February 9, 2000
Conference taps students
with appeal for evangelism
___By Laura Cadena &
___Dan Martin
___Texas Baptist Communications
___FORT WORTH--More than 350 college students from across Texas braved bitter winter weather to study and apply evangelism at the first Texas Collegiate Evangelism Workshop Jan. 28-29.
___They were joined Jan. 31 by about 370 more, who attended the opening day of the Texas Baptist Evangelism Conference in the Fort Worth Convention Center.
___Some of the students drove more than 12 hours from schools as far away as El Paso, Alpine, Amarillo and the Rio Grande Valley "because their hearts have been touched with the need for evangelism on their campuses," said Tom Ruane, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas student ministry.
___The weekend conference drew students from 27 campuses to First Baptist Church of Arlington, to learn how to do evangelism and then to brave bitter winds and freezing temperatures to share their faith at 11 locations around the Metroplex, including the Fort Worth Stock Show, Sundance Square, inner-city Dallas and Fort Worth and the mid-cities.
___During the opening session, Kevin Ueckert, minister to students at Calvary Baptist Church in Bryan, told the students evangelism "is about relationships. Evangelism flows out of your relationship with the Lord. That goes beyond my fear, ... creates in me boldness."
___The student minister said his prayer is that the students "might get a glimpse of the glory of God, the grace of God, and have a fresh brokenness about people in the world who do not know our God."
___He told of going to the site of the Texas A&M bonfire collapse and of seeing the broken bodies of several of the students who were killed when the logs crushed them.
___"The sight of death overwhelmed me," he said, and then urged the students to have a sense of horror when they realize that people without Christ are dead as well.
___"We were all dead before Christ," he said. "I want you to have the understanding that you were dead but have been made alive through Christ. You were dead, but God has recreated you, made you alive.
___"When you see people on campus, do you just look past them, or are you broken? Do you see them fly by, or do you see them spiritually? What does Christ's love motivate you to do?"
___Buddy Young, Baptist Student Ministry director at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, urged the students to begin a "watchman movement" on their campuses.
___He asked students to pray and care for those around them, to watch over them, to pray for and develop a relationship with those around them.
___The veteran BSM leader said college students are "the most under-reached people group in America" and told the students their peers constitute "the greatest captive audience you will ever have."?
___A watchman watches, worships and witnesses, he said. And a watchman tells the people of God's love.
___Young told the students of the "Lighthouses of Prayer" movement which has sprung up across America, in which people pledge to pray for their neighbors and co-workers. He urged students to start a watchman movement to pray for those in their chemistry class, English class, dorm, apartment, grocery store.
___Rollin DeLap, evangelism consultant for college students with the North American Mission Board and a former Texas student minister, urged the students to memorize Scripture, to put it in their hearts and minds and to "meditate upon it day and night."
___DeLap urged the students to make themselves available to witness to their peers. If college students do not accept Christ before they graduate, then 95 percent to 99 percent of them never will, he reported.
___The students participated in two of five seminars Saturday, and the Monday contingent had opportunity to attend two of four offerings on various aspects of evangelism, ranging from apologetics to starting new churches
___"This is the first time we have had a conference dedicated to evangelism training," said Richard Piles, evangelism consultant with BGCT. "We know students have a testimony to share but they are just not sure how to package it. These seminars gave them several options of how to share their testimony."
___
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