CIY MOVE is always one of my favorite weeks of the year. For those that may not be familiar with CIY, CIY MOVE is a 5-day summer event designed for high school students to know Jesus better, deepen their relationships, and to be sent out to do Kingdom Work. Every year we take a group of High School students to this event and God never ceases to amaze me at the work He does through these students.
When I say CIY is my favorite week of the year, that might be understated. Being a teenager in this day and age, I feel is a lot tougher than past generations. These students have a hundred different voices vying for their attention. Voices telling them how to act, how to talk, how to dress, who to love and what to value. None of which brings them the full life that Jesus offers. When we left for CIY there were smiles and laughs as we made our drive up to Hope College in Holland Michigan, but you could tell in each student that there was pain, tension or stress in their lives.
The theme this year at CIY MOVE was NEVERTHELESS, which comes from Galatians 2:20. “I am crucified with Christ, NEVERTHELESS I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me, and gave himself up for me”. The messages this year could not have come at a better time to have the biggest impact on these students. Here are the five main points from each night:
We don’t deserve it, nevertheless, Jesus is for us.
We want control, nevertheless, Jesus is over us.
We fail, nevertheless, Jesus is in us.
We feel disconnected, nevertheless, Jesus is between us.
We are weak, nevertheless, Jesus lives through us.
My favorite memory from the week is from night three. After the message, students had the opportunity to walk up to these chains, pick them up and hold them as they prayed and surrendered their issues, situations, and lives to God. As they said amen, they would drop the chains. You can hear these chains slam the ground around the arena. As each chain slams the ground, you can feel the weight being lifted off these students. There was not a dry eye in that building. After that night the difference from students loading the bus to that night was something only the work of the Holy Spirit can do.
Not only was there this call to surrender but also to go. Every year CIY challenges students to go do Kingdom Work. Students are understanding that as followers of Jesus we are not meant to sit on the sidelines but to go out and be the hands and feet of Jesus. As Student Pastors, we were very thankful for that message, because after that, our mission trip to Grundy filled up, ha! It was such a blessing to watch these students’ lives being transformed by God.
Coming out of CIY we celebrated 8 baptisms, 4 decisions to rededicate and 5 students experiencing the call into vocational ministry. In addition, many of our students dedicated themselves to be Kingdom Workers in whatever vocation they are called too. PRIASE GOD!!! Thank you, White Oak family, as many of you were praying over our students and many also supported us through financial gifts. Because of your financial and spiritual generosity, students are discovering their identity as a Child of the King and living the Full Life Jesus has offered us!
Would you consider how YOU might be a Kingdom Worker in your vocation by joining us for the Marketplace Mission Trip Information Meeting this coming Tuesday! You can sign up to learn more by clicking below.
Andy Crowl
Student Pastor - Ross Campus
White Oak Christian Church