ORLANDO, Fla. (BP)–As thrill-seekers zoomed through the air on roller coasters at Universal Theme Park in Orlando, Fla., across the street several hundred college students took their own ride of faith to seek after the things of Christ.
Many of them committed “to seek Christ through a life of transformational discipleship” during CrossSeekers, a collegiate discipleship conference sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. The regional rally, Sept. 24-26 in Orlando, drew 659 youth and sponsors from five states — Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Students who become CrossSeekers on their college campuses agree to hold each other accountable to developing the biblical characteristics of integrity, spiritual growth, witness, service, purity and Christlike relationships.
This six-point covenant is the basic biblical foundation for Christian living, Bill Henry, director of LifeWay’s National Student Ministry, said. “We want students to know what it means to be in covenant with God and to be accountable to him and to others.”
Natalie Santos, a student from Florida Baptist Theological College in Graceville, said she committed to follow the CrossSeekers covenant on her campus because “I want to be able to shine in this world today by being an influence and an asset to those around me.”
Richard Slough, a student from Greenville (S.C.) Technical College, admitted that “it’s easy to be a Christian, but it’s hard to be a disciple. But that’s what I came to the conference to work on.”
A majority of the students at the conference attended discovery group sessions to learn more about the CrossSeekers covenant before deciding whether to make such a commitment.
Other students went to covenant group sessions to learn how to better apply the CrossSeekers principles through establishing ongoing accountability groups.
“Jesus set the example of accountability,” said Larry Lawrence, who led a breakout session on the integrity principle. “Jesus was who he said he was, and he always taught by word and example.
“Students today are saying, ‘Please hold me accountable to what I know is true’ — not what they want to hear but what they need to hear from the biblical standards of God,” Lawrence, student minister for Celebration Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Fla., said.
Heather Wolfe, a student from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, pointed out that putting on a face of integrity may fool others but not God. “The hardest thing can be maintaining integrity when it’s just you and God.”
John Ullrich, a student from Florida State University, Tallahassee, shared with the group that integrity is both a heavy responsibility and an honor from God. “It’s quite a responsibility to be a representative of the king of the universe,” he said. “It’s something I definitely don’t feel worthy or equipped to do, but I have to give it my best.”
In addition to the discovery and covenant breakout sessions, special sessions for student workers, as well as help for juniors and seniors in high school, were held for making the transition to an effective college life and witness.
To learn more about how to be a CrossSeeker, contact 1-888-CROSS98 or www.crossseekers.org.
