LA campus disciples used their spring break for road trips to strengthen campus ministries across the Southwest United States…
Editor’s Note: This article was posted on the website of the Los Angels Church of Christ (http://www.laicc.net/).
A self-proclaimed atheist in Nevada is considering the Christian faith after spending 11 straight hours with members of the Los Angeles church who shared the Gospel with him during their spring break – just one of the many ways God is working through the inaugural Campus Swap Road Trip Campaign.
Students from our UC Irvine and UCLA ministries met the young man, who is double majoring in hydrogeology and philosophy at University of Nevada in Reno, on a Wednesday morning. After a deep discussion, he joined them for three on-campus Bible talks, had dinner with them, attended a midweek devotional and then hung out in the fellowship. The student, whose name is Brian, is still attending church events and learning about the Bible.
Nearly 100 students and campus ministry leaders participated in Campus Swap, in which disciples from strong college ministries took spring break road trips to churches across the southwest United States that have small or new campus ministries. The disciples shared their faith on campus, encouraged the local churches, bonded with each other and had plenty of fun. Here is a partial list of who went where:
San Diego campuses > Arizona State University
Colorado campuses > New Mexico campuses
UC Riverside & Cal State L.A > University of Utah and Weber State U.
UC Irvine, UCLA & Cal Poly Pomona> University of Nevada, Reno
L.A. West campuses > UC Berkeley
Cal State Long Beach & L.A. Central > UC Santa Barbara
USC & Arizona State University > San Diego State University
South Region campuses > Cal State Fresno
L.A. Metro campuses > University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The travelers shared their faith with more than 1,000 people, several of whom are still studying the Bible and attending local churches. Students who showed interest in the Gospel or who attended church activities included a starting football player who said he had been looking for a christian group at his school and a young woman who brought eight of her own guests to an afternoon barbeque.
The Reno campus ministry, which consists of only three students, is studying the Bible with 12 or 13 non-Christians as a result of the campaign, according to ministry leader Ryan Jones. He emphasized that the effort reached far beyond evangelism.
“The disciples from Los Angeles encouraged our campus students, energized our entire church and had a huge impact on the kids, teens and adult children in the families with whom they stayed,” he said. “I really appreciate everyone who came and shared their faith and lives with us.”
While the goal of Campus Swap may have been to infuse the Southwest family of churches with faith, energy and new Christians, the campaign had an added bonus: Several participants agree that those who set out to spiritually give to others ended up getting significantly inspired and refreshed themselves.
“We all came back home with a sense of gratitude for the fellowship and boldness to share with every person we meet,” said Ira Erum, a local student who traveled to Salt Lake City.
Paul the Apostle mentions the concept in Romans 1: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”
The campaign has even resulted in at least one new christian here in the Los Angeles church. A Cal State L.A. freshman who was still learning from the Bible how to be a disciple of Jesus went on one of the road trips and was so inspired by what she experienced she decided to get baptized into Christ the Sunday after getting back.
Congregational Evangelist Bruce Williams believes the spiritual blessings observed so far are just the beginning.
“I think God is going to bless us exponentially and that we will receive far more than we’ve given,” he said. “Our hearts grow when we think about others. I am really proud of all of the disciples who worked so hard and gave to each other.”
Click here to read Ira Erum’s first-person account of one of the Campus Swap road trips.
