How A Small Step Of Faith Started My Journey Into Ethnic Minority Ministry

2002 - Our family in South Africa

"Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." ~ Jesus, Matthew 17:20

As a white man that has had a vocational ministry focus of working with ethnic minorities (mostly African Americans college students) for most of my adult life, I'm often asked how God has led me on this journey. Here's my story...

One of the most pivotal experiences of my life took place when I was 23 years old. It was one of those times that as I look back on it, I can see how the trajectory of my life changed because of a simple, yet profound decision that was made.

It was February of 1997 and I was at a small regional Impact gathering in Detroit that was designed as a follow-up to Impact '96, a national conference primarily geared towards African American college students. I, along with another white Cru staff member, took a handful of African American students from Kent State University to join with like-minded people and discuss what it would look like to have an Impact movement on our campuses.

There was much I appreciated about the weekend. I loved the vibrant praise & worship that we experienced. I was blown away by the vulnerability that students demonstrated as they shared about the ways that God had moved in their lives and the places He had brought them from. I valued the rousing preaching that I heard and the deep concern for college students to live out their faith in the context of their community resonated deep within me. However, there was one little problem. I was white! I silently asked myself, "What difference can I really make? I agree with everything that is being talked about but I'm not black. What can I do?"

And then during a time of concentrated prayer, I felt like God was speaking to me. It was as if he was saying, "You can start by making a difference in your daily life. You hear jokes and comments that you know to be racially insensitive and you do nothing. Start by addressing those things among your friends and family." At that moment, I committed to address the injustices that I saw in my circle of friends and would leave the results to God.

Within days of having returned from this weekend conference, I was put to the test about whether I had truly meant what I had committed to. While watching a television program together, a friend made the following comment about an actress: "She's not bad looking for a black woman." As my heart raced, I knew I needed to say something. But a number of questions bounced around in my head: How would my friend respond? Was I overreacting? I mean, he didn't really mean anything hurtful by that, did he?"

I decided to to take a step of faith and say something. I explained that while he didn't probably mean anything negative by it, his comment could be interpreted as racist. His comment implied that most African American women were not attractive and he was a bit surprised that here was someone that he considered beautiful. I was bothered by his perspective and explained why.

We ended up having a really good conversation and I was even able to bring up some other things that he had said in my presence about African Americans that I was troubled by but had not said anything. It was what could be considered a "teachable moment." Both for my friend and for me.

He was forced to do a heart examination and come to a realization that he harbored some attitudes and prejudices towards African Americans that he wasn't even aware were present.

I learned that when I confronted injustices that I saw in a spirit of grace and truth that God could work through that to make a difference in black/white relations. Amazingly, God had used me to make a small difference about these issues that were so important to me!

From there, I sought to take small steps of faith to make a difference right where I was located. I helped to be a part of the birth of Impact at Kent State, a movement that is still in existence to this day, and eventually other campuses in northeastern Ohio.

I staffed a missions trip that summer of '97 in Virginia Beach in which ethnic minority ministry and racial reconciliation were part of the focus. (I met my wife, Lori, that summer and I've been so thankful that we've been on this journey together all these years.) In addition, I began to see God use me in the lives of other Cru staff members and students to increase awareness of issues of race and culture and to be an instrument of racial reconciliation.

And I've been seeking to take those small steps of faith for the past 16+ years. This journey has led me to places and people I would have never imagined. I now have the privilege of leading in a respected national organization that, while improving, has much to learn when it comes to these same matters of race, culture and justice. As part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to invest in ethnic minorities leaders so that they can be all that God has created them to me and to help majority culture missionaries become better equipped to minister cross-culturally.

While there has been much joy in my ministry experiences, there has also been pain. I've made mistakes along the way and have unintentionally hurt others by the things I've said and done. People of my own culture have made judgments about me because I don't fit the box they sometimes want to place me in. And since I'm regularly in cultural settings that are not my own, I experience heightened fears of accidentally doing or saying something offensive.

I wouldn't say that my ministry calling has been easy or comfortable. In fact, it has stretched me in ways that I haven't even considered. It has often been a very lonely existence where I frequently feel out of place and never fully at home. But the privilege that I've had to learn from friends of other cultural backgrounds, to taste some of their life experiences and to hear their stories? I wouldn't trade that for anything.

God has worked in my life as a white person to be involved in the lives of ethnic minorities in ways that I didn't think would be possible back when I was 23. And I truly believe that I'm a better Christian and a better person because of it.

And it all started with a small step of faith.

Lecrae: I Am Second

Photo Credit: Andrea Kirkley

Lecrae Moore is now a best-selling rap artist but that hasn't always been the case. As a child growing up in Texas, his heroes were those that lived the "Thug Life." But as a college student, he was invited to a gathering sponsored by our ministry, The Impact Conference, and his life was forever changed.

Check out this video in which Lecrae tells his story and the difference that Jesus Christ has made in his life.



Lecrae so beautifully displays why I do what I do. I believe that God can take anybody, no matter how messed up or sinful they may be, and dramatically change their life. He did it in my life, He did it in Lecrae's... and He can do it in yours.  Few of us will become music artists, professional athletes or politicians but every life matters to God.  My life matters and so does yours.  Make your life count for eternity.

To see more "I Am Second" videos and hear about the difference that Christ has made in the lives of other public figures, please click here.

How One Church Is Blessing Their City

Photo Credit: nmiller1996

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." ~ Jeremiah 29:7

If your church had to close its doors, would anyone outside of your congregation notice? So much of our church activity can be focused on our own needs in order to be a blessing to our own families and friends but a church with God's heart for all people will seek to be a blessing to their community and world. One church in northeastern Ohio is doing just that.

S.P.A.N. Ministries, based in Tallmadge, Ohio, recently sought to bless the community in which the church resides. S.P.A.N., which stands for Shepherd's Pasture for All Nations, is led by and comprised of a number of women and men who were involved with our Impact chapter at Kent State University. TallmadgeExpress.com tells their story:

"After an Aug. 14 service at the Northeast Avenue church, about 80 members of the SPAN congregation went to Little Caesar's on Tallmadge Circle and packed the pizza shop for about an hour.

"It was great," said Little Caesar's Co-owner Jason Zieman. "It was probably the busiest we've been on a Sunday afternoon in quite some time."

Zieman said he and other workers came in that day just to handle the rush. At one time, a line of customers stretched out the door.

[Kurran] Bishop said he was pleased with the movement's maiden run.

"It was a pretty good turnout for being our first go at it," he said. "That was just our trial run, so we hope to make it bigger."

Bishop said he got the idea for the program from an Akron church whose congregation visited a local grocery store with the goal of clearing the shelves.

"So we thought, 'What can we do to kind of bless businesses in the area on a smaller scale?'" he said. "We wanted to help out business that could use a little bit of a jolt."

Bishop has decided to target smaller local restaurants, which he feels would likely benefit the most from a modest-sized group.

The bigger picture of the "Blessing in the City" movement, he said, is to convey the church cares by giving back to the city.

"We can't just stay inside the four walls of the church to do that," he said. "We have to get out in the community and do these things."

When a church seeks to be a blessing to the community around them its members become tangible demonstrations of God's love to those who are hurting and in need. I'm proud of the way that S.P.A.N. is living this out.

To read the complete article on S.P.A.N.'s "Blessing in the City" movement please click here.

Campus Ministry Leaders Move Forward In Unity

Photo Credit: oooh.oooh

A historic meeting that took place earlier this school year has led to an unprecedented agreement from the leaders of a number of major evangelical Christian campus ministries.

The document, known as the Chicago Agreement: Unity in Mission, was signed by leaders of 17 different national ministries and demonstrates a commitment to unity among those working to reach college students across the Unites States with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The following eight points of the Chicago Agreement demonstrate the priority that each campus ministry is placing on working with and alongside others that have also been called to the mission field of America's college campuses:

1. We are all part of Christ’s body.

2. We do not regard any campus as our exclusive field. We recognize that many students and faculty may be helped through the various appeals and styles of the different organizations.

3. We will seek to establish relationships and build bridges with our counterparts in other Christian groups on campus. When establishing ministries on new campuses, we will take the initiative to communicate with the leadership of existing groups.

4. We will speak well of and refrain from criticism of each other’s ministries and members.

5. We commit to addressing problems on a local, regional or national level by humbly communicating with our counterparts, seeking the Lord together to resolve the issues.

6. We affirm the leadership commitments students and faculty have made to each other’s ministries and will not actively recruit them away from those groups. When starting a new campus work, each organization will endeavor to select new leaders, not leaders from other ministries.

7. We recognize students and faculty have the freedom to choose their involvement with any campus ministry. In general, we will encourage them to select and be involved with one primary organization.

8. We will encourage collaborative efforts on a voluntary basis between our organizations. We are open to share experiences and resources to assist each other with the unique challenges of campus ministry.

I'm proud to say that both the ministries that I serve with, Campus Crusade for Christ and The Impact Movement, were signers of the agreement. Though my name is not listed among the 31 initial signers, I was involved in the process of the creation of this document and wholeheartedly agree with its spirit of partnership.

All too often churches and ministries can subtlety view themselves as being in competition with other like-minded groups. The Chicago Agreement is a step in the right direction of campus ministries expressing our unity with other members of the body of Christ even as we recognize the distinctiveness of what God has called each of us to.

Baptist Press offer some more commentary on this exciting development here.

Do Short-Term Mission Trips Really Matter?

On a short-term mission trip in
Soweto, South Africa - 2002

In our ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ and The Impact Movement, I have participated in countless numbers of what would be considered short-term mission trips or outreach programs. Whether they be for half a day, a week or two months long, our students and staff actively share the gospel of Christ in word and deed in communities in which they don't reside and, potentially, will never return.

There are some that fault this approach to ministry and claim that it demonstrates more of a tourist mindset than of one who is truly seeking to make a difference in peoples' lives.  And, to some extent, I agree with them.  In most cases, true life change will happen in the context of relationships.  Those that will be most struck by the Christian are those that not only hear it, but see it lived out before their eyes.

However, I'm also convinced that taking the time to share the greatest message ever told with a stranger is not only good, but carries with it the potential to alter eternity.  Don't believe me?  Check out the following story from Michael Oh, a seminary president who recounts an encounter he had while he was a college student. Dr. Oh shares about a time when he was on a spring break missions trip to Daytona Beach with an unnamed Christian organization (my guess is that the group was Campus Crusade) and tells of a young man that he met:

"One day I was paired with a friend Janet (an upperclassman). It was about time to call it a day, and I was ready to slink back into being inconspicuous again after a long day of being stared at and laughed at by the hundreds. I don't remember who it was who suggested that we try just one more time, but I'm guessing that it was Janet.

So we walked the beach and Janet (who is Korean-American like me) says to me, "It would be nice to talk with some Asians." Nodding, I added bravely, "And it would be nice to talk with people who are away from the crowd and by themselves." "If it were two people that would be nice," Janet remarked. "And two guys," I said.

A few moments later we both looked up on the horizon and there by the edge of the water were two Asian guys sitting by themselves. Janet and I looked at each other and took the opportunity that God had given.

We shared the Gospel with two exchange students, Caleb and Henky, from Indonesia studying in Canada. Both were very friendly but also uninterested in the Christian faith, almost hostile to it. One had recently lost thousands of dollars at an Atlantic City casino and was at a loss for what to do.

Despite the spiritual gap, we hit it off relationally and eventually Janet and I followed up with them visiting them in Toronto that summer.

During that visit God opened up Caleb's heart to the Gospel. Life had become tough for him, and he even showed me the roof of his apartment where he almost took his own life. From hopelessness to hope, God rescued Caleb that day.

20 years later I received an email from a man named Caleb from Indonesia with the subject line, "Greetings from an old friend."

He wrote,

I wonder if you still remember me. You shared about Christ to me on the beach of Daytona, FL. Few months after that, you drove to Toronto, Ontario with your friend Janet, with a message from God that He loves me and wants to use me. That's the turning point of my walk with God, the moment that I consider myself born again.

God has done many wonderful things in my life and through my life since then. Praise be to His glory!

Caleb had been invited to represent Indonesia at the 2010 Lausanne Congress in Cape Town and found my name and picture on the Lausanne website.

Today he serves as executive pastor of a church of 10,000 people in Surabaya City, Indonesia."

When we step out in faith to share the message of Christ's love and forgiveness, we do not know what will happen. Most may ignore what we have to say but, sometimes, God uses us to see someone's life change. And when God really gets a hold of someone's heart, you can be sure that other lives will be affected as well.

To take the initiative to share the gospel in a short-term situation may not seem like it will matter much, but it certainly matters to people like Caleb.  When we make ourselves to be used by God, we never know what he might do.  As the late founder of Campus Crusade, Bill Bright, used to say, "Successful witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God."  As Christ's ambassadors, our jobs are to represent Him well to all those we encounter and let Him do the rest.

To read the rest of Michael Oh's story please click here.

The Impact Movement Makes a Difference in Orlando

One of the best ministry opportunities that The Impact Movement and Campus Crusade for Christ offer are our summer mission trips. These trips provide students the chance to grow in their relationship with God, gain valuable ministry experience and reach out to those in the communities in which these trips take place. This summer alone, Campus Crusade, along with Impact, sent over 3,500 college students to 220 locations throughout the world.

One of these teams was based in Orlando, Florida at the headquarters of The Impact Movement. Those that participated in this program were featured in today's copy of The Orlando Times, a local newspaper that seeks to serve the needs of the Central Florida black community. Here's the article:

"Four African American college students from across the nation are tutoring children this summer in the Parramore area of Holden Heights with the community center Restore Orlando. The students – representing Carroll University, North Carolina State University, Rice University and Rochester Institute of Technology – are part of The Impact Movement’s summer internship program, based at the organization’s headquarters in Orlando.

Impact is an international ministry of discipleship, evangelism and service that envisions each community of African descent fulfilling its destiny as a reflection of the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. The ministry includes a campus, community and world focus, and has a presence on more than 100 U.S. colleges and universities.

Serving weekly in the local Orlando community is part of the Impact internship experience. The students, along with Impact staff members, serve Wednesday afternoons at Restore Orlando’s summer program tutoring elementary children in math, doing arts and crafts, and playing indoor and outdoor games with them.

Donavan Jackson, a rising college sophomore, shared, "We are planting in them a vision of things that can happen in the future for them," he said. "I really want to stand out to the young. Just show them the way respectable young men can grow up to be."

Dr. Charles Gilmer, President of Impact, explained reaching the African American community is so important because, "There is a desperate need for people who will take what they learn and will want to go back and give back to the community." Gilmer also shared each Impact college chapter will be encouraged this year to recognize a student community outreach coordinator. There will also be a national campaign for students to regularly tutor a child as an expression of Impact’s commitment to the community.

Restore Hope (RH), founded in 1992 by members of the First Church of the Nazarene, is a strategic place for Impact to partner and serve. According to its web site, the area serviced by the mission is roughly comprised of 89 percent African Americans, 8 percent Caucasians and 3 percent Hispanics. 80 percent of the children come from single parent homes, many are in the legal custody of a grandparent and a large percentage receives federal lunch programs, which is a poverty indicator.

David Washington, staff member with RH for four and a half years, sees the effects of these statistics in the lives of the children daily. "They need help, love and hope," he said. "Jesus met people in need and we should be willing to do the same."

How College Loan Debt Affects African Americans

In my work with The Impact Movement I have the privilege of working with a number of highly intelligent and talented students from across the country. Many graduates from our chapters go onto successful careers in a number of fields and become active members of local church congregations in cities throughout the United States and in the world.

For a small percentage of these students, they sense a unique call from God to enter into vocational Christian ministry. Although many of these students are able to see that calling fulfilled, a relatively high number have to delay (or forgo altogether) their plans to enter into the ministry due to financial debt. In some cases this may be caused by consumer (i.e. credit card) debt, but most times it is because of student loans that were incurred in order to get their college education in the first place.

Ericka Blount Danois writes on the Black Voices blog about how African American students are graduating with higher levels of debt than any other ethnic groups in the U.S. Here are some facts listed by Danois:

• Almost 17 percent of all graduates in 2008 borrowed $30,500 or more to get their bachelor's degrees.
• About 25 percent of all college-degree recipients graduated with at least $24,600 in debt, and 10 percent graduated with at least $39,300, says the report.
• Only 19 percent of black students graduated with no debt.
• About 27 percent of all black students graduated with at least $30,500 in student-loan debt, while the portion of students with that level of debt ranged from 9 percent to 16 percent for other races.

According to Danois, the problem is not necessarily that students are borrowing money to go to college but many of them have not thought through how they will repay the loans on the salary they'll be earning:

"According to the report, the problem is not that the students are borrowing too much, but that difficulties in predicting earnings after graduation and students' lack of understanding about the financial impact of loans leave too many of them borrowing more than they can manage.

For instance, if you're attending a graduate teachers' college for $30,000 per year, and upon graduation, you're saddled with more than $100,000 in debt, it would take a lifetime to pay back that loan on a teacher's salary."

If you're currently a college student or a parent that will soon be sending your daughter or son away to school, it is wise to think through if the loans you're considering taking out will be worth it. For students anticipating going into missions, you need to serious think about whether you can realistically pay off $30,000 or more in student loans on a missionary's salary.

One of the tenets of our mission statement for The Impact Movement is to "produce leaders of financial responsibility." We realize that when we have indebtedness to others, we are limited in the options we can pursue in our service to God but with financial responsibility comes great freedom to serve God as He leads.

If you've found yourself in a situation of debt, I encourage you to read Dave Ramsey's advice here. If it is (or has been) a challenge for you to pay for college, it would be wise to look into other options besides loans such as scholarships, grants, and work study programs. College can be a great opportunity but not if it saddles you with crippling debt for the better part of adulthood. Making wise financial decisions before and during college will pay off in the long-run. You won't regret it.

God at Work Among Students in New Orleans

Although Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans in the fall of 2005, there are a number of dedicated residents that are committed to helping rebuild the city. Among these individuals are a small group of Impact students at Xavier university that are passionate about reaching their campus and community for Christ.

Xavier University was founded in 1915 as a private Catholic school that would develop young African American leaders. Nearly a century later, although 1/3 of Xavier students are not black, the school consistently ranks among the top schools in the nation in placing African American graduates in medical schools across the country.

In the wake of Katrina, Xavier, like other schools in New Orleans, lost the majority of its students as they moved to other locations in order to continue their education as the city recovered. Now boasting an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students, the school is once again re-establishing itself as one of Louisiana's premier universities.

Since Xavier is a private Catholic institution, our Impact chapter is not recognized by the school as an official organization on campus. But that doesn’t stop the Impact students from sharing the gospel with their friends, mentoring younger leaders and serving in their community. I had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans earlier this month and serve as one of the presenters at an Impact Leadership Institute (ILI) that was hosted by the Xavier Impact chapter on the campus of Tulane University.

Having visited New Orleans a few times in the year following Katrina, I was encouraged to see how much it has been rebuilt and how the vibrancy of a unique place is returning. I was also inspired by our Xavier students as they hosted other Impact student leaders from Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas. The students focused on their relationship with God, learned about how to effectively serve as leaders on campus and in the community and did outreach on Tulane’s campus.

The ILI in New Orleans was just one of five ILI’s that were held throughout the nation this spring as over 150 Impact student leaders were equipped to lead movements on their campus this upcoming school year.

The Legacy of The Impact Movement

Rev. Matthew Watts is the respected pastor of Grace Bible Church in Charleston, West Virginia and the president of HOPE Community Development Corporation. At our most recent Impact national conference, Pastor Watts delivered one of the most rousing and inspiring messages that I have ever witnessed during an Impact conference main session.

He has been familiar with The Impact Movement since its beginning and is a dear friend of the ministry. As evidence of his commitment to Impact, Pastor Watts recently wrote an Op-Ed commentary in The Charleston Gazette writing of his support of The Impact Movement. You can read the whole article here, but here is a highlight:

"The Impact Movement may very well the most strategically positioned initiatives in the country to raise up the spiritual and moral leadership needed in the African-American community. This would make Charles and Rebecca Gilmer two of the African-American community's most important leaders. What God is doing through the Impact Movement will do more to positively change the African-American community than Barack Obama's election as president because Impact is raising up the next generation of servant leaders. The Impact Movement may very well be the best-kept secret in the African-American community in this country. It may also be one of the most important initiatives that God will use to revitalize the African-American community in this nation by calling us back to our spiritual heritage."

The Impact Movement: A Ministry of Changed Lives

As you may know, I have the privilege of helping to give leadership to a ministry by the name of The Impact Movement. It is a dynamic ministry that reaching thousands of young people of African descent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of the current financial realities that our country is facing, our ministry has experienced a serious shortfall in our giving.

We are in the process of inviting our students, alumni and friends of our ministry to join with us through prayer and to consider supporting us financially so that we can continue to see lives changed. I especially invite you to consider your ongoing involvement with Impact if your life was changed through our ministry while you were a college student. Please view the video below to hear how God is working through our ministry and to learn how you can get involved. If the player doesn't show up, please click here.

Reflections on Impact 2008 Mission: Possible

The Impact Movement, the ministry which I help to give leadership to, recently held our ninth national conference in Atlanta, Georgia. As always, God chose to show up in remarkable ways as 1,400 students, marketplace professionals, pastors and missionaries were called to a deeper commitment to Jesus and to become more heavily involved in the mission of Impact. Here are some highlights:

The Speakers
We have been fortunate over the years to see how God has used our conferences and campus chapters to produce a number of leaders from within the black community that have now become fruitful leaders in churches, missions and music. Impact 2008 was blessed to see some great main session speakers. Here were a few:

• Pastor Keith Battle offered a compelling challenge to discuss eternity with those we know.
• Pastor Jumaine Jones reminded us that God even uses closed doors to accomplish His purposes.
• Pastor William Branch (aka Duce, aka The Ambassador) broke down the supremacy of Christ from Colossians 1.
• Pastor Eric Mason urged us to share the timeless gospel message with relevancy to this generation.
• Pastor Matthew Watts, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Charleston, West Virginia, delivered one of the most rousing messages ever seen at an Impact conference as he argued for the importance of The Impact Movement as we seek to reach the emerging generation of African American leaders.

Musical Artists
We were blessed this year to have two of the most well-known artists within the gospel and Christian hip-hop communities -- Kirk Franklin and Lecrae.

- Kirk Franklin. I've had the opportunity to see a lot of my favorite singers in concert but have never been able to see Kirk Franklin before Impact 2008. He did not disappoint. His set was great and I particularly enjoyed the fact that he did a number of his older tunes. It was also neat to see how impressed he was with our conferees. He stated that he could only recall seeing young people of color respond with the type of enthusiasm and genuine worship that he saw at our conference once or twice before. We look forward to partnering together with him in the future.

-Lecrae. There is a growing movement within the Christian hip-hop community of rappers that possess tremendous skill on the microphone and do so with biblical and theological fluency. Lecrae is one of this movement's most prominent representatives. Not only did he perform in concert, but he did a sit-down question and answer session with my good friend, Rasool Berry, during one of our main meetings. Most people may not know this, but Lecrae actually became a Christian at the Impact 1998 conference. I was thoroughly impressed with his biblical knowledge, missiology, and belief that hip-hop music can be used to influence youth for Jesus.

Day of Outreach
One of the highlights of our conference is our Day of Outreach. We take an afternoon of the conference to go into the Atlanta community and share the love of Jesus in word and deed. Along with some students from the University of Missouri and Carnegie Mellon University, I walked to a nearby park to interact with some homeless people that stay in that area. And thanks to the generosity of Chick-Fil-A and Here's Life Inner City, we were able to provide food and care kits to the individuals we spoke with. The men we spent time with were generally very grateful for our visits with them and we were able to have some deep discussions about eternity.

I was particularly impressed with Craig, a man not that much younger than myself, that is in between jobs and supports himself by doing spoken word and written poetry. Not knowing who we were when we met him, he shared a moving poem that indicated he was a Christian. Even in a life marked by abuse, injustice and poverty, he is not angry or bitter. He is seeking to use the gifts that God has given Him and turn his negative experiences into positives.

The Volunteers
To the outsider, The Impact Movement may appear to be bigger than we actually are. We have less than 60 full-time staff and are dependant upon volunteers and partners in ministry to pull our national conference off. At each conference I am in awe how individuals will take vacation time off of work, will pay to be there and work 12+ hour days for a week straight so that our conference can happen. God has used Impact in the lives of thousands of people to change them for the better and one way that people thank Him is by serving at the conference. Thanks to all of our volunteers -- you are a joy to work with!

The Students
For almost 13 years, I have given my life to the mission of reaching college students with the gospel of Christ. I enjoy working with college students because they possess the zeal of youth and the maturity of impending adulthood. I especially enjoy working with students of African descent because so many of them are true survivors. They battle a society that stereotypes them and, in many ways, looks down upon and judges them. But they move forward in faith and strength and make a difference in the world. In fact, if you look back on the past century, any movement of significant change was initiated by college students. You need not look any further than a couple months ago when college students helped elect a black man the first president of the United States.

I was so proud of our students and how they responded to the challenges placed before them at this conference. More so than ever before, we called them to become specifically engaged in the work of The Impact Movement. When we let them know about the current financial crisis that our ministry is facing, many of them responded in a tangible way by committing to give to our work on a monthly basis. The reality is that God doesn't need our money. He will accomplish His purposes whether we give or not. But He does invite us to join Him in His work.

And when we invited our conferees to do just that, I couldn't help but be moved to tears. So many of our students had to trust God in big ways just to raise the money to get to the conference and to see so many of them come forward with their financial commitment demonstrated a sincere attitude of surrender to their Lord.

In addition, we invited the conferees to make further commitments, like praying regularly for our ministry, sharing their faith, going a missions trip, starting a chapter or begin tutoring a child. On the last night of the conference, we had the students send a text message, which was then rolled on the screen in the ballroom, to indicate how they would get involved in the mission of Impact. As scores of messages came through with how they would make a difference in their world, I couldn't help but think that I have never been prouder of the students I serve.

I don't think God is through with us yet. If you'd like to learn how you can get more involved with The Impact Movement or give a financial gift to help us in our work, click here.

My Co-Workers

One of the privileges that I have in my work with The Impact Movement and Campus Crusade for Christ is the individuals that I get to work alongside of on a daily basis. The picture to the left is of our Impact Campus Ministry team, a group of individuals that coach, resource, provide direction and encourage student leaders with The Impact Movement across the country.

Our mission of Impact is to take the truth of Jesus Christ to the campus, community and world by producing leaders of African descent who are spiritually focused, financially responsible and morally fit. One of the ways that we do this is by hosting a national conference which helps to equip the next generation of leaders in the black community and beyond. If you'd like to learn more about Impact 2008 Mission:Possible or register for the conference, please visit the conference website at http://www.impact2008.com/.

Another group of people that I get to lead with is the national leadership team of Ethnic Student Ministries of Campus Crusade. This is a team made up of regional and national directors committed to reaching each American ethnic minority and international students with the gospel. I get the opportunity to meet with these friends a few times a year and it is always a good time to hear how God is working in the lives of students throughout the U.S. This photo was just taken this past week at our meetings in Breckenridge, Colorado.

To learn some more about each of the strategies of Ethnic Student Ministries, check out these links:

Destino (Hispanic & Latino students)
Epic (Asian American students)
Korea Campus Crusade (Korean American students)
The Impact Movement (African American students)
Nations (Native American students)
Bridges International (International Students)

The Impact Summit & Racial Reconciliation

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of participating in a truly historic gathering (at least in the history of Campus Crusade). For a few days in Orlando, a couple dozen leaders from The Impact Movement and the U.S. Campus Ministry of CCC got together to build relationships with one another and dream about the future together.

A handful of years ago The Impact Movement went through some major structural and organizational changes. For a myriad of reasons, it became apparent that in order to be a significant leader in bringing change within the African American community and in the world that Impact would need to forge a new identity apart from Campus Crusade. In church terms, this was much more akin to a "church plant" rather than a "church split." In a new church plant, an existing church gives birth to a new church in order to reach people that aren't currently being reached. A church split, on the other hand, is caused by divisiveness and disagreements.

Within the legacy of Campus Crusade, there has always been a spirit of relinquishing control to new leaders and new ministries. Dr. Bill Bright modeled this often as his primary concern was not the promotion of Campus Crusade for Christ, but of the glory of God and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. If more people could be reached for Christ through another vehicle apart from CCC, Dr. Bright supported it. And so it has been with that spirit that the leadership of CCC agreed with the leadership of Impact that changes needed to happen.

The Impact Summit was a demonstration of our commitment to partner together to reach the lost for Christ. Since we made the changes with Impact, it has affected the amount of time that we have been able to relationally connect and trust is built as relationships are formed. In bringing together various leaders from both ministries, we were able to share our stories with one another and hear each other's perspective.

A couple of highlights from the Summit:

• We had a panel of Impact "veterans" share about their early experiences with Campus Crusade and the story behind how the Impact conference (and later The Impact Movement) was launched. There was a lot of laughter, but also painful stories were shared as some of our African American staff members shared their experiences of being involved in a predominately white organization.
  
• We spent some time looking at a passage in Daniel 9 as Dr. Charles Gilmer, the president of The Impact Movement, led us in a powerful time of public confession of our past corporate and present personal sins against one another. In over a decade of being involved in addressing these issues within this organization, I had never been apart of something like this.
  
• On our last evening together we enjoyed a tremendous meal at Johnson's Diner, a popular soul food restaurant in downtown Orlando. It was a great time of fellowship and a unique experience. While our group was there, we ran into a couple of Orlando's African American city commissioners and had the opportunity to pray for them -- right there in the middle of the restaurant!

Anytime you have gatherings such as this (i.e. blacks and whites coming together) there are bound to be issues that surface. In order for true racial reconciliation to take place, we need to be willing to hear one another's stories and seek to understand one another. Our experiences may not all be the same, but we can learn from each other in moving forward together. One of the issues that does need to be addressed for many of us when it comes to working with those of other ethnicities is the area of control.

We all seem to like to be in control and call the shots. But in order for biblical reconciliation to take place, there must be a willingness to relinquish control (especially for those of us in the majority) if there is to be any hope of the unity that Jesus prayed about in John 17. Christianity Today published a great article several months ago entitled, "More Free at Last." David Gushee, the author of the article, addresses the need for those of us that are white to be willing to submit to others ouside of our own cultural background. You can read the whole article here, but here is a highlight...

"We will witness true racial reconciliation when white evangelicals release power and become more regularly willing to share leadership with Christians of other ethnicities. It happens in several other sectors of our society, such as the military and education, far more often than it happens in our churches. Warm feelings of fellowship are one thing; sharing power is something altogether different—and much harder. When we share power, we lose control, and in our human insecurity, a craving for control is one of our most basic instincts. And yet Christ calls us to imitate him in laying down our control, our self-interest, and our power, for the good of others (Phil. 2:5-11)."

I have had the privilege of having a number of friendships with those of other ethnicities, co-workers whose cultural background is different than mine and mentors that have different color skin than mine. I've also sat under the teaching of pastors who don't look like me and bosses that are of another race. This has helped me in seeing things from their perspective and helped me in giving up the control that I so desperately wanted to hold onto. I hope that we all seek to follow the model of Jesus in Philippians 2 as we serve with one another.

Technorati Tags: the impact movement, campus crusade for christ, racial reconciliation

Infinit Impact on Tour

Infinit Impact in Concert!

East Street Studios, 18880 East Street, Westfield, IN - Tuesday, March 11, 2008 @ 7pm

Be among the first to see Infinit Impact kick off the 2008 Tour season in concert! With new songs, new stories and an unique style, Infinit Impact is ready, not just to entertain, but inspire. Bringing a soulful blend of gospel, with an r&b, hip-hop and sometimes edgy vibe, Infinit Impact is a concert experience you do not want to miss, and it's free! Doors open at 6:30pm.

Spread the Word: Infinit Impact Spring Tour is Here!

Infinit Impact's sping tour is getting under way. We still have some dates available so if you want to book the band, contact us!

March 14th - University of Virginia's Impact Chapter, 7pm.

March 16th- Greater Little Zion Baptist Church, Sunday Morning Service- 8 & 11 a.m.

March 19th - Victory Life Center, 7pm, Location:TBA, Richmond, VA. (tentative.)

March 20th - National Church of God, 7pm, Ft. Washington, MD.

April 5th - Black College Reunion, Daytona Beach, Florida

April 11-13th - Synergy Women's, Conference, Orlando, FL

April 19th - University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

Tour Dates available in April and July 17-August 3rd. We will post tour dates at www.infinitimpact.com so you can stay tuned there for more tour updates!

About The Impact Movement
The mission of The Impact Movement is to take the truth of Jesus Christ to the campus, community and world by producing leaders of African descent who are spiritually focused, financially responsible and morally fit. The Impact Movement has a presence on over 100 college campuses as well as in South Africa. To learn more about The Impact Movement click here.

Impact Music
Impact Music is a ministry of The Impact Movement which uses gospel music to communicate the Gospel message by reaching, equipping and sending out those with an interest and talent in music. Infinit Impact is the first band developed by Impact Music. To learn more about Infinit Impact click here.

Want to bring Infinit Impact to you?
Infinit Impact is now accepting invitations to come to partner with you to reach your community for Christ with dynamic gospel concerts! We perform songs from artists like Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Fred Hammond and Kiki Sheard. In addition to the music, the band members speak honestly from the stage about how their life experiences led them to a relationship with God. We then invite the audience to make a decision to walk with Christ as well.

If you are interested in having Infinit Impact partner with you to do a concert, please e-mail us! Check us out at www.infinitimpact.com for footage from previous summer concerts we've done. If an outreach like this is exciting to you, drop us a line ASAP! When we say "interest" we mean just that. Let's just start talking about the feasibility of it and go from there.

Technorati Tags: the impact movement, infinit impact

FLAME to be at Impact Regional Conference

The following was taken from the online version of CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) Magazine...

"The Impact Movement, an international organization that aims to positively influence the African American community through faith and action, continues its series of regional conferences January 18-21, 2008, in Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, DC. Gospel rap artist FLAME will be among featured guests at the Chicago conference.

“I thoroughly appreciate the work that The Impact Movement is doing for the Kingdom of God,” says FLAME. “I am ecstatic about being a part of an event to help further train leaders who will contextualize the gospel for the urban community. Anyone who comes in contact with The Impact Movement’s ministry won’t leave the same.”

The purpose of the conference is to provide opportunities for young people to gather with hundreds of their peers for biblical teaching, worship and training for making an impact in their spheres of influence. “There is a move among young people to speak to the needs of our community and to take their place as leaders both in this country and around the world. Those who gather at these conferences are the hope for the future of the African American community,” said Charles Gilmer, president of The Impact Movement.

The theme of the regional conferences is Paid In Full and stems from Colossians 2:13-14 which communicates that the debt and weight of our sins has been paid in full through Jesus Christ. The Impact Movement takes the truth of Jesus Christ to the campus, community and world by producing African American leaders who are spiritually-focused, financially responsible and morally fit. An international ministry with a presence on more than 100 college campuses, the organization is noted for its biennial national conference that has hosted more than 14,000 participants. The next national conference will be held in Atlanta, December 27, 2008 to January 1, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.impactmovement.com/."

ABOUT FLAME
Born and raised on the inner city streets of St. Louis, the death of his best friend - his grandmother - would change his life. FLAME A.K.A. Marcus Williams-Gray quickly ran to Christ at the age of 16 and never turned back. Ministering for more than 10 years at churches, events and conferences, the Dove Award nominee and 2008 Holy Hip Hop Award Honoree is currently completing his degree in Biblical Counseling at Boyce College located in Louisville. For more information, log onto http://www.flame314.com/, www.myspace.com/flame314 or http://www.crossmovementrecords.com/.