Preparing for College

1. Preparing for College Bread of Life Church July 6, 2014

2. College – A Major Transition

3. College – A Major Transition

4. Purpose Statement To fully maximize the unique opportunities that God offers to us in college in order to glorify Him and be faithful witnesses of Christ in this world.

5. General Characteristics • Potential for Unprecedented Growth and Maturity – (Spiritually, Socially, Academically, etc.) • Major factor in determining the future of the rest of your life. • Time of greatest exposure to different ideas. • Peak of social friendships and social activities

6. I. Spiritual Life “Spiritually, College can make or break you.” • College offers unprecedented opportunities for spiritual growth but also extraordinary challenges to our faith. • The Habits and Practices that you establish in college will set the foundation for the rest of your life

7. I. Spiritual Life Hebrews 5:12-14 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

8. I. Spiritual Differences between a Church and Fellowship Group • Campus Fellowships are para-church organizations. Intended to supplement and assist the church Advantages • Fellowships are often more focused and well established on college campuses • Worship and Activities are geared towards collegians

9. I. Spiritual Dangers • Fellowships can often take the place of a church for many collegians • Fellowship tend to have “looser” doctrine and theology • Do not extend beyond college

10. I. Spiritual What to look for in a church • Sound doctrine and theology • Committed to Preaching and Living out the gospel • Recommended by trusted friends • Opportunities to minister • Generational Diversity

11. I. Spiritual Things to Watch Out for: • Exclusivity – “Only true church” • High Pressure • Questionable Doctrine or practices • Driven and Centered around one person • No generational diversity International Church of Christ (ICC) or a.k.a. Boston Church of Christ Identifying cults: http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4217733/

12. I. Spiritual Finding a Fellowship • Find out what organization or church is behind the Fellowship (doctrine and theology) • What is its primary mission or purpose? • How does it view the church? • Does it demonstrate any extreme charismatic or cultic practices?

13. I. Spiritual Major Campus Fellowships • Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) - www.campuscrusadeforchrist.com • The mission of Campus Crusade for Christ is to turn lost students into Christ centered laborers. Our spiritual mandate is found in Matthew 28:18-20.

14. I. Spiritual Major Campus Fellowships • Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) - • Our purpose is to help launch and build movements of spiritual multiplication on college campuses so that everyone will know someone who truly follows Jesus Christ. • Number of Campus Locations: 1,064 • Number of Full-Time Ministry Staff: 3,409

15. I. Spiritual Major Campus Fellowships • InterVarsity Christian Fellowship - www.intervarsity.org • Purpose - to establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord: growing in love for God, God's Word, God's people of every ethnicity and cultureand God's purposes in the world.

16. I. Spiritual • InterVarsity Christian Fellowship • 855 chapters on 556 campuses • 32,200 students were actively involved in InterVarsity chapters, 58% women and 42% men. 862 field staff support these student groups

17. I. Spiritual Major Campus Fellowships • Navigators - www.navigators.org/us • An interdenominational, nonprofit organization, The Navigators is dedicated to helping people navigate spiritually, to know Christ and to make Him known as they look to Him and His Word to chart their lives. Our ultimate goal is to equip them to fulfill 2 Timothy 2:2—to teach what they have learned to others.

18. I. Spiritual Major Campus Fellowships 4. Asian American Christian Fellowship (AACF) – www.aacf.org • Mission: to reach into the university and collegiate community, primarily to those who are Asian Pacific Americans, with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. • Vision: making disciples by educating and equipping students in biblical foundations, Christian disciplines, and the development of spiritual gifts in order to prepare them for witness and service on the campus, in the local church, in the marketplace, and in world missions.

19. I. Spiritual • Asian American Christian Fellowship • Cal States: • Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Long Beach, San Jose, San Francisco • UC’s: • Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara • Other Campuses: • University of Southern California, University of Washington

20. II. Campus Life - Social • Enjoy but be grounded in your convictions. • Budget time carefully (later discussion) • Be wise in choosing Activities. Be even wiser in choosing friends.

21. II. Campus Life – Alcohol and Drugs • Alcohol - 80% of the students drink at least occasionally, according to the Core Institute. Almost half binge drink (4-5 drinks in quick succession.) • Drugs – college is most of then the time when people experiment with drugs. • Reasons • i) Peer Pressure / “cool thing to do”, ii) Escape from pressure, iii) Availability / Parties • “The first 6 weeks of freshman year is an especially vulnerable time for heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year.”

22. II. Campus Life – Alcohol and Drugs • Results • Leading cause of death among 18-24 • 95% of all campus violence is related to drugs or alcohol • 40% of all students having academic problems abuse alcohol • Over 60% of all college women who contract an STD were intoxicated when they got infected.