By Philip Cooley
I am so excited and blown away to think that this January CNC’s College group will have been meeting every Sunday for two and a half years. The last couple of years have been an immense blessing to Katherine and me as we have been able to participate in the lives of some amazing young adults during a key time in their lives when they are trying to figure out where they fit in the world. For many of them this time is a period of asking tough questions about their faith and values. Many of our members are asking how and if Christ has the answers for the issues and questions that are central to who they are and who they will be. My goal has always been to be a person in their lives who can point them in the right direction, show them that Christ is in fact relevant to all of the 21st century issues that they are confronted with and that His call to obedience is intended to ensure that we receive all of the blessings God has for us. As a couple it has been our goal to show Christ’s love to each member of the group, so in addition to time spent studying the Word, we eat a lot of food and have as much silly fun as we can cram into our three hour gatherings including: ice blocking, trips to the state fair, front lawn Twister competitions, bocce ball and an Ugly Christmas sweater contest.
The simple fact that we have continued to meet for more than two years now is testament to the fact that God is meeting a need in the group. Not only have we survived but we have grown. Over that period of time we have seen steady growth in the group’s size. Even as some folks have moved on, the group has continued to slowly increase in number so much so that the location is moving from Katherine and my house to my parents’ home in order to better serve the size of the group.
January also marks our second annual Winter Retreat which is experiencing growth of its own as nearly 20 members of the group will be joining us in Tahoe for a weekend of fellowship and a break from the routine. Folks are coming for many different reasons: snow, friends, a weekend in Tahoe, shopping, time with God. My prayer, and I would ask for yours as well, is that regardless of the reason each individual has decided to go, God will make himself powerfully real to each of them. Please also pray for PC Walker, College Pastor at First Covenant Church and our guest speaker for the weekend, that God might use him to convict the hearts and minds of all who are there.
Like our regular Sunday night gatherings, we are going to have a blast at Winter Retreat. I will be praying that God’s hand on our weekend will be what is talked about when we get back.
