the Word Spring 2010
Campus.
Community.
World.
Taking the truth of Jesus Christ
Impact Regional
Conference
Impact Takes on Chicago
It only takes a small spark to start a powerful fire that can consume cities and nations. God wants to spark a spiritual fire that will consume you, your campus, and your community with a passion for Him. All around us lie stagnant campuses, spiritually cold cities, and hardened hearts. Who will be set aflame by the contagious power of God to become agents of change in our nation? Hundreds of young men and women coming together with one intent and purpose – this is the essence of God’s body. Impact’s regional conference from January 15-17 drew students from all over the country to Chicago, Illinois. We went seeking to be set aflame and revived for work in God’s kingdom. Each day was full of soul-satisfying teaching and worship that brought us into the presence of God. God changed us all. Whether we came strong in our faith, struggling, or questioning, we all left with renewed zeal to fulfill the purpose God intended for us. We reached in and examined our own spiritual lives through the study of scripture and worship, then reached out and took the Good News to the streets through street evangelism. Our hearts desire is that God will perfect what he began in our lives and the lives of those we reached out to on the streets. Hear what a few students had to say about their conference experience...
I was simply blown away by the number of people around my age that were on fire for the Word. It’s always seemed to me that in this day and age, not too many young adults were into Christianity anymore, but my experience at Impact totally changed that. It’s wonderful knowing that there are many others like me that are willing to change our world for Christ. The enthusiasm I saw in some of the other students there tells me that I need to step up my game!
Ben Madueme, Freshman
The conference brings together a plethora of young and passionate adults for the glory of God. The expertise of the national staff equips the college students to reach their campuses and the community around them. At the conference, students get so hype and on fire for God, as well as receive Biblical teaching through workshops and seminars. Overall, the conference experience has been lifechanging for me, which God has used to speak to me and bring me closer to Him.
Katya Starostina, Senior
Be The
ways to persuade a person into believing in a God.From a social standpoint, this was important because it taught me how to avoid certain words or phrases that would turn an individual away. Additionally, after evangelizing, I realized that all that time I was probably talking about one of the most awkward topics that people generally talk about (aside from politics). That said, when you are able to approach someone and talk about God and how to experience a personal relationship with Him, there is nothing else in this world that you can’t talk about. So all in all, I am glad I took the time out to make the trip to Chicago for the conference. I can say with confidence that it was a trip well worth taking.
Ben Antoine, Freshman
Attending the Impact conference of 2009 truly opened my eyes and enlightened me. Whether Christian, any other religious affiliation, the Impact conference teaches you not only how to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but also how to become a better woman or man. I felt as if I was going through training on how to reach my peak in life. The sermons preached by Pastor White truly touched me. His “10 ways to living a successful life” sermon taught me how I should plan my life step by step and to always have a goal in mind. I found the evangelizing part of the program very crucial in that it helped me break out of my shell and interact with the general public. Evangelizing forces you to think about creative
S Spark
N I C T N E Y G S 0 1 0 9.2
1
03.
h g i te N
t
t n e Ev
a
Im
L t c pa
Get Up! Brianna Kent, Sophomore In about A.D. 63, there lived a man named Saul. His job consisted of going from house to house in Jerusalem, arresting, threatening and murdering believers of Christ. One day he was on a road and the Lord “struck him down”, blinding him and making him aware of his offenses against God. God then charged him with a new purpose and ordered him to “Get up” and go fulfill it. God later explains, to a Christian named Ananias, that this unlikely choice, Saul, was “[God’s] chosen instrument to carry [His] name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” Saul, the murderer, was chosen by God to fulfill his purpose as Paul, the apostle of Christ. Seems like Paul was a pretty unlikely choice! Well, he was. We were all “unlikely choices”, at one point in our lives, having nothing to offer God but our lives in total disarray. Paul had to come to the knowledge of his failure and need for God, as
is truly wonderful “ Itwhen brothers and sisters are in UNITY.
”
Mele Mel & 3PFD Rock the Stage we all must. As we, believers in Christ, as one body, this truth serves as a rock of unification, keeping us all dependent on God. In celebration of this unifying act by God, we hosted a Late Night event, from 9 pm until midnight, at the center of campus. We invited Christian musical artists from all around the Pittsburgh area to come and enjoy a night of testimony and fellowship with us. Each artist and audience member that night was no different from our friend Paul, in his situation 2000 years ago. God had chosen for us all to be there that night, for a purpose, celebrating the grace of God in saving us and bringing us together as one body to tell others.
There were performances by CMU’s Christian a capella group, local hip hop artists 3PFD, Stephen Brindle, spoken word artists and even musical performances by our own students. With loud music blasting through the speakers, and a crowd of people gathered in our campus University Center, the excitement and joy in the room couldn’t have been ignored. I saw young Christians laughing, singing and dancing together, using it all to praise God. We even closed out the evening by experiencing Godgiven worship. The unfamiliar presence of talent and Godly confidence on campus was so overwhelming that even passersby were stopping and asking questions. People with gifts from God were chosen to make an impact on our campus! I was a performer that night, and before getting on stage, I had the nerve to be anxious, almost
worried about what might happen. I remember one of the artists saying that, “your song or your testimony is always speaking directly to somebody in the audience.” Later, I realized that that performance wasn’t even close to being about me. It was about God relaying His message to some person in need that night. Of everything good from that night, this had the greatest impact on me. God revealed to me how in-control He is. He placed us here with gifts of every kind, and our job is to give Him the opportunity to use them. One spoken word artist was definitely speaking to me, and I now understand that God was using me to speak to someone else. What seems like a simple act of obedience to you may be what God uses for a miracle in someone else’s life. Think about it!
Late Night was sweet! I was just blown away by the unity. Artists of different races coming together to lead everyone into God’s presence. This was definitely an event that made people stop and do a double take.
Kwadwo Som-Pimpong, Junior
It was fun. I must say a little surprising. The performances were good! So were the testimonies.
Heather Bernard, Junior
Want to Give! To the CMU Chapter
Visit:
www.cmu.edu/campaign/ ways/online.html
At Step 2 :
Select “Other” and then enter “Impact Movement” To the National Organization
Visit: www.impactmovement.com
Select the Tab: “Giving Opportunities” In just our second year on campus at Carnegie Mellon University, we continue to be amazed at how God is using us to reach the CMU campus, surrounding communities, and world with the truth of Jesus Christ. We ask that you join with us in prayer for what God is doing in the city of Pittsburgh and that He would allow you to be a spark in your community in bringing the Good News! Feel free to e-mail us at impact.cmu@gmail.com for updates on what we are doing, how you can help, and for any prayer requests you have.
God Bless,
The Impact Movement: Carnegie Mellon Chapter