November Recap

Here is a brief overview of what all has happened with me, my ministry and my life over the month of November:

Porn Nation @ USF

Michael Leahy of Bravehearts spoke at University of South Florida where about 700 students attended. I went there originally to take pictures and obtain stories from students during the event for Story Team. The students there have such a passion and desire to see God change their campus.  They were each an inspiration to me, as was the chance to meet Michael.

To read the news coverage from Tampa click here.

Field Day

On a Saturday morning we had a field day. All the rest of the Year One-ers and myself played games like we were back in elementary school. The gushers, fruit by the foot, and snack packs made the event extra special!

Swing Dancing

A group of us went to UCF (University of Central Florida) to learn how to swing dance. I have done swing dancing before, but never had formal classes so it was a lot of fun. I'm hoping to use some of the dance moves at Seth and I's wedding (if I can teach him).

Free Concerts at Disney

Hanson, Boys II Men, Sister Hazel, Sugar Ray were just a few that Walt Disney offered in the FREE concert series. It was definitely a blast from the past but each one was definitely special in it's own way.

Food and Wine Festival at Epcot

One of the most unique things about being at Epcot, besides meeting all of the wonderful international interns every Friday was that I got to experience all the yummy goodness of the Food and Wine Festival Walt Disney World puts on every year. It lasts about a month and a half long and you can sample dishes from all over the world! It was fun treat and a great conversation starter for all the interns!

Story Team and Social Media = a perfect fit

Over this past month I transitioned my job into new roles which is wonderful! For those of you who don't know I am definitely a lover of Social Media and am fascinated with dreaming about the ways it can be used for God's glory. The decision was made that not only would I work on Story Team, generating and writing story about God's working in others lives, but also maintaining and innovating with social media for the U.S. Campus Ministry here at Campus Crusade for Christ. It is definitely a blessing and I am excited for the chance to create and use this new medium to help fulfill the Great Commission.

To learn more about my passion and desire click here.

"Funny when you're dead how people start listening"

And here is the part that is extremely hard to write. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I received word of a car accident one is which two boys I went to high school with had died. One I knew better than the other but it definitely shook up our town and community. Adam George Morris was 21 years old and riding in a car with 3 others when the driver misnegotiated a curve, lost control and rolled before hitting a tree and uprooting it. The driver and Jarrett "Bubba" Dotson (another passenger) were ejected from the car while Adam and the other passenger were wearing seat belts and were not ejected. Adam and Bubba both were killed. To read more about it click here. Please keep their families and friends in your prayers. There is no easy way to grieve this sort of loss and I know that through it the one thing I kept thinking was "Did I do everything I could to show him Christ's love while he was here on earth?" I think The Band Perry says it best in their song "If I die Young" when they say "funny when you're dead how people start listening".

That's all for this month! Make sure to "like" Chassity & Seth's Ministry on Facebook for all the latest updates!

Thoughts on "Is the Church Lost?"

So I (Seth) am a Relevant Magazine subscriber and really enjoy their content about God, life, and progressive culture. Apart from their printed magazine, they also do a number of online articles and music on www.relevantmagazine.com.

I read Relevant because it is what its name says. The message of the gospel has to be presented in a way that is relevant to the people hearing or receiving it, and Relevant does just that. It is all about living a life out in this great big world we live in, while building your faith. If you are looking at the website and thinking,"Jeez Seth, this doesn't look like a typical 'Christian magazine'" then you have hit the nail on the head. We are called to be in the world, not of the world, and too many times as Christians we seclude ourselves or make our own little "bubbles" to live in, even with the media we take in.

That all said, I found this article entitled "Is the Church Lost?" extremely practical, since its a mindset that many Christians fall into. Please check it out!

Now, when I first saw the title I wasn't sure what exactly it was about (I did like the picture next to it though, as seen above) so I clicked on it. As I read the article though I could really understand and relate to what it had to say. Many times in my life I have heard people make comments about churches like, "I'm not being fed" or "This church just doesn't have that much to offer." It is often the reason why people say they switch churches or stop attending altogether. Often times it sounds like people are looking more for a club than a church. I think too often we lose sight of the fact that the church just a body of believers and not some organization we join.

Perhaps if we kept that fact in mind we wouldn't be so consumeristic about our faith. Maybe we'd shift from asking what our church can do for us and actually consider how we can serve. We'd stop looking at serving as though its a job or an obligation and realize its really serving people. People who grasp this don't just leave a church they see faults in either. They instead seek to resolve the conflicts and problems because they know its not a club or institution, it is really about people.

I mean, a church is truly just a bunch of Christians, coming together to move toward Christ, loving, teaching, growing, and reaching out to those who do not yet know him. Although the Church as many parts, we are unified in the fact that we each have been given the same spirit, and are part of one body (check out 1 Cor. 12:12-30). If we browse through Paul's letters to the churches, we don't see him talking to an institution, we see him talking to people. Most of the time he isn't addressing problems with structure, organization, or the quality of their worship/preaching. He is addressing the core values of what it means to follow Jesus and talking about relationships within the believers, how they live together, grow together, teach/learn together. Paul is trying to help the churches love God and love one another authentically. When we analyze our churches, do we dwell on these things, or is it more often on institutional aspects? Are we looking at people and saying, how can I serve them? How can I love as Christ loves, or do we ask how can I be served? How will this church feed me?

When you start to look at church as people to love and grow with, you'll start to really enjoy yourself. You'll finally see the relationships and the value of serving others. Furthermore, I think the consumerist view of church tends to put the church between us and God, in an almost idolatrous position. Churches simply weren't meant to fill all our needs and be our everything, since that's God's place. Church isn't meant to be a chance for us to "get filled up." As Christians, we are instead supposed to be pouring ourselves out in love, through the excess we receive from God. If we stop looking at our church as something that must fulfill all our needs, and instead give that position back to God, we can finally take up our position serving, loving and growing the the body of Christ.

The Join With Us Challenge has begun!

So here it is...the challenge of the season! 

What? 

Seth and I would love to get 200 fans on our Facebook fan page to partner with us whether that is in prayer or finances by Christmas. 

Why?

As many may have guessed, Seth and I feel God’s call into ministry together as a married couple in 2011, which means our finances will also double. We desire to connect with more individuals, pray for and with them as well as challenge them to join our ministry team as you all have this year for me. While we may know a lot of people, we know that all of you know even more people! We understand that not everyone can always contribute to our ministry financially so other than through prayer another way you can help is by suggesting our Facebook Fan Page “Chassity & Seth’s Ministry” to all of your friends. We won’t automatically contact them and ask for money, although obtaining financial ministry partners is an ultimate goal, we would much rather connect with them further, send them updates and give them opportunities to meet and talk with us over the coming months.

How? 

So what are we asking you to do again?

Please visit “Chassity & Seth’s Ministry” on Facebook and if you haven’t already click the “like” button. Then underneath our picture there is an option to “Suggest your friends” click this and select all of your friends. You can even right a friendly message letting them know how you know us and why they should like this site as well.

Looking forward to reaching 200 and more with your help! 

-Chassity

We're on Facebook + the "Join with Us" Challenge

Hey everyone! 
Since I am such a social media enthusiest I thought, "why not make my ministry even more accessible to all of you!?" Seth & I have created a Facebook Fan Page for our ministry. Here you can receive updates about our individual ministries as well as our ministry as a couple as it progresses. Currently, I work in Orlando at Campus Crusade for Christ world headquarters while Seth is serving as a student leader at Penn State Erie: The Behrend Campus in Erie, Pennsylvania.

So become a fan of "Chassity & Seth's Ministry" and invite all of your friends to do the same :) . 

 

 

The "Join with Us Challenge"

Here's a thought:

Wouldn't it be amazing if we could get 200 fans by Christmas!? So I hope that each of you take that challenge and send all of your friends to "like" our fan page!

We know that many of you can't provide financially for our ministry but would love to still contribute, here is your chance! So take the challenge as God leads and invite all of your friends to learn more about our ministry and how God is working in Florida, Pennsylvania and throughout the world!

33 Chilean Miners+Mass Media Coverage+The Jesus Film = AMAZING!

Here is a story about the Chilean miners being about to hear about Jesus Christ through technology. This story leads me to wonder, "How many others heard about Jesus through this tradgedy and the media coverage?" 

Upon hearing the news that all 33 trapped miners were alive, Chile's Campus Crusade for Christ Director Christian Maureira contacted church leaders and government authorities in the region. With their cooperation, Christian soon established contact with Jose Samuel Henriquez, a committed Christian who now is known throughout the world as miner #24.

Christian Maureira and Jose Henriquez wrote letters to each other and as a result Campus Crusade arranged to provide personal MP3 players with the audio adaptation of the "JESUS" film ("The Story of Jesus") and the New Testament. Each of the trapped miners received the MP3 players more than a week prior to their rescue.

Throughout their ordeal, Jose encouraged the other miners both spiritually and emotionally. He reported that many of the miners met for prayer services twice each day. After learning of the plan to provide the MP3 audio adaptations of "JESUS," Jose wrote: "Thank you for this tremendous blessing for me and my coworkers. It will be good for our spiritual edification.... I am fine because Christ lives in me." He closed by quoting Psalm 95:4, "In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him."

Jose asked Christian to assist the miners by making special T-shirts they could wear on the day of rescue. Christian said, "The idea was to glorify our Lord with all this and also to express our love and concern for them by giving them the 'JESUS' film and the Bible in audio through the MP3s."

On October 12 and 13, 2010, the eyes of the world watched as the majority of the miners stepped out of the rescue capsule wearing their "Gracias Señor" T-shirts! The Lord was indeed glorified!

Please continue to pray for each of these miners as they process their experience.

ABOUT THE MINERS' T-SHIRTS:
Campus Crusade for Christ presented the now famous T-shirts as gifts to each miner. With the Campus Crusade and The JESUS Film Project^® logos on the sleeves, the words "Gracias Señor, Thank you Lord" stood out on the Chilean flag on the front of the shirts. Psalm 95:4 appears on the back: "Porque en su mano están las profundidades de la tierra, y las Alturas de los montes son suyas."

Social Evangelism - Tweeting Unitl the Whole World Hears!

I think one of the things God has really been showing me a lot lately is the fact that He has given me a passion for social media along with my passion for communicating the Good News to others. I love that in my job I get to use this! and I love seeing how God is using things like Facebook and Twitter to bring others to Him! I think I always knew this but over the past two weeks I have really been able to see the connection in my own life and ministry. When I was in college I took a liking to mixing Public Relations and Social Media, it was a realm of communication that always fascinated me. One week ago, during our Worldwide Day of Prayer God began to reveal to me the realization that people are coming to know God through social media. One of the applications Campus Crusade for Christ has started is an Everystudent.com application tab for Facebook, not only am I completely geeked out that we are using social media in ministry but I am more so in awe of how God is using it to completely knock me off my own pedestal. God has given us the technology, we just need to learn how use it to fulfill the Great Commission and He will do the rest! 9 times out of 10 when people are searching for something they "Google it". You need to find a remedy to get grease out, google it. You need to find a new restaurant and you want to see the Menu before you go, you punch it in on your iPhone or Blackberry. We all want answers readily available to us and the internet provides that.

God began to speak this revelation of how social media can be used in reaching college students (and the world) for Christ into my heart over the course of this past week. Through a series of job duties, findings online, stories of how facebook or an online conversation led someone to receive Christ and a sermon on Sunday (that talked about the book by Malcom Gladwell titled "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted") I began to see more and more clearly that God has designed me as a "social media geek" so that I can play a part in His plans! God is soo good! and I am very humbled everyday that I get to be used for His Glory! I can't wait to see how else God wants to use me in the weeks, months and years to come! So that eventually everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus.

Chapter 1: A New Chapter Begins

So here I sit, I made it! PTL! I am still working on raising support because some supporters have not begun their giving. Please be praying for the actual monies to come in or if God is working in your heart to give as well. Whenever my August 1st deadline approached I had the amount pledged but have yet to see some of the actual donations begin. Without the money actually coming in I may not have enough to be fully supported for the year.

I have been in my third week here as a YearOne intern in the field at Lake Hart (Cru. headquarters). It has been great to see how God is working here at Campus Crusade for Christ headquarters. I have met some great people and developed some even greater relationships. One of the great parts about being a YearOne-er is that we have a lot of time set aside for development, spiritually and professionally. I am already learning and growing, God is so good!  I am currently sitting in the center of a story goldmine. I serve on the Story Team for the Fund Development Office. Well that's great Chassity, but what do you actually do?! That seemed to be the question I was asking myself for weeks. I began to feel like I didn't know what I was doing or how God planned on using me through this team, I had become confused and frustrated. (The Story Team is a newly designed team that is helping to spread God's stories throughout our partners and our ministry). In the midst of the confusion, anxiety and uncertainty of whether or not I was being used to "my" full potential God reminded me of one thing. Are you working to glorify Me or yourself? And there it was, flat out front of me,  my real motivation for wanting to work "in my major field" I wanted to show people what all I knew. When we allow God to show up through our weaknesses in what we don't know or do well, instead of relying on what we do/know well,  that is when we reach our full potential. Just a side note on how God is beginning to work through me this week..

In other news, we have officially begun our Disney outreach, I am praying about where in the park God is calling me to and to what cultures. One of the things I love about doing the Disney outreach is seeing God show up. It's amazing to see how much Disney really is a "campus" and I am humbled that I get the opportunity to go there every week and reach out to the interns there.

Last but certainly not a small note is my BIG LIFE NEWS! I AM GETTING MARRIED! For most of you, this may not be any surprising news. Shortly after my August 1st support goal, my then boyfriend, proposed on August 11 and of course...I said yes. On October 8, 2011 I will officially be Mrs. Seth Neckers. It will be quite the task to plan a wedding from Orlando that will be happening in Clymer, NY but I know God will see me through it. So please be praying for us as we prepare for this next journey God has us on. Seth and I met in February 2009 through Campus Crusade for Christ and want to give God the glory for not only bringing us together but through getting us to this point as a long-distance couple.

Hopefully I gave you a glimpse of what my life has been like over the last month. I will be praying for each of you reading this and hope that in some way I can be a blessing as you have been in my life.