Here They Come . . . and There They Go

An international student from Peru, studying at the University of Arkansas, is about to be baptized.

Both American and international students will arrive with dreams and plans for their college careers and their futures. But what most will not realize is that when they arrive on campus, God is already there. Many of these students will encounter God in ways that will change their lives.

Saying “hello” to these new students is much easier than saying “good-bye” to the seniors who graduated just a few months ago. On the last Sunday of the school year, many of our graduates shared what God did in their lives during their years at the university. Some of them came to the campus as Christians. Others came to know Christ while here. But all were leaving different: more mature, more prepared, more focused.

More importantly, these students weren”t just leaving””they were being sent. And what the Lord began on our campus in Arkansas would spread across the country and around the world.

A Different World

As I listened to these students, I thought about ripples. When you drop a rock into a calm body of water, the ripples seem to go on and on. Where would the ripples of these graduating students reach? How would the world be different because of their involvement in campus ministry?

Ray and Su played in our worship band. They went on mission trips and worked in local service projects. For the past two years, they led a small group for international students and touched lives from around the world. Dozens came to the Super Bowl parties they hosted in the dorm, complete with lessons on American football, tailgating food, and door prizes. And then many would come to their small group””Christians, atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims. They would come to listen, ask questions, or ask for prayer. Some would find their way to our worship services to hear more and ask more questions. All heard about Jesus. And though not all chose to follow him, some did make decisions for Christ.

As Ray begins his career as an engineer in Texas, and Su begins her business career in South Korea, they will go with a sense of mission, a sense of purpose, a vision of how God can use them for the rest of their lives, and the practical experience to continue their ministry.

Jon became a local celebrity while at the university“”the face for undocumented college students. Jon”s family had come to the U.S. from Peru when he was in middle school. His parents divorced, remarried, and their status became legal. But Jon”s never did and, in January 2011, he was picked up in a bus station in Florida as he went to visit his mother. He was detained for several weeks, and it seemed he would soon be deported.

As he waited in that detention center, he helped lead five Bible studies each day in both English and Spanish. When he was released, he was the focus of many local television and newspaper stories. Each interview presented a chance for Jon to talk about God”s provision.

Jon”s case was settled, and he was granted legal status in the U.S. He will be pursuing a graduate degree in vocal performance as an opera singer. But mostly, he will be pursuing God and taking advantage of every opportunity to share about God”s goodness with those who find themselves trapped in a situation that seems too big for them.

Though Hannah grew up going to church, a true faith in Christ was something she had never developed. Like many teens in our society (and in our churches), her life revolved around her boyfriend more than Jesus. When the boyfriend failed her, she fell into a downward spiral that led her away from God for several months.

But God is faithful and drew her back to himself. She experienced grace in a way that changed her heart and her dreams. So, rather than going to pharmacy school next year, she will be serving in our campus ministry and sharing that grace with the women on our campus.

Leadership Training Center

Campus ministry is about the ripple effect. It is not a babysitting service for Christian students on college campuses. And it is not just about gathering a large group of students for some lively worship music. Campus ministry is about reaching, equipping, and training leaders to serve the kingdom of God across our country and around the world in
an infinite number of ways and in ever-expanding ripples.

It is a ministry of evangelism, as we seek ways to share Christ and the implications of following him with students, faculty, and staff from around the world. But it is also a leadership training center. The students we work with during their college years will be the next generation of leaders in our world and in our churches. Campus ministry is a pipeline, training and equipping leaders whose primary areas of service will be in other places. Our students will be doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, nurses, business leaders, politicians, and more. But they will also be tomorrow”s elders, deacons, teachers, preachers, and missionaries.

As our students shared their stories on that Sunday, the faces and stories of previous generations of students who had encountered God on our campus ran through my mind.

Chris and Kristin have developed a ministry in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that both serves the city and helps young adults discover the mission they were created to live.

Chandra is a project manager for the new George W. Bush Presidential Library that is being built in Dallas, Texas. She also mentors a group of high school girls and helps to lead Bible schools in Kenya.

Travis is a psychology professor in Houston, Texas, who also teaches a second-grade Sunday school class and leads a men”s Bible study.

Mike, who moved from being an atheist to a Christian while in college, is the assistant principal at a middle school in Houston that reaches at-risk students. He preaches occasionally and has baptized both of his sons into Christ, giving them the Christian home and influence he never had.

Dave is the head volleyball coach at a university in central Arkansas. He also runs a volleyball club that sponsors several youth teams. Every year he takes some of them overseas to play volleyball and share Christ.

Erin”s place of ministry is as a lead nurse at a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, where she not only uses her gifts of service and mercy to meet the needs of patients, but also to serve the nurses on her floor.

Stacy is using her degree in business to work with a homeless ministry in Colorado Springs, as well as working with her husband to help lead a small group at their church.

Saying good-bye to graduating seniors is often hard. We have studied together, served together, and prayed together. But it is exciting to think where their ripples will go and the lives they will touch. Because of the nature of our work with special students like these, it is impossible to estimate where the influence of a campus ministry reaches. So we leave that to God.

Now it is again time to welcome thousands of new students to campus. How will we reach them? What will we do? We will do what God has called us to do, what we have done for 30 years: reach them with the love of Christ, equip them to serve, and send them out into the world””and all over the world””to make Jesus known.

Mike Armstrong serves as campus minister with Christ on Campus at the University of Arkansas. He is currently the president of the Association of Collegiate Ministries, the network of campus ministries listed in the directory in this issue of CHRISTIAN STANDARD.