by Hansol An

Why We Do It

As a ministry of LBC, College Life inherently has the same Mission as the rest of the church: to make disciples of Christ. No matter what other goals or objectives a campus ministry has, nothing else should take precedence over that. Fellowship with other collegians, having fun, and even accumulating Biblical knowledge fall short of the most important thing a campus ministry does: foster the true spiritual growth of each member. Even small groups are offered primarily to provide accountability and guidance which aid spiritual maturity, not as an exclusive club for good times. Does that mean we can’t have fun? Of course not. I think College Life has the most fun of all the affinity groups! But when it gets down to it, what it really needs to accomplish over a fast-paced school year, is spiritual growth.

All the reports (from the small group leaders) would seem to indicate that the ministry seems to have been successful. Of course this is not to say that every individual that came in contact with College Life became the next Jonathan Edwards. But the majority of the students have shown growth, evident through their lives. AW Pink once said that “Growth is silent and at the time imperceptible to our senses, though later it is evident.” Basically, it’s difficult to quantify, but the way a person talk, acts, and makes decisions over time is the fruit that gives evidence of a person’s growth and faith. Even through casual interaction I could see that many of the College Lifers were showing maturity in May that they didn’t have in September.

This is why we do it. This is why the staff works tirelessly to invest our time, energy and resources into those we have been called to lead. Not to deter any potential staffers in the future, but Peter Lim described it well – it’s a sprint for nine months! But at the end of the year, when it’s time to take an account of what was accomplished, we look to growth as our unperceivable measuring stick; not attendance or fun activities or anything else.

We can’t see it but we can see it. And when we see it, it’s all worth it. Quote me on that.

Changes This Year

For those of you who actually read this, you get a sneak peek at some changes for this year. First, we will be meeting at church on Fridays nights at 7pm. This will allow us to have more flexibility, activities, food and a full praise band. If we want to hangout after bible study, play ping pong and eat, we can. Also we got us a shuttle! Well it’s not just for College Life but still…