How Did You Spend Your Spring Break?
Anyone involved with Campus Outreach should know that we teach principles from scripture, and implementation varies between campuses, small groups, and even individuals. Scripture does not change, but application can. This is an imperative understanding as students today barely resemble those on campus when CO began. One difference is the amount of time students have to invest and what type of activities they are willing to invest that little time in.
In her article, “Gen Z, Let’s Prioritize the Gospel as We Pursue Justice,” Jaquelle Crowe Ferris shares, “It’s no stereotype; the statistics show that my generation is obsessed with justice. Forbes reports that Generation Z is ‘passionate about equality and justice of every kind. They fight for themselves, their friends, their classmates and others they see treated unfairly, whether due to issues of gender, sexuality, race, pay, or environmental.’ A study from Fast Company revealed that 76 percent of Generation Z is concerned about human effect on the planet and believe they can operate as a change agent.”
Recognizing this passion allows for creative thinking for campus ministry. Ferris continues, “If Generation Z Christians really want to change the world, we need to live like Jesus, love like Jesus, and serve like Jesus. And if we want to make a difference for eternity, then we too must take action—to prioritize the gospel as we pursue justice.”
This spring, CO ministries on six stateside campuses seized the opportunity to channel Gen Z’s eagerness to serve. They created spaces for students to do the kind of transformative service advocated by Ferris. Each group made the most of spring break, accompanying students into contexts that challenged their worldview and providing service opportunities that left their host countries better.
Campus Outreach Birmingham sent two teams to Cuba. Fifteen University of West Georgia students spent spring break in “Playa Larga,” and another 30 from Ole Miss headed to Havana. Together, these students installed 250 water filters in homes and shared the gospel more than 350 times as they served.
Payton Bryan, a sophomore at West George, shared, “This mission trip was very eye-opening for me. One of the biggest things that impacted me was experiencing the same God I follow moving and working in a different country, culture, and language. It was so cool to witness the same joy that I have in my heart flowing out of the hearts of the Cuban people!"
In addition to this trip to Cuba, a team from Davidson College went to serve in the UK; students from UAB gained a global perspective by serving in Missouri; students from the University of South Alabama taught English for a week in the Czech Republic; and one CO staff guy in Mississippi joined 42 fraternity brothers to do construction in Lesotho, Africa. As I talked with each staff member who led these trips, I was encouraged to hear their commitment to the same biblical principles I was taught years ago during my involvement with CO at Troy University. Their willingness to “think outside the box” to create opportunities for training in their context gave me chills. Click through the links above to read quotes from students whose lives were impacted.