September 16, 2002
Students marshalled for spiritual
battles as they return to campuses
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___ARLINGTON--Like a general in God's forces, inspirational speaker Louie Giglio mobilized an army of college students to become serious about their spiritual lives and spread the gospel.
___"There is an army in this room against which the gates of hell can't stand," Giglio told the audience at Focus, an Aug. 30-Sept. 1 event sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Center for Collegiate Ministry. "There's an army that can finish the job. There's an army that can take the word to every student on each college campus."
___Giglio spoke to about 4,000 students from across Texas during several worship services that also featured musician Chris Tomlin and a performance by the David Crowder Band.
STUDENTS and leaders enjoy a friendly time of conversation at the registration table for Focus.
___Student reaction to Giglio's appeal varied from quiet prayer to tears. One young woman broke a silent moment in a service crying, "We need you, Jesus!" symbolizing a generation's call for God.
___Giglio told the students the baton of faith was being passed to their generation to make a difference in the world for God. But to make that difference, they must realign their priorities, he warned.
___"If you are going to take the baton, if you are going to say, 'Hand me the baton,' consider Jesus, get locked on to him," Giglio said.
___"We have become infatuated with Christianity and not overwhelmed by Jesus. People are talking about the people of the kingdom. What campuses need to hear is his name."
___Taking these words to heart, some students attended smaller learning seminars to help them focus on Jesus. They discussed topics such as the importance of church in their lives, relationships, evangelism and prayer.
___About 1,300 students from 47 groups dispersed across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to put their faith into action. The mission projects varied from sorting clothes to cleaning homes to helping with a block party.
___Students from Baptist Student Ministries of East Texas Baptist University and the University of Houston helped the University of Texas at Arlington BSM kick off the year with a welcome party for international students.
___The event provided an opportunity to showcase the ministry to other campuses and continue to reach the school, said Caleb Dulock, a team leader for the international ministry at UTA.
___"I'm seeing that it's a time to plant seeds," he said. "I hope internationals take from this that we care about them."
___The project presented a unique occasion for Jennifer Maclin, a senior at Stephen F. Austin University who requested to be involved in the venture. International missions is a cause that has been on her heart.
___"We are touching the world because these people will take this event back to wherever they came from," she said.
___While Jesus remained at the forefront of their minds for the weekend, Giglio implored them to remain faithful in sharing Jesus with the world.
___"Stop looking around, don't mark your calendar for next year, don't worry about next summer, it's right now," he said. "It's time for you to rise up and take the baton."
___
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook
