 2015

Shine Bright!

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 5:16
Neon Yellow shirts have almost become our trademark here at Cornell.  The implications of Jesus’ words above are many, but as we kick things off  we want to “be bright.”  Amidst all the options and distractions, our hope is that Cru's gospel centered community would be very visible!  We have the best news in the world and we want everyone to know where to find it!
God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.  Matthew 5:14 (The Message paraphrase)
Because the beginning of the year is such a strategic time, we strive to be present all over campus.  We host events, and we also show up to events that the University puts on. We want to be present and visible anywhere that we can be to make connections with students as the year begins.  
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. (Mt. 5:15)  That's what we are trying to do!  We want to "get up on the lamp-stand" so to speak. 

Thursday, June 4, 2015

From Parties to Evangelism

When it comes to communicating the gospel to people who don’t know Christ personally, there is general agreement that the best way to do this is in the context of relationship/friendship.   By and large most people in America -both Christians and non-Christians are decently averse to other modes of evangelism like street preaching, door to door, or random contact etc.   Although I don’t think any of those is unbiblical, I do think that these days it is most effective to communicate the gospel in conversations with people who you know and care about.  We should try and do that as often as possible!
But this doesn’t mean we should only talk about Jesus with the people we already have relationship with.   Certainly not.  Compelled by the love of Christ and commissioned to help the whole world  know and follow HIM, we must endeavor to reach out to others.  Living on mission with Jesus means meeting and connecting with more people.  We must strive to communicate God’s love and grace powerfully and effectively.  


Especially because all ministry is essentially an act of hospitality, one of the best ways to reach out to others involves hosting some form of hospitable gathering.   Here people can be exposed to the grace of God and experience fellowship in community.  This might look like a neighborhood cook-out, a party, maybe an open-mic style event, a bonfire or even something like an informal group of friends going out for burritos or bubble tea!   Whatever it is, it’s a venue for those who know Christ to spend some time mixing it up and building relationships with others who don’t know Christ.  
Below are three basic tips to help you be missional at a simple fellowship/party type of event.  
MAKE CONTACT:  
It is absolutely critical for those who know Christ to introduce themselves and welcome and talk to the people who are new!  This might seem obvious, but I can’t tell you how many fellowship/party events I’ve been to where all of the Christians are standing around talking only to other Christians while the non-Christians are out in another circle talking to each other!  MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!  What is happening?  Jesus’ words about  the wrongness of lighting a lamp and putting it under a bushel would apply here!  You need to extend your hand and meet people!  


There is nothing more missionally ineffective than a bunch of Christians hanging out NOT talking to those who do not know Jesus!  


MAKE A CONNECTION:  
Shaking hands and saying “welcome” is just the first step.   Again, because the idea is “relational evangelism” there needs to be a relationship!   Moving beyond simple greetings, take the time to  pursue conversation.  Think about where you are sitting.  Are you physically positioned in a place where you can connect with new people?   Sure someone needs to make sure that the napkins are stocked and that the ice bowl is full, but are you spending all of your time tending to logistics while ignoring the people?  Calm down Martha!  Take a load off, make yourself available, talk and chat it up.  Get to know things about the other person, and try to find those things that you might have in common.  


What we are doing here is actually caring about people.  The old saying: “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is applicable here.  Not talking to others essentially communicates; “I don’t really care much about you at all.”  

MAKE A PLAN: 
When you are at a large group cook out or dance or coffee shop or whatever kind of event, there is a good chance you are NOT going to be able to share the gospel right there and then.  Hopefully, as you cover ground in conversation, you’ll be able to at least broach the topic of spiritual things in some way.  And as you share a little bit about your life hopefully you’ll get the chance to at least mention the name of Jesus.  But in the crowded environment, you won’t always have the opportunity to really dig in and “talk theology” -especially if you haven’t known the person for more than 5 minutes.  So, you need to make a plan to meet up some other time.  How will you foster the relationship going forward?   It may involve inviting the person to something, or it might mean you going to something they invite you to!  Let’s say for example you learned that your new friend plays a lot of basketball at some gym or playground.  You could offer to meet up there and play some hoops.  Maybe your new friend has a booth at the farmer’s market.  You could make an appointment to go visit them there some Saturday morning.    Now the specifics of the situation might make this more or less conducive, but at the very least you should always try and exchange some sort of contact info. 

Even if you don’t sketch out a plan together, you as the missional-minded ambassador for Jesus Christ should be thinking of a plan!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Gospel Driven Student Leader

Two summers ago, Kelechi Umoga went back to Nigeria and began building a health clinic in the village of Abuja, Nigeria.  He hopes to go to med school and be a doctor, but he’s already begun to transform  health care in his home country!   

The Cornell Chronicle wrote a fantastic article about his work that you can read here.

Cru at Cornell is literally one of the largest student organizations on campus because of leaders like Kelechi.  He is a very committed leader in our ministry here and what that means is that he’s a contributor who shows up  week in and week out to work alongside others in an effort to serve his fellow students and work in ways that make Cornell more joyful.  To me that’s incredibly important.  I know that Kelechi can bring people together to work on something great in Africa because I’ve seen him do that here on campus.  

As a desk receptionist at Anabel Taylor Hall, one of Kelechi Umoga’s duties includes locking up Cornell’s Sage Chapel on the nights when he works.  A couple of weeks ago when he walked in after 11:00pm he saw a solitary student sitting in a pew quietly staring forward; deep in thought.  Kelechi hesitated a moment, not wanting to disturb the guy, and then politely asked him if he would mind shutting off the lights when he left.  The student obligingly said ‘yes’ and Kelechi was going to leave, but he felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to walk over and engage the student in conversation.   They ended up talking for quite a while and I have no doubt Kelechi was able to be of considerable comfort to this new friend who was struggling over the recent break up with his girlfriend.   In the end, they exchanged numbers and made plans to meet again.    Kelechi is a caring, helpful, compassionate person who makes time for others not just when he’s doing something spectacular, but even late at night when no one is around to see him. 

Kelechi hosts a Community Group, gives guidance to our student prayer team and sings in our Cru Cornell Gospel band. This guy has integrity and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.  When he sings there is a power that flows not just from his strong vocal chords but from the authentic, blood earnest faith that he has in Jesus Christ.  His conviction is evident and there’s just something right about a person proclaiming that “God is good all the time” who actually believes that!   

In the spring of 2013 Kelechi accompanied our group on a service trip to Haiti where we work with an orphanage.  Kelechi is fluent in French which was incredibly helpful and he was certainly a natural with the kids.  I have this image burned into my mind whenever I think about Kelechi of him dancing with the orphans one evening at the house.  He told me once that back in high school he was really into partying and his dance skills were somewhat notorious.  So much of that party scene was destructive and self-promoting and so when he became a Christian he was very cautious about getting involved in that type of scene, and so he really doesn’t dance as much.   But he brought out the moves that night, and the kids were all about it!   And for me, that scene really captures so much of who Kelechi is.   He’s a man in motion, engaging with others, bringing joy and blessing to those around him.   When you think about it, that’s pretty much what dancing is really supposed to be about anyway.  So for me his skills are still notorious! 

When it comes to motivation, drive, initiative and even big vision, you could say that there are a lot of guys like Kelechi at Cornell.  But to me, what sets him apart is that he’s such a team player.  Kelechi has plans that’s for sure, but he’s unusual in that he’s not out there trying to just do his own thing by himself.   He lives life connected with others, and he has good friends.   For any grand endeavor to really work in this world you need capable people who can truly lead others, motivate others and  mobilize their friends.    Kelechi is adept at joining together with others and getting other people involved in whatever he is doing. 
  
Kelechi spent this last summer studying  for his Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and in the end, his score wasn’t that great.  He will need to keep studying and retake the test in order to gain admittance into med school and that was discouraging for sure.   But as long as he feels called to be a doctor I am absolutely certain that he will strive and persevere and overcome in order to achieve that goal.  And even though the scores weren’t as good on this round as he would like, I feel confident that he will make an incredible doctor some day because he already does so many of those things that great doctors must do!  He actually cares for people, he serves others, he lives a life of consistency and conviction.  He passes his classes here at Cornell, so I also know that he’s academically capable, it’s just a matter of time before he improves his MCAT scores and proceeds to med school.  But in the meantime, what he’s going to do is trust God and live his life doing all kinds of wonderful things, and so there will be no time “lost” that’s for sure! 

Either way, Kelechi is planning to take a gap year and  this past weekend, he was with me in Rochester, attending Cru's intern preview weekend.  He is seriously considering sticking with us next year as an intern which would be absolutely incredible!  

In case you haven’t read this article about him, please check it out:

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Olympic Challenge

I posted this classic video clip back in 2010, but in light of the Olympics, I thought it would be a good one to re-post.  Francis Chan knows how to illustrate things in creative, compelling and challenging ways.  I love this guy!


Saturday, November 12, 2011

Why we join Community Groups


 In order to truly be growing in our relationship with God, experiencing Gospel-centered fellowship and participating in the Christ-exalting mission of the Church (Matt 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8) we must be a part of a small group.

We’ve been back in town just over three weeks now and so this past Wednesday we attended our first community group with Blaze Christian Fellowship.  We would have attended sooner, but the week before was Stephanie’s birthday and I decided to take her out to dinner.    It’s important to get plugged into the local church right away, and I fundamentally believe being part of a community group is the best and most effective way to do that.   Since being back in town we have consistently attended the worship services as well as a large outreach/service event.  When we were around this summer, we went to the annual church picnic.   Those are all very important venues for connection, but I am convinced that in order to truly be growing in our relationship with God, experiencing Gospel-centered fellowship and participating in the Christ-exalting mission of the Church (Matt 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8) we must be a part of a small group.   In our CRU ministry at Cornell, we uphold Community Groups as our primary vehicle for both discipleship and evangelism. 


We picked a great week to start because it was Frito-Pie week!  Once a month the group eats together and has a more informal hang out time.   We all gathered in one of the members homes and I chowed three full bowls of fantastic red chile and beans while talking and getting to know other people.  Our kids were with us, and they too got to eat and make new friends.   It was fun and familial and everybody seemed really cool  -as people usually do when you first meet them;)  After eating we simply chilled and eventually someone started up a game of Mad Gab.  I don’t like games really, and I would have preferred to remain on the couch talking about trucks and chainsaws with some of the other guys, but playing together is a great way to get to know others and have a shared experience, so I jumped in with both feet.   Sadly my team got destroyed! 

A more typical meeting will include time studying the Bible, sharing about life and praying together.  Joining this new small group I have some specific hopes, desires and things I want to see.   

First of all, we are joining a small group for our spiritual health.  A Small group is a place where we are reminded of the good news and enabled to live in light of it.  

Our God is a glorious and amazing God.  He loves us and he has created us to live life intimately connected to him.  He is the source of life and joy and satisfaction.   He also created us to live in fellowship with all the other people he loves.  The Christian life is meant to be lived in community, like a family, with God as our father. 

We are created in God’s image and that is why we are such relational beings.   Our Trinitarian God himself dwells in community; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist within a loving fellowship and he made us to do the same.   God is a loving community and he created us to live life in loving community and he has declared plainly that it is not good for man to live alone.   Sin decimated our relationship with God and completely jacks up our relationships with others, but Jesus’ death on the cross conquers sin, and thru him and with him we can experience the joy-filled fellowship with God and others that we were made for.   In a small group, we get together with others to live rightly remember the truth and worship our amazing God. 

In a small group you get to sit with people who know you and who know you who can help you apply the gospel to your life.  It’s easy to show up to a worship service, sing some songs and hear some good teaching, but we need more than that.   I heard one teacher explain that we can experience conviction at a church service, but it’s in a small group that we experience repentance and thus real transformation.  I think we can receive exhortation during corporate worship, but in order to really live Christ-like we need the encouragement that comes in the small group setting.  

A small group is a place where we can be around older wiser Christians who can help us follow Jesus and experience his power in our lives.   
We really want to be a part of a group with some older married couples.  I asked to be in this one because I know one of the couples and I think we could really benefit from some time with them.  Not only are we currently walking thru difficult times, but Stephanie and I are in sort of a difficult and complex stage of life!  We need role-models and people around us who can support us and coach us and help us.  Words like discipleship, accountability, challenge and discipline all come to mind, but it all boils down to truth and grace.  We need people around us pointing us to God’s words of life and we need kind, loving, help –even when we don’t deserve it.

A small group is a place where we can participate in mission.   
Jesus has called and commissioned and empowered us as his followers to spread his name and advance his kingdom all over the earth.  A month ago we were living in New York, and today we are in New Mexico and in both places we are called to witness for Christ.  While here in Santa Fe we are praying that God would use us to advance the Gospel and I have specific friends and relatives who I am praying for intentionally.  But again, as the Christian life was not meant to be lived alone, the Christian mission was not meant to be done alone.   Jesus himself, as God did ministry in community with the Father and the Holy Spirit as well as his group of disciples.  Whenever he sent his guys out, he sent them in pairs or small groups.   In order to spread the good news and see people come to salvation we need the power of the Holy Spirit and the support of the body of Christ.  I want to be a part of a small group where we are praying together for people to see God’s glory.    I want to be a part of a small group where we can invite friends and relatives to experience gospel fellowship and see God’s grace in action.   I want to be a part of a small group where I can bring people to encounter Jesus. 

I’m joining this small group because it’s a connected to a church that I really love and believe in.  (It’s important for there to be some structure and helpful to maintain order to have the group leaders connected to and accountable to the elders and church leadership etc.)   Though I have not lived in Santa Fe for many years now, I have known the pastoral staff here for a while and have been attracted to the vision and potential of Blaze Christian Fellowship since the beginning.  The vision of Blaze is To spark a passion for God through His Gospel in the hearts of people so that they inturn ignite the world around them for Jesus Christ -but I before I read that on the website, I saw it being modeled in the life of the pastors and members.  My heart beats for that, and I want to join with others to se that happen!   I want to see thousands and thousands of people in Santa Fe, NM come to know God.  And the way to effectively be a part of all that is to be in a small group. 

The group I went to the other night was a little bit too big I think.  There were probably enough people in that group to form two healthy community groups.  But to be honest, I would rather have a group that’s kind of big than a group that’s too small because we have a big mission!  And since our God is big and our mission field is big, I like having a team that’s big. 

A current ‘buzzword’ is Missional Community.   A missional community is just a group of people who love Jesus, who worship Jesus, who trust in Jesus who are following Jesus together,  on mission –making disciples of all nations.   Fundamentally, I believe a small group should be more than a bible study, more than a small group of people who like each other, more than a weekly accountability time, more than a class.   I think this group will be a missional community and that’s why we joined.   

Sunday, May 16, 2010

7 Ways to be a Missionary in College

This list is from a post written by Matt Jensen over at theresurgence.com I like it, and it flows very well with the stuff we talk about all the time here on campus.

1. Know Non-Christians

It seems like common sense, but too many campus ministries are set up to babysit nice, moralistic, hypocritical youth group kids an create a bubble around them. As Christians, we have to be outwardly focused, as the father sent Jesus, Jesus sends us into the culture. It's so much easier to share the gospel if you belong before you ask people to believe (John 20:21)

2. Think about where you will live

Make your living situation missional: meet new friends and build relationships to see students meet Jesus instead of secluding yourself with people who all act and think the same way you do. Grab a Christian friend and move into the wildest apartment in the neighborhood. Don't conform, but be a movement of change in an area where it's desperately needed.

3. Join the Greek System

there's instant community established by living in the Greek system, and people in sororities and fraternities know everyone. Once you're in, you become really well connected and are able to be on mission in an extreme environment. Yeah, I know: They sin a lot. So does everyone else in college (1 Cor. 9:19-23)

4. Get involved (not just at church)

Join a club related to your major, hobby or interest. Stop saying yes to every church obligation and begin seeking how the Gospel can apply to all areas of life. build relationships by playing intramural sports on a team without all your Christian friends.

5. Start a small group in public

Instead of meeting in a house or apartment, start gathering in a coffee shop or study hall. this will not only allow you to support the local community, but it might also allow somebody else to eavesdrop on a worthwhile conversation

Serve the community

Get involved with a local non-profit or service center. By serving the community alongside non-believers, you're doing the work that Jesus calls us to do by being missional not only to the population you're serving, but also to the people you're serving alongside.

Practice Radical Hospitality

College students aren't known for being the most financially well-off or generous people around. Buying a classmate coffee or lunch is a small sacrifice that can speak volumes and made a huge statement in demonstrating grace. This could also mean driving drunks home from a party and sharing the gospel with them the next day as you take them to ge their car.

You have a few short years to reach people who will scatter throughout the world and live for something or someone. The key to being a missionary on a university campus is believing Jeus is worthy of every student's worship for his glory and our friends' eternal joy!