BlogBloghttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012-05-24T18:41:07ZSquarespacea changed lifehttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/5/24/a-changed-life.htmlAdmin2012-05-24T18:32:33Z2012-05-24T18:32:33ZAndrew Stillwagon // NC State

 

]]>Trading Laziness for Missionhttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/5/9/trading-laziness-for-mission.htmlAdmin2012-05-09T15:09:58Z2012-05-09T15:09:58ZLast Wednesday was a very special night for me. Around 40 or 50 students gathered in the Coffee House of Craige dorm to reflect on and celebrate the lives of our graduating seniors and the work that God has done in them and through them over the course of their college careers. It was special for me because it gave me a chance to publicly communicate how thankful I am to God for each of them and how encouraged and enriched I've been by their friendships. I had the privilege of leading three out of the four men we honored to Christ when they were freshmen and I discipled all four throughout there time in college. I gave my life to these four men and being able to stand up and honor them in front of so many people was something I'll never forget. The amazing thing is none of these guys were Christians when they stepped foot on Chapel Hill's campus. A few thought they were and one was a self proclaimed atheist but through relational deposits and exposure to God's word I watch them, one by one,  surrender their lives to Jesus. I watched them trade the approval of man for the glory of God. I watched them trade laziness for mission. I watched them trade being influenced to influencing others. I watched them make self sacrificing, God honoring decisions day by day. All four of them lived in a freshman dorm throughout college..unheard of! They labored there with the goal and prayer of reproducing their lives and making disciples. All four gave up their summer plans to be trained and equipped for kingdom work. Last summer I had the privilege to lead our Cross Cultural Project and I wanted my men with me. All four of these guys labored by me as we tried to advance the gospel in a foreign land. I'll never forget those two months and how he used that time to turn those guys from boys to men. With graduation on the horizon my time with these guys is coming to an end. Brooks is moving to Denver to plug in with a church plant. Adam is doing the same in Greensboro. Drew is coming on staff with us at Duke. And Will is working a job in Durham. It will never look the same. But last Wednesday as I looked around the room all I could see was the legacy they were leaving behind. They multiplied. They are leaving but their fruit is still here. How great is our God! He can take atheist boys and make them into godly men that will labor for the rest of their lives to bless others. Not to us O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory.

Blog Post By: Erik McKee

]]>Follow the Leaderhttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/4/23/follow-the-leader.htmlAdmin2012-04-23T20:20:04Z2012-04-23T20:20:04ZFive years ago, Campus Outreach Raleigh did not exist.  There was a team of people from Charleston, SC who prayerfully decided they wanted to move to Raleigh and begin a new region.  They knew one student who was coming to Chapel Hill and was committed to discipleship. Their first year here, there was a staff presence at UNC and NC State.  Two years later, the ministries at these two schools were growing quickly and staying healthy, so some staff launched a movement at Campbell.  Then, two years after that, with the first wave of graduates at NC State and UNC, the Duke movement was launched.  Next year, we will be expanding to ECU.  Needless to say, God has been at work in this region well before the first staff team came to Raleigh, and He has blessed our region with some faithful leaders who want to take the Gospel to students at their campuses.  We continue to see fruit at these campuses, and our ministry continues to grow. 

At the beginning of this year, Bowe Butler moved into the position of the regional director for Campus Outreach Raleigh.  He and his wife Ashley had been parents of their precious daughter Reece for about 3 months when he took over.  This transition means that Bowe is in charge of making all the major decisions for our region and making sure that the staff team is healthy as well as the movement at each of the campuses.  This is a huge undertaking!  I think I speak for our staff team when I say he has done a wonderful job this year!  About once a month, we have regional staff meetings where Bowe has thought for how to love, encourage, and spur us on to continue to love and pray for the students at our campuses.  His wife, Ashley, has the heart of a true servant as she supports Bowe in his job and never gets any recognition or appreciation (except from Bowe, of course)!  She makes herself available to the staff women and students, visits our staff meetings, and is a full-time mom!  Bowe’s gentleness and authenticity consistently remind me of how Jesus did ministry and encourages me to keep sharing the Gospel and God will grow the fruit.  His position as the shepherd of this region puts him in a place where he has to tell our staff team and student leaders things we may not want to hear sometimes but that will keep us healthy.  I have watched as Bowe has led in doing this and caring more about individual and regional health than caring about getting the approval and praise of man!  I will speak again on behalf of our whole staff team that it is a pleasure to be under the leadership of Bowe Butler! 

]]>Making Lordship Decisionshttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/4/18/making-lordship-decisions.htmlAdmin2012-04-18T13:48:06Z2012-04-18T13:48:06ZOne of the greatest honors of our job is helping people make decisions about their life.  During a typical college career, students have four summers that are free.  Typically students aren’t forced to do summer school or get an internship all four summers. Most, if not all, are free to choose what they want to do.  We try and help people make decisions that are honoring to God.  I want to introduce to you a friend of mine who decided to go on Summer Orlando Project this year.

This is Dillon Prevette.  He is a junior at Campbell University and is biology major. I’ve known Dillon for over a year now. This semester, we have been doing a bible study together with some of his friends. And I wanted him to share what he has been learning this year, and why he wants to go on SOP.      

What is one thing you learned this year through Campus Outreach and the Summit Church?

One of the big things I learned this year was that God has a plan for me. I have been struggling to figure out what to do with my future.  I realized this year that I didn’t need to worry about that because God had his own plan for me.

When it came to deciding what you wanted to do for the summer, what made you want to go on SOP?

I knew that what I would learn at SOP was something I could use the rest of my life.   One thing I want to do is make my vacation trips mission trips. Going to SOP will prepare me to be missional for the rest of my life. Another reason I am going on SOP is that I will be able to understand more about God, and through that I want to get a good close group of friends who are engulfed with god. 

Another reason is that it will help me disciple others and be discipled.  I have a desire to lead others and this summer will help me do that.

This is one of more than 120 students who have decided to go on SOP

Please pray for Dillon and the other students who are going to SOP for the summer!!

Blog Post By: Zach Griep

]]>LEADERS RETREAThttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/4/12/leaders-retreat.htmlAdmin2012-04-12T17:38:06Z2012-04-12T17:38:06ZEvery year in April, we have a leaders retreat for our students that are returning to our Summer Orlando Project (SOP) for a second or third time, and those going on one of our Cross Cultural Projects (CCP).  This year we have 3 CCP teams going to South East Asia, India, and Africa.  You might be thinking, “Wow, another retreat!”  Yes, we have another retreat. This one will be in Durham at the Summit Church.

This retreat is a time for students to come together and learn about their theme for the summer and enjoy community with the teams they will be on!  One of our staff will talk about where the theme comes from in Scripture and how we can start to prepare our hearts to lead the college students.  The CCP teams will learn more about the country they will be traveling to and their theme as well.  One of my favorite parts of the weekend is the field day that we have on Saturday!  All of the teams will compete against each other in games like dizzy bat, trivia, and ultimate Frisbee.  It is a great way to get excited about the summer and enjoy some healthy competition.

Pray that God would use this weekend to train us in leadership and prepare our hearts to be open to his Word.  We want the summer to be a time where we can not only grow in leadership skills, but grow in our relationship with our heavenly Father!

Blog Post By: Megan Metz

]]>Topsail Beach...It's a Shore Thinghttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/4/4/topsail-beachits-a-shore-thing.htmlAdmin2012-04-04T19:05:25Z2012-04-04T19:05:25ZLast weekend, two of our campuses hosted a beach weekend in Topsail Island called “It’s a Shore Thing.” This spring beach weekend was my absolute favorite event when I was a college student involved in Campus Outreach, and it continues to be my favorite as a staff person.

                  Don’t get me wrong; I love our fall and winter retreats, Christmas Conference, Summer Orlando Project, and many of the other events we host for students. They are all incredibly instrumental to building a foundation on Christ, the Rock. At these events I learned how to study God’s Word, what it looks like to depend on Him through prayer, how to love and serve others, how to value the mornings, how to be a good steward of my time and resources, among many other invaluable applications.

                  I think the reason I love the spring beach weekend the most, though, is because of the relationships. The weekend isn’t structured like a retreat- we don’t have a speaker, or a schedule, or a worship band, or a booklet to take notes in. All we do is rent a few beach houses and get as many people as possible to come down to the beach and hang out for the weekend.

                  As a new believer, it was really cool the first time I went on this beach weekend, to see how much fun Christians have together, how they are not just a bunch of fuddy-duddies, but just normal people who happen to love God more than anything else. This past weekend, 100 total students came down to stay in 4 big houses that we rented. We watched a ton of March Madness, played basketball and volleyball at a park near the house, went kayaking, and had a huge meal together with the guys and girls houses on Saturday night. And of course there was shag dancing on the beach after our meal! On both Saturday and Sunday morning, we got up and cooked breakfast at the house, and then looked at the Bible together for an hour. On Saturday we explored the parable of the Sower, and on Sunday we observed Jesus’ teaching on the wise and foolish builders. In the midst of all this informal, fun activity, we were also able to look at God’s Word together. I think everybody who came really enjoyed those times in the mornings.

                  I made some new friends over the weekend, and I think everybody who went can say the same. There is no testimony more attractive than believers loving one another. In John 13 Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, by the love you have for one another.”

Blog Post By: Grant Miller

]]>Knowing God: A Work in Progresshttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/3/26/knowing-god-a-work-in-progress.htmlAdmin2012-03-26T14:04:45Z2012-03-26T14:04:45Z“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” – Philippians 3:14

 

One thing I love about Campus Outreach is that we never stop learning, and we are consistently presented with new opportunities to step outside of our comfort zone in faith.  After the first CO retreat I attended, at which I came to know Christ, I was given the opportunity to grow in my faith by joining a Bible study.  Soon after, I was infinitely blessed by going on the Summer Orlando Project, where I received training in how scripture and the gospel could transform my life in every area. Through student leadership in CO, I began to learn how to devote my life to making disciples, and was given the opportunity to share Christ with my friends and watch the Spirit grow them as I taught them all I knew about walking with God. 

 

When I came on staff, I assumed the training phase of my walk was over, but was soon taught a valuable principle: until I am able to worship God unhindered by sin and am presented blameless before him in heaven, I should always strive to know and follow him more closely, as the word and the Spirit transform me.  I am thankful that as a CO staff member, the training has just begun!  Monthly staff training sessions, shepherding from the pastors at the Summit Church, a seminary class on the New Testament, and plenty of hands-on ministry experience are all part of the training we are blessed to receive as staff.  This training is laying the foundation that Christ will build upon for the rest of our lives, which has the ripple effect of impacting those whom we are able to teach.  Truly there is no greater joy than getting to know our Savior, Father and Creator more intimately every day, and helping others to know him!  To our supporters: thank you so much for enabling us to devote our time to getting to know Christ and make him known on the college campus.

Blog Post By: Lindsey Garrison

]]>Special Message to Our Supportershttp://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/3/16/special-message-to-our-supporters.htmlAdmin2012-03-16T18:25:21Z2012-03-16T18:25:21ZLately, I’ve been finding myself thinking back on the year and how much I’ve seen God do here at Campbell University. Our staff and student servant leaders have had the exciting experience of witnessing God move on this campus. We’ve seen the gospel of God’s grace cause students to give up trying to live their lives with themselves at the center, and instead begin seeking God’s will for their lives....and when young people start making decisions like that in the midst of a college atmosphere that screams “live it up while you’re here; settle down later,” it is impossible for their college peers to not notice, and God is glorified.

Needless to say, we’re so thrilled about how God is moving in hearts here and we can definitely sense a tangible momentum within the body of believers and the students they are reaching out to. We’re just trying to continue to proclaim God’s word and collectively abide in Christ, trusting that God will continue to sovereignly advance his kingdom on this campus. It is HIS campus, and we trust him when he says in Matthew 28 that all authority belongs to him and that he wants the people he has created to be disciples of his. He is making that clear to us here!

This is a semi-unusual blog post, because we usually give updates on more holistic ministry events, but I just felt compelled to share with our supporters how God is tangibly acting on his word at a small school south of Raleigh/Durham!

So, as I’ve been looking back on the year and all that God has done so far, it’s made me so very thankful for my supporters, and I know that I speak on behalf of everyone else on staff with Campus Outreach Raleigh when I express appreciation to all of you who are on our support teams. It is by your generosity and partnership in fulfilling God’s calling that we are on these campuses and have the privilege of being a part of seeing him transform the lives of these young men and women. We are SO GRATEFUL for each one of you and are blessed to have people like you in our lives who want to be a part of what God is doing at these schools. Thank you!

Blog Post By: Zach Oyler

]]>Ready, Break!http://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/3/11/ready-break.htmlAdmin2012-03-11T18:54:45Z2012-03-11T18:54:45ZMarch is a wonderful time of year, not only because winter is coming to an end (sorry I’m a summer guy), but also because college students in Raleigh are going on Spring Break.  NC State, UNC, Duke and Campbell have the same week off in March (2nd-9th).  This is a very important time for the staff and students to rest from a season of meeting students and sharing the Gospel with them.  Student leaders are encouraged to use their spring break wisely. For example, some students are using the break to continue to build relationships lost people or some who have become Christians throughout the year. Also, many seniors are using the time to prepare for life after college by looking for jobs or beginning to raise support to go into full-time ministry. 

As a region, we begin to shift our focus to the summer training projects that we provide.   This summer, Campus Outreach is holding four projects over the summer; one stateside (Summer Orlando Project) and three abroad (Cross Cultural Projects). The rest of March and April will be important for recruitment and preparation for these projects.

Pray that our staff team will rest over Spring Break and our student leaders will continue to pursue God while at home or away.

Blog Post By: Craig Golden


]]>Big Things Happening in the Spring!http://www.coraleigh.org/blog/2012/3/1/big-things-happening-in-the-spring.htmlAdmin2012-03-01T16:42:15Z2012-03-01T16:42:15ZThis year we saw God bring more students than we’ve ever had on our spring semester retreat! More than 290 students packed up and headed to Asheville, North Carolina for the weekend of February 24-26th. Our regional director, Bowe Butler, talked to us about Jesus’ calling for each of us to be disciples and what that means.  He emphasized the importance of spending time learning from God’s Word and having older Christians in your life to help you do so. There was plenty of free time on Saturday for students to ski, hike or learn to shag dance. I went skiing with a bunch of girls from UNC, and I have never laughed so hard in my life!

Many students came out of the weekend wanting to get involved with bible  studies and learn more about Jesus and the Bible! The UNC campus started 6 new Bible Studies this week coming off of the retreat for any students who were interested; more than 40 students are now attending these studies!  Please keep our students in your prayers as they learn this semester what it means to be a disciple of Christ and study His word. 

Blog Post By: Kate Freeman

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