One of the most amazing sights is to watch students who are at different points in their journey with God desire to go deeper in their relationship with Him. Friday, December 14th, students from various Crossing campuses gathered to do just that: Go deeper with Christ.
Students and staff began the day with prayer and then by introducing themselves. Following this, everyone was put into groups for the day with a mix of members from other campuses. We introduced ourselves at each table to get to know each other before heading into heart check. Heart check begins each day at every Crossing campus, where the campus teachers dig into God’s word, share what God has been doing in their lives, discuss what He’s teaching them, and pray together before students arrive. The students had the opportunity to experience a similar time together as staff members at each table asked questions to get students thinking. They also read scripture passages regarding having a relationship with Christ. After participating in this discussion in a small group setting, we discussed it as a large group, sharing what we learned from God’s word and from each other.
The next activity gave students a tool to use in studying the Bible inductively on their own or with a group. As we went through the different steps of looking closely at the verse and then breaking them up into ‘easier-to-understand’ sections, students were able to see that the Bible can be understood and that they can study the Bible on their own.
After setting the stage for the day with Heart Check and sharing one tool for deepening our relationships with God through inductive Bible study, the students were given the opportunity to rotate around the room to eight different stations: four before lunch and four after. The eight stations included: Becoming Christ-Like, Confessions, Pray the Word, Sharing Burdens, Seeing God, Ping-Pong Thanks, Looking Beyond, and Remember His Words.
Each station had a different explanation, meaning, and activity attached to it. At some stations, students were instructed to read diferent verses of scripture and pray that particular verse for their own lives. At other stations, students wrote down a burden or two that they wanted to give to God and were instructed to stick those on a wooden cross as a symbol of really letting God take it from them. At yet another station, students memorized Bible verses which they thought would be most valuable to their life. Some stations encouraged students to look outside of themselves and focus on the needs of others around them. Other stations challenged students to look inside themselves and see areas in which they need God’s help.
Students had quiet time throughout the day to think about these challenges, to talk to God about them, reflect and journal them, and to share with each other. It was a great day where God was at work and students were given many tools to grow in their relationship with Christ!
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