There are thousands of students at Chapel Hill who, just like me when I was a freshman, walk the campus and do not know Christ and the hope that He alone offers. Students are bombarded with information every day of their college lives. With the declining awareness of God happening on the majority of college campuses, UNC is no exception. Most non-believers consider the church to be irrelevant to their lives. Many adopt negative stereotypes of Christians, without investigating the truth for themselves. Along with the declining awareness of God there is the issue of postmodernism, which permeates college campuses. The majority of people attending college do not believe in absolute truth. To them, all is relative and they have little sense of any personal need for God. Additionally, there is the expansive diversity that goes along with the college life. College students are exposed to widely varying religions, cultural beliefs and ethnic diversity on an unprecedented scale. This can present overwhelming challenges when considering how to communicate the Gospel in a relevant manner.
If we look at college students from a narrow perspective, it may be difficult for us to see the need to engage and invest in their lives, since it is only four years of their lives. But if we take a step back and see the larger picture, those same college students will be our future CEO’s, CFO’s, employees, small business owners, fathers, husbands and friends. I want to see them discover the joy and the power of living for Christ now, as they make decisions in college that will affect the rest of their lives. My desire is to take the Gospel to where they live, work, study, and hang out, and to see the Gospel spread throughout the University and eventually out into the nations!
Who will go to these students? Who will model for them what it means to be a follower of Christ? As Paul tells Timothy, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-- guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us”. 2 Tim. 1:13-14 NIV.
Who will deposit the good message into the hearts and minds of these college students? Who will physically take them to church, or better yet, who will be intentional enough to take church to them? Our vision is to be the people who obey Paul’s instructions and who fulfill Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt. 28-19-20
