SENIOR LAUREN CREWS, junior Jonathan Haak, freshman Soma nthaHinds, and juniors AmyInman and Eli Cl em sing wi th their peers Sept 15inthe Shores Hall lobby. TheWednesday OI ght Shores devotiona l brought students together at an on-campus location to worship inthemidd leof the week.• R. KECK SOPHOMORE CHRIS FULKS anends theWednesday night Biblestudy for Outreach America, agroup focused on domesticmissions, Sept 15. \11 thadouble major in accou ntingand vocationa l miOistry, Fu lks sai dhe liked the idea of domestic missions, but his destina tion after graduation"is rea lly upto whereGod wa nts me tago:' .A.INGRAM yearns to reach America ' he living room was packed one Wednesday night in tate August as 147 students sang. prayed and fellowshipped at a student~led Outreach America Bible study in the home of Marvin Crowson, domestic missionary in residence. Formerly titled Domestic Vocational Missions, Crowson directed Outreach America, which sought to form and prepare teams and individuals who, by sharing the Gospel, would plant and help churches grow in major cities in the United States. Since Outreach America's birth in 2001, the program has helped send four teams to plant new churches, and three teams were preparing to leave once members graduated. Carl Williamson, a 2002 graduate, decided with his former roommate to enter the domestic mission field before they heard of Outreach America, but Williamson attributed to Crowson much of the encouragement they received to pursue that option. "He helped get some fire under our vision," Williamson said. " It was, in a way, Marvin's idea that we get a bunch of our friends together and tell them about what we wanted to do. That got us the rest of our team." Williamson and his wife, Alicia, left Searcy in June 2004 to work with their team of eight in New Brunswick, N.J. The team focused on the students of Rutgers University. Junior Rachel Hudgens, Crowson's student assistant, joined the program in March 2004. While she was not yet committed to a team, Hudgens had set her sights on Washington, D.c. Hudgens said she recognized the value the Outreach America had for Harding's students and for the kingdom of God in the United States. "I think a lot of people don't realize that they can do [mission work] in the United States as well," Hudgens said. "This program allows you to get a job and do God's work without being a Bible major. This is what God calls us to do." Regardless of where in the country a team or individual wished to spread the Gospel, Crowson said Outreach America was committed to help them begin that work. "Wherever you have a holy heartburn, I'll help you go," he said. - AARON MILLER 17 - SPIRITUAL LIFE
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