August 2023 Student Minister's Note

For many, whether you have school age children or not, August marks the end of the summer months. As we celebrate summer coming to a close and a new season beginning, I want to thank each and every one of you for the prayers, donations, and time that you gave. The Lord used Calvary in a mighty way this summer- kids heard the gospel for the first time, teenagers crossed over from death to life and were saved by grace, and a record number of children connected with the stories of escape at Camp Creative. Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50), but he chooses to work through his willing people, and what a great blessing we have experienced because of your willingness!

I would encourage you that God is not finished with us yet. Though the summer is over our true outreach has yet to begin. In the summer, God graciously brings us unchurched kids and teens from our community. They come in our doors for the first time, and get a taste of the love and goodness of the Savior, but that is not where we are called to stop.

Jesus told his disciples this in Matthew 28:18- 20 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We are not simply called to give these students a week-long taste of the goodness of God but to make disciples of them. Discipleship is a long term commitment. The commandments and life of Jesus cannot be taught in a week or even in a month, it is a lifetime of learning and discerning the Word. That is why we have the AWANA program.

Through our AWANA program we are able to intentionally disciple the children that God blesses us with. They memorize the Scriptures, learn to interpret and apply God’s Word, and see the love of Christ on full display through us. This discipleship is why we were able to see the fruit of salvation over the summer. God has been using the commitment of faithful believers serving in AWANA here at Calvary to call young hearts into radical submission to Him.

Join us in answering the commandment of the Great Commission this fall. Jesus has promised that he is going before us into this season, and he has prepared a good work for you to do. We need believers willing to come in early and teach and listen to children, believers willing to sacrifice their time to make sure unchurched kids have a ride to hear the word proclaimed, and believers to pray specifically and intentionally for our students. Each and every role has an outsized kingdom impact in the lives of the largest mission field on Earth today- Generation Z.

I look forward to serving alongside each of you as God continues to grow the local expression of His global kingdom here at Calvary.

- Lilly Hunter