--------------------------------------- people ------------------------------------------ 46 II people Students gather in Shores Chapel for a Sunday night cell church worship service. Senior Ryan 8teyn began the cell church idea in Septem– ber 2002. (Photo by Amy Beene) Some students found in the midst of large churches that they wanted a smaller setting for worship. Such was the case for senior Ryan Steyn. Steyn began "cell churches" in September 2002. "The group of 15 of us doubled in the first month," Steyn said. "1 guess others had the same idea or wanted to try something different." The group strove to integrate the ideas and values of the first century church through peer leadership, communion, gender ministries and fellowship. "Many people are turned off by a large-church experience." Steyn said. "When people see us treating each other with love and compassion they want to be a part of our celL After they join, we have a great opportunity to tell them about Jesus." A typical Sunday morning service featured prayer, scripture reading, singing and a devotional message, which could last up to 60 minutes. Those in attendance would then enjoy a potluck and conclude afternoon activities around 2 p.m. At 8:30 p.m. every Sunday the group would meet again for a personal prayer service inShores Chapel. Steyn said having people with different backgrounds added to the worship. "There is a plethora of diverse cultured backgrounds, both socially and spiritually," Steyn said. "Everyone is encouraged to come and join intimate fellowship." During the week the gender ministries met. On Wednesdays, women met to discuss women's service and roles in the church. The men met Thursday nights. Among the topics discussed were church leadership, evangelism and prison ministry. "Accountability plays a major role in the development of our Christian walk," senior Lee Thornton said. 'There should be checkups ... people hold me accountable to be there just as J make sure they will be there too." Steyn said through all the efforts, God worked in this ministry. "We knew we weren't doing anything special; God was just pleased with our mISSIOn, I guess," --semor RyanSteyn "It was amazing to see how the Lord was blessing our effort," he said. "We knew we weren't doing anything special; God was just pleased with our mission, I guess."
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