2008 Woodie Awards
Campus group has small focus
Angela Reid
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Justin Harris stood in front of the group of students holding up 2 golf clubs, a putter and a 9-iron, asking which one he should use if he was a football field away from the green.
The group of students was attending a Campus Outreach meeting and the answer to the question was clear. The purpose is obvious because of the design.
Harris, the college minister from Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, was a guest speaker for the group's weekly meeting, Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. in the Jack Hopper Dining Hall. He encouraged the students to consider what their design told them about their purpose, referencing Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in His own image…"
But don't think that students sit and listen to a different speaker every week. Many Wednesday nights are dedicated to discussion groups. A speaker will give a quick 5-minute overview of a topic. Students then break up into small groups to discuss the topic and what the Bible says about it.
Other nights are simply social nights with food and games.
Unlike many other college ministries, Campus Outreach is small-group oriented. Their focus is life-on-life discipleship.
Seth Terrell, one of the on-campus staff members at JSU, said that their purpose is to "grow and divide." The group wants to stay small.
Small is definitely a relative term. The Wednesday night group is large enough visitors don't feel like outsiders yet small enough that regular attendees know who the visitors are and know that they need to know what's going on.
Terrell described the weekly meetings as "real informal" with a "coffeehouse atmosphere." He also said, "basically any denomination is welcome." Their main purpose is "to build Christ-like laborers, on the campus, for the world."
Weekly meetings aren't the only things on the Campus Outreach schedule. Their two other events of the year are the Summer Beach Project and Christmas Conference.
The Summer Beach Project sends college student to Panama City for 10 weeks during the summer. They live in one hotel and work 40 hours a week. They also study the Bible, share their faith, meet in discipleship groups and receive theological teaching.
"It's one of the greatest training opportunities available to college students," said Terrell.
The Christmas Conference includes a five days trip and a speaker. The trip is planned for college students, not a youth group. Terrell describes the conference as "five days for someone to get away and evaluate their relationship with the Lord, then focus on it."
For more information visit www.campusoutreach.org or e-mail sethterrell@campusoutreach.org.
Girls can contact Traci Mathews at tmathews@campusoutreach.org.
The group of students was attending a Campus Outreach meeting and the answer to the question was clear. The purpose is obvious because of the design.
Harris, the college minister from Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, was a guest speaker for the group's weekly meeting, Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. in the Jack Hopper Dining Hall. He encouraged the students to consider what their design told them about their purpose, referencing Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in His own image…"
But don't think that students sit and listen to a different speaker every week. Many Wednesday nights are dedicated to discussion groups. A speaker will give a quick 5-minute overview of a topic. Students then break up into small groups to discuss the topic and what the Bible says about it.
Other nights are simply social nights with food and games.
Unlike many other college ministries, Campus Outreach is small-group oriented. Their focus is life-on-life discipleship.
Seth Terrell, one of the on-campus staff members at JSU, said that their purpose is to "grow and divide." The group wants to stay small.
Small is definitely a relative term. The Wednesday night group is large enough visitors don't feel like outsiders yet small enough that regular attendees know who the visitors are and know that they need to know what's going on.
Terrell described the weekly meetings as "real informal" with a "coffeehouse atmosphere." He also said, "basically any denomination is welcome." Their main purpose is "to build Christ-like laborers, on the campus, for the world."
Weekly meetings aren't the only things on the Campus Outreach schedule. Their two other events of the year are the Summer Beach Project and Christmas Conference.
The Summer Beach Project sends college student to Panama City for 10 weeks during the summer. They live in one hotel and work 40 hours a week. They also study the Bible, share their faith, meet in discipleship groups and receive theological teaching.
"It's one of the greatest training opportunities available to college students," said Terrell.
The Christmas Conference includes a five days trip and a speaker. The trip is planned for college students, not a youth group. Terrell describes the conference as "five days for someone to get away and evaluate their relationship with the Lord, then focus on it."
For more information visit www.campusoutreach.org or e-mail sethterrell@campusoutreach.org.
Girls can contact Traci Mathews at tmathews@campusoutreach.org.