Participating in a team-building exercise, the OutReach America Steering Com– mitte tries to keep the pole steady during a cookout May 5, 2005. The student-run committee planned Bible studies and leadership train– ing sessions for domestic missions groups. -Courtesy of Morvin(rowson BigCRy. Big Dream. Big Ca ng. Seniors plant churches Bright lights. Bigcides. Big jobs. Although these were reasons for some seniors to move (0 different cities across the country. some seniors decided to move to a big city co plant a church. This year at the Wo rl d Missions Works hop Oct. 13-15, Los Angeles was one of twO North American cities that were mission work hot spots for post graduation. Marvin Crowson, domestic missionary-in-resi– dence, sa;d ilia, <he LosAngetes areawas highligl"ed because of what the city had to offer. "It's an educational center; it's a cuicural center with Hollywood; it's got some of the best colleges and universities around," C rowson said. "We know it's ripe because there are other churches that we see growing by leaps and bounds." Crowson said that three churches were started less than six years ago and grew to berween 5,000 and 6,000 members. He also said that he knew that Californians were receptive and ready to hear the word. The interest to go to Los Angeles was sparked after Crowson took students interested in church planting on a survey trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco January 5-10,2005. While they were there, the students went to university campuses and srudem cemers to ask srudents what they thought of California and then asking them about Christ. They also visited Saddleback C hurch. a church that began in 1980 and had more than 200,000 members after 25 years. The group also traveled around the area to see what Los Angeles had to offer. and the group met with headhunters to discuss jobs and met with real estate agents to talk about housing. C rowson said that some of the team members' minds were changed after the trip. "Most ofthem didn't think they would stay, and now most of them are on teams," Crowson said. One of those people was 2005 graduate James Holston, leader of the Ventura, Calif., group. "That [trip] is when I really started to fall in love with California," Holston said. "There was this openness - this willingness to try different things from the people we talked with. There was this cry from the existing churches in the area that realized the need was great." The team Holston was leading wanted to target the 20-25 age group and wanted to connect with them through small groups and relationships. "The real key we see is being able to reach unbe– lievers through building relationships with them," Holston said. "I hope to Start about a dozen small groups; little Christian communities where people know each other." Senior Ryan Kacz.marek, a member o f the Ventura team wanted to do a sports ministry and wanted to church plant because he wanted to reach Out to unbelievers. "It's kind ofscarysometimes to think about going out and being the future and making a difference in people's lives, but C hrist has called us to go and preach the good news to the world," Kaczmarek said. The Ventura, Calif., team planned to leave in May 2007. Senior Eden Steiner, a member of the River– side, Calif., team, said her team planned to begin a house group by going out into workplaces and doing friendship evangelism, and through that, build a church. She said she personally chose to do domestic missions because of the great need she saw in the United States. "I thought for a long time mission wo rk was outside ofthe United States. but as I've done mission work, I've realized that it's not about location, but ir's about the people," Steiner said. "How can 1go to another country when my own country is going farther and farther away from morality?" All of the team's members were to relocate to Riverside by 2008. Crowson said that anyone who planned to church plant could expect his or her life to change. "Expect to have life turned upside down and turned right side up again," C rowson said. Although the work was d ifficult, Crowson said (hat in 30 years, people who church planted could look back and see the grandchildren of the people they converted. "It's a reward system that you can rejoice greatly in," Crowson said. •Cynth;a Mach seniors '.,.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==