Summer Update

I spent the two weeks June in the wonderful Myrtle Beach, SC with our Leadership Project (LP)!  Below is a look into this program along with some prayer and praise requests from my time there:

The rundown: 120 students.  20 staff.  14 campuses.  2 months. 1 hotel. Students work full-time jobs during the day and receive training in Bible study, prayer, evangelism, and discipleship in the evenings. The purpose could be said in many ways, but briefly it is: to help students encounter God and gain a vision for their lives, their campus and the world in light of this relationship.

Students: I studied Philippians 1:15-16 with a student and we connected our envy and rivalry in ministry and life to believing God is not always in control and doesn’t know what is best; one student I talked with needs to understand grace, forgiveness and acceptance from God in light of his previous wild lifestyle; a few students were still trying to secure jobs when I left and some employers were giving very little hours.  

Evangelism: The first week, students went around Myrtle Beach in pairs with the goal to share what they are doing for the summer with someone.  For some, there was an opportunity to share more about Christ, but for the 50+ students that have never shared their faith, simply initiating a conversation with a stranger was a significant win. The second week, they learned a tool, the bridge diagram, to help communicate the message of Christ in future conversations.

Theme: This summer’s theme is InJoy from Psalm 16:11- We are learning that in God is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore and that He invites us in to this fullness of joy through Christ, not because He has to, but because He delights to be in relationship with us. Scripture, prayer, evangelism, and community are some of the ways our staff and students are learning to encounter God in His Joy.

My Role: I trained 2 students (Logan-L, Ryan-R) to manage the LP finances; this includes coordinating the collection and processing of $180,000+ in student support and rent and managing a $15,500 operating budget