Imagine walking on a college campus, and as a sea of red T-shirts buzzes by, you approach a campus bulletin board. Tacked on this bulletin board is an assortment of colored flyers, advertisements, restaurant deals, and campus activities. The flyers tell you about everything from the upcoming fraternity party to the plethora of intramural sports team options you could potentially join. Academic flyers are recruiting you to join the Animal Science Club as well as choosing a future in Engineering. You're probably wondering where in the world you have landed yourself. I'm glad you asked. This is the world of NC State University: where students get the best of both worlds in education and social networking.
The specialties of NC State lie in their opportunities in the agricultural and technical sciences and thus draw students with a practical, pragmatic mind. As a result, the spiritual climate among NC State students feels accepting, yet compartmentalized, with people claiming Christianity as a part of their life while facing the challenge of applying the actual implications of following Jesus with their whole life. The average student wants to be a "good" citizen and an excellent student, but most lack the heart-level belief that Jesus Christ is the only way for their record with with God to be acceptable instead of their own morality. They see their standing with God to be on the basis of being a "pretty good person," and this is the concept on the campus that we desire to see change through building intentional, deep relationships. In contrast to this "gospel of morality" at NC State, our vision is to see these students lives' radically changed by the true Gospel of Jesus, and for Him to take hold of their hearts, minds, desires, plans, futures, and ultimately, their entire lives.
This is year 4 at NC State for Campus Outreach, and God has greatly blessed us with around 60 leaders that want to influence their campus through the message of the Gospel. We believe God wants to use these students for His ultimate mission of "making disciples of every nation," both now as they are in the academic world, and once they graduate in their respective fields (Matt 28:18-20). We are committed to teach them what deeply walking with God looks like in the college environment, as well as training them to invite their classmates to do the same. In a world full of flyers and things to be a part of, we want to offer incoming students a real, face-to-face relationship with us and ultimately, Jesus.