On Wednesday, October 21^st at 10:00am the second annual Get Linked Conference gets started in Rainey Fine Arts Center.  The conference is designed to get you (yes , you!) connected with a solid camp or missions organization this summer.   Why sit and eat Hot Pockets on the couch when you can be trekking with shepherds in India or wakeboarding in Seattle?  Plus you get paid!  Camp life and mission trips around the world are breeding grounds for personal growth and change in your life.  Yes, you can work at the local ice cream shop and date your girlfriend on the weekend, but is that really changing your life or even better- are you changing anyone else’s life?   Do not miss this opportunity to Get Linked to some of the best camp and mission sending organizations in the country.  Pick up an application and some info from the tables in Merritt lobby following chapel and have brunch in the cafe.  Come back by if you have questions at dinner.  Let’s go beyond!  If you have questions visit our website.

Live Beyond the Moment............Find strength like the Sun..............release FEAR!!!!!

Constructive fear..... helps us..... Destructive fear................paralyzes.........................Look Up these two types of fear..................Live beyond FEAR!

Praying for each one of you today. I have been praying about fear lately. It has really been affecting me and I know that God has a Word about how to get through it.....Check out Psalm 42....41.....He has so much to say to you..............Are you listening????????

3-6  How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

7-10  Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.

11-12  It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

13-14  It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.

Ephesians Chapter 1....Praying for you today!!! I love you.....

Wow it is here....2009/2010. It is a year that God wants us to discover our amazing abilities that we have only through the strength that He gives us....may you know that you can really do all things through Christ who Strengthens you.......

"So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!

       But may they who love you be like the sun

       when it rises in its strength."

      Then the land had peace forty years. Judges 5:31

Praying for Strength,

Becky

Journey Program

Fall 2009

All services are in Henderson Auditorium unless otherwise noted

Got What?  / Now What?

__________________________________

August 19                                                Greg Allgood – Director of Campus Ministries

August 26                                                Opening Convocation*

September 2                                           Brian Burgess – Crossroads Worldwide

September 9                                           Campus Ministries Introduction;

Becky Walker, Russ Bennett, Bob Cline, Greg Allgood

September 16                                          Laurie Thompson and Marcus Engel – Odyssey

September 23                                          Dawn Sherrill – Women’s Focus

September 30 – October 1                      Spiritual Focus– Wayfarer

                                                            (3 services)  Wednesday, 10:00 a.m.

                                                                                  Wednesday, 8:00 p.m.

                                                                                  Thursday, 8:00p.m.

October 7                                            James Emery White Pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina

October 14                                          Wayfarer

October 21                                          Mission / Camp Fair

October 28                                          Mike Glenn Pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, TN

November 4                                        Rudy Gray Pastor of Utica Baptist Church, Seneca, SC  and President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention

November 11                                      Tamika Catchings WNBA Forward of the Indiana Fever

November 18                                      Ergun Caner

November 29                                      Campus Wide Worship -  Student Led

December 2                                        Nathan Cline – Revo Church              

Are you looking for quality camp staff or excited mission-minded students?

If you are a student, are you looking to do something with your summer besides sleep late and veg?

Then you do not want to miss this year’s Get Linked Conference at Anderson University on October 21^st. The Get Linked Conference at Anderson will connect you to camps and mission sending organizations that can help you develop as an adult and follower of Christ.  The conference is free to our sponsors and our students.  We understand that the 140+ students who served this past summer have been CHANGED.  Do not miss out on this opportunity. 

Check out some of the agencies that will be at this year’s conference:

• BCM Missions                      http://www.goandsend.org 
• Generation LINK                   http://www.crosspointclemson.org 
• Camp LaVida                        http://www.scwmu.org/camplavida        
• Summersalt                          http://www.scbaptist.org 
• Winshape                             http://www.winshapecamps.org 
• McCall RA Camp                  http://www.scbaptist.org/campmccall  
• Concoxions                          http://www.concoxions.com
• Camp Crestridge                  http://www.ridgecrestcamps.com
• YMCA Camp Greenville        http://www.campgreenville.org
• Strong Rock Camp and Retreat  http://www.strongrockcamp.com   
• Transplant/Kid Connection        
• NAMB                                   http://www.namb.net   
• SBC                                       http://www.sbc.net
• Navigators                            http://navigators.org/us 
• Crossover Communications  http://www.crossoverusa.org
• Camp Longridge                   http://www.camplongridge.org   
• MissonLab                            http://www.missionlab.com
• FUGE Camps                         http://www.lifeway.com/fuge/
• Camp KidJam                        http://www.campkidjam.com
• World Changers Int'l            http://www.worldchangers.org
• Wayfarer                               http://www.wayfarer.tv and http://www.wayfarercamp.com
• Ridgecrest Camps                 http://www.ridgecrestcamps.com
• Victory Sports                        http://www.victorysportsoutreach.org
• IMB                                        http://www.imb.org

City Uprising Follow-Up

7-7-2009

Here are the final numbers from our City Uprising mission trip to New York City, June 26 - July 2. This report mainly focuses on the numbers from our trip. We hope to share some stories of transformation in the near future. Here are the hard numbers from Aaron Coe, the pastor of The Gallery Church.

• Art Projects:
  500 New Yorkers directly engaged in art projects (creating art, engaging in conversation, etc).
  Over 150 photos created in the "Purity" Project
  Art Exhibit with over 50 people in attendance
  
• Community Projects:
  Worked with 6 community organizations (schools, clinics, etc).
  12 work projects
  67 gallons of paint used
  9,500 square feet of interior wall space painted
  1 wall built at Community Health Clinic
  Folded Clothes/ Organized Thrift Store for Homeless Shelter and Health Clinic
  
  HIV Testing:
  
  Day 1:
  14 Testing Sites
  370 Individuals Tested
  
  Day 2:
  8 Testing Sites
  256 Individuals Tested
  
  Day Three:
  18 Testing Sites
  1,221 Individuals Tested (our goal was 1000)
  
  Totals:
  40 Testing Sites
  1,847 Individuals Tested
  Average of 46 Individuals Tested Per Site!

   

New York City Uprising Update

(6-16-09)

This afternoon I spent some great time praying with the leaders of City Uprising via a conference call. Our time together was challenging and encouraging at the same time. We were challenged to the fact that stats need to become people. As the AU City Uprising team makes our final plans for this fantastic mission opportunity, let me challenge all of us to focus our prayers towards the following three areas.

• First, pray for the specific needs in New York City.
• We will be working with over thirty HIV clinics in the city. There is a huge gulf between the HIV community and American Christianity. Pray that during our trip we will see God close this gulf through His love.
• Pray for the public school system in New York City. Our community work will be focused on two of these schools, but there are great opportunities for ministry and sharing the Gospel message in one of the oldest and largest school systems in the United States.
• Pray for the people we will encounter as we move around the city. There are large Jewish and Catholic communities who have little knowledge of or faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for openness to the Gospel.
• Pray for Greg Cruz, a new believer who is HIV positive and wrestles with the darkness of homosexuality. Pray for him as he walks in relationship with Christ and grows in faith.
• Second, I ask that we would pray for one another.
• So far, we have only been able to communicate on Facebook, this blog and a few phone calls. Pray that our hearts would be knit together by a greater purpose than ourselves. Pray for the glory of Christ Jesus to shine through and guide us as we meet next week.
• Pray for our team and the other teams coming to New York. Pray for our travels as groups come from Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and accross the nation.
• Pray for each individual on this trip to hear a mighty word from God.
• Third, Let us pray for the Vision behind City Uprising.
• Pray for Pastor Aaron Coe, his family and his team as they prepare spiritually for this event.
• Pray the scripture Jeremiah 33:9, that God would propel the Church and prosper the City.

The Homeless for Homeless Event is designed to help raise community awareness about the homeless needs in Anderson County and beyond.  This year Anderson University will host its first HH event.  The event invites Anderson locals to come out for free food and entertainment and to pay to sleep outside to raise money for our local homeless ministries.  This year's sponsors include AIM (Anderson Interfaith Ministries).

WHEN:  Friday, September 18^th- Saturday, September 19^th

TIME:    6:00pm on the 18^th until 10:00am on the 19^th

COST:   $20 for Adults

             $15 for Students

             $10 T-shirts

To Bring List: Please keep checking back- I will probably be updating this as the trip gets closer!

1.       Pillow (needed for Thursday night sleeping in dorm)

2.       Sleeping bag (you can leave sleeping bag and/or pillow at AU while we are on the trip). You can bring pillow on the bus!

3.       PLEASE PACK A SEPARATE BAG WITH EVERYTHING YOU WILL NEED FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AND THE RIDE ON FRIDAY. Luggage will be packed and locked on the bus on Thursday night so that we can eat and run Friday. You will not be able to access your suitcase Thursday night once it is locked up.

4.       Bible/journal/pen

5.       Snacks for trip to NY, during trip, and trip home. We will be making bathroom stops and one quick meal break on the way up. We will be making bag lunches for trip up on Friday. On trip back, be prepared to pay for your meals. Please bring plenty of snacks for the trip up, snacks if you want them in your hotel, and for the trip home. Breakfast will be provided Friday morning and there will be breakfast at the hotel each morning.

6.       Work clothes- clothes you aren’t afraid to get dirty in, long pants, CLOSED TOE SHOES (tennis shoes). May be doing some painting too, so bring something you don’t mind messing up.

7.       Please keep an emergency $20 on you at all times. If you were to get separated from your group, you would have taxi money to get back to the hotel. You will be given the phone numbers of Greg Allgood and Lynn Guthrie to contact at any time.

8.       Spending money- you will be eating breakfast at the hotel each morning but will be responsible for your own lunch and supper each day. Also, if you want souvenirs, or would like to see a Broadway show, etc., you will need to bring money for that.

9.       Jeans will be fine for church on Sunday. Please bring comfortable shoes as you will be doing a lot of walking.

Perhaps you are wondering about some of the specific mission projects that we will be involved in during City Uprising.  Here are some specifics from the folks at The Gallery Church.

First, here is a little piece of information that Aaron Coe (pastor of The Gallery Church) shared with the team leaders yesterday during our conference call.  I had always heard that there are approximately 191 different people groups in New York City, but according to Aaron, there are over 500 different people groups. This drives home the concept of New York being the crossroads of the world.  This is amazing!

Now, let me share some specific mission information regarding our trip. We are going to work alongside students and adults from all over the country. There are approximately 300 participants in City Uprising. Our service projects are divided into three specific ministry categories;

·         Community Projects - This will involve light construction (painting, cleaning, moving furniture, some hammering and such). We will be working with two public high schools (PS 9 and Rushton High school in Manhattan) and Health People (an organization that ministers to orphans  of AIDS )in the Bronx.

·         Hosting for HIV Testing – It is estimated that over 50 thousand people in New York are HIV positive and aren’t even aware. Last year,  through our partnering agencies, we saw 881 people tested. Our main task will involve passing out invite cards and welcoming folks as they arrive.

·         Renegade Arts Initiative – The Gallery Church is renting new space at 27^th & Broadway called Salt Arts Space. We will be assisting them as they launch this unique ministry in the City. The church is located in the heart of the arts district and this new space will provide multiple opportunities to reach the community.

These are the three main areas of ministry that we are working with in New York. In order   to stay up to date on all of the arrangements from City Uprising,  a new Twitter account is being developed. We will have more details coming in the days ahead.

Here are some of the topics you will be reading about in upcoming posts:

• Journey program- speakers and schedules
• Women's Ministries
• Camps
• Summer Missions- stories and opportunities, and updates on upcoming NYC mission trip 
• Men's Ministries
• Personal thoughts from our Campus Ministries Staff

Take time to check out our blog on a regular basis. I am looking forward to sharing my personal thoughts, passions, and dreams with each of you on a regular basis.

Peace,

Greg