I was recently interviewed by The Alabama Baptist newspaper and asked for my thoughts on Spring Break missions opportunities for students. Here’s something I shared:
“March equals Spring Break for Alabama college students. The stories of the impact of Spring Break missions continue to encourage me — from students leading locals to Christ to student missions teams connecting locals [to] a church to students seeing the great opportunity to obey the Great Commission and give of their time on their campus, this summer and beyond to make a Great Commission impact. So often, those are the stories that come out of Spring Break missions opportunities.”
As I reflect on student missions opportunities, I am encouraged by these students that are seeking to be intentional while in college to make a global impact on their campus and beyond.
Sometimes you don’t get to hear the next part of the story. I’m grateful for those times that you do. One of those next parts of the story occurred for me while I was in New York recently with my friend, Nathan Creitz. Nathan is an Alabama native and is planting City Life Church in Queens. I’ve heard many stories from Nathan about how Alabama BCM students have made a huge impact on this church planting effort. I didn’t know I was going to get to see that firsthand when I was visiting City Life a few Sundays ago.
At the end of the service, I saw Nathan run over to the side of the sanctuary to talk with a man that was in attendance. I began mingling with other church members and later found out that this man had received a flyer promoting the church from a team last summer and he had “been meaning to ‘check it out’ for a while now.”
I’ve heard stories like this from Nathan and others, but it was very encouraging and affirming to be there and meet this man that had received a flyer from a volunteer team (very possibly an Alabama BCM team). The work of volunteers – students and adults alike – can go far beyond what anyone of us could imagine. When we are intentional in seeking to multiply the efforts of on-the-field personnel, God can take our meager offering and use it for His glory.
Join me in praying for the hundreds of students from across our state that are serving this Spring Break. May there be many more stories like this one. May God receive the glory of every flyer, every kids camp, every bottle of water that is passed out or car that is washed – and may it all be done for His name alone.
– Chris Mills
State Missionary and Associate in Office of Collegiate and Student Ministries
