2021 STP—"Comfort Zone"

Blog post originally from our STP BLOG

For anyone who does not know what it’s like moving across the country to live in South Carolina for eight weeks to be fully immersed in learning about the Lord and working at Walmart, the only word I can possibly use to describe it is impactful. One of the things leaders said the first week here was that while we were going to be doing a lot, we also have to say goodbye to our comfort zone. A lot of students, including myself felt this arriving in South Carolina. However, I would be as bold to say that the Lord does his best work when we push ourselves and fully submit to him. In the Bible it talks about not being afraid and being confident in the Lord a lot, it’s something we’ve even covered in a few talks these first few weeks of being here. The main verse that comes to mind for me is

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

— Joshua 1:9

I love this verse because wherever we travel, live or work, we can have assurance that God has not left us to be on our own, this includes South Carolina! As a first-time student coming to Summer Training Project, it is very evident that the Lord is doing good work here and that gives me peace in the midst of being involved into new experiences.

This first week has been a lot of stimulus with meeting people from several different schools, being on your feet all day walking around and listening and diving deep into the Word of God daily. It is physically, emotionally and spiritually stimulating. However, I am confident that all the students and leaders here are being pushed out of their comfort zone by learning a lot and really developing skills that we can use for the rest of our lives! Each day here ends with a grateful spirit, tired feet and a strengthened heart for the Lord as we get to know each other better and are becoming more unified brothers and sisters in Christ. What better environment to test our growth than in a safe community of Christians that cheer you on and celebrate with you!

I asked some students what are some spontaneous or bold things they that have done that expanded their comfort zone so far here and this is a list of what they said:

-          Sang karaoke in front of a crowd that you just met

-          Learned to skim board

-          Learned to stand up on a surfboard

-          Started conversations with co-workers talking about Jesus

-          Went night swimming in the ocean

-          Randomly been thrown in the pool

-          Threw a plunger in a toilet (we had a FUN low country boil)

-          Had conversations with people about difficult topics such as gender, race, sexuality, etc.

-          Faked a proposal and breakup in public (We had a blast as we did a scavenger hunt!)

-          Walked up to strangers at Broadway at the Beach and asking them if they’re from Minnesota.

-          Went on a helicopter ride

-          Prayed for a customer in a Walmart parking lot

-          Worked 8 hour shifts at Walmart/Chick-fil-a

Not to mention that moving across the country not knowing who you will be living with or anything about the area isn’t a big enough deal, that alone is removing us from our ‘safe place’ at home! We have done so much in two weeks I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for us.

If you are reading this, continue to pray for everyone here and that we will continue to really live/grow in the uncomfortable moments here on project that are meant for us to build our faith.

STP | WHY ARE WE SO AFRAID TO SHARE THE GOSPEL IN COLLEGE?

This is an important question to ask while any Believer in Jesus is in college. I believe that the university setting is one of the best places to share with people the good news of Jesus Christ, but why is it that we so often do not? Steven Lee, the new lead pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church North Campus, wrote an article called Four Reasons We Don’t Share the Gospel last year, and I thought that it would help explain much of what we students learned this summer at Summer Training Project. 

Steven Lee goes through four obstacles to evangelism for most people, and I will do my best to connect these same points to college students:

1. Lack of Gospel Knowledge 

College students, even at Christian schools, have a huge problem sharing the gospel simply because they do not understand the gospel enough to articulate the truths of the gospel in a simple and coherent way. 

2. Apathy

This obstacle became increasingly evident throughout this summer as students began to look at their lives and reflected on what Christ’s work on the cross actually did. Students are perfectly content making friends and going to dinner with people, but when it comes to sharing the gospel with people, it always seems that we don't have enough time. 

3. Fear 

College age students already have many insecurities. We are still growing and becoming who we want to be, and we are afraid of people rejecting us because we are not enough for them. Sharing the gospel is just another reason for which people could reject us. We do not want to push people away, so we just end up saying nothing.

4. Lack of Compassion

God has revealed to me that in my heart, as in many other college students’ hearts, I do not understand the urgency for those who do not believe in Jesus, and because of that, I, most times, do not have compassion on them as I should if I truly understand the gravity of the situation. 

Summer Training Project has pointed to the good news of Jesus that changes everything. The community that I have gained while being in South Carolina, and the community that many other college students have gained will forever change the way that these students look at the world.

Steven Lee’s Four Steps to Sharing More:

1. Pray Together for the Lost

Throughout the summer, more than 100 students have prayed fervently for the students on their campus to understand that they can be made new through the truth that God sent Jesus down to earth so that we who are sinners could be in a relationship with a Holy God that has come to save us and be in a relationship with us. 

2. Recall the Gospel Together

After going through Ephesians, the students at project were able to not only preach the Gospel to each other, but the students were able to live in a community where each and every person was reminded of the gospel each and every day.

3. Apply the Gospel Together

Throughout the summer, we as students were able to not only remind each other about the Gospel, but we were able to apply the Gospel in real ways. During conflict, arguments, joys, pains, and victories, we were able to see how God has given each of us the ability to live freely in the joys of the Gospel and to unite in the comfort of Christ’s care. 

4. Prove the Power of the Gospel Together

With the believers at project, we were reminded of the sufficiency of God’s word to do his work for his purposes. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that the Gospel saves by grace through faith — apart formworks — as a free gift, and during the summer, many were able to trust, believe, and declare it for the first time.

God’s sweet love has been so evident this summer, and it was my pleasure experiencing the joys of Gospel-centered community with so many college students. Amen.

Benjamin Johnson
2017 STP Student Communications Intern

STP 2016 Recap

Have you been wondering what it's like to go on our Summer Training Project in Myrtle Beach? Well here's your chance - check out our recap video from this summer!

Introducing a new look!

We are so excited to share with you a fresh, new, unified look for our summer opportunities! We have just come out with all new logos for our Summer Training Project, Twin Cities Project and Cross Cultural Project. From now on you'll be able to recognize our favorite events with these great new designs. 

Our summer projects have come a long way in the past few years. This summer has been the year of 3s! TCP finished it's 3rd summer strong meeting in downtown Minneapolis and the CCP team enjoyed visiting our partnership in Sheffield, England also for the 3rd summer in a row. STP keeps growing and students spent a 3rd summer in our own hotel in Myrtle Beach, SC.

We're so thankful to the Lord for what he has done and will continue to do through our amazing summer opportunities! We love the new look, and we hope you do too! Stay tuned to find out what God has in store for us next summer...  

Talking to Strangers is Okay - From STP Blog

This blog post is from the STP Blog, read it and other posts from our STP Students here: cominneapolis.org/stpblog

You know how your parents always told you that you shouldn’t talk to strangers? Well, here at STP it’s recommended, especially on Wednesday afternoons.

You may be wondering why that is...because it sounds kind of strange.

A big part of what we do here at STP is work to develop our personal relationships with the Lord, but a natural result of getting to know God better is to be moved to share Him with others. Wednesdays’ Ministry Training meeting is the time set aside to equip us with tools to share the Gospel effectively with those around us, as well as to have time to practice what we’ve learned.

WHAT WE DO

Ministry Training meetings consist of two parts, a talk and a workshop. This past week, Nirmal Mekala spoke on “Abridged Revelation,” and walked us through how to share the Gospel using a simple diagram called the Bridge. It revolves around Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” After that, he discussed two kinds of fears we might face in evangelism, insecurity (fear of awkwardness, rejection or a loss of reputation) and inadequacy (we may not have the right answers).

In the workshop, students paired up and practiced sharing the Bridge with one another as if they were sharing it with an unbeliever. Then, we actually went out onto the beach and talked with tourists and locals about what we believe, and when we come back, we shared stories of conversations we had.

WHY IT MATTERS

The amazing thing about being a Christian is that we get to be a part of God spreading His name and fame throughout the world. God didn’t have to use us to share the Gospel, but He chose to because it both develops our faith and gives us joy in seeing His work up close.

Undoubtedly, Ministry Training is the meeting that students dread the most, because it’s scary walking up to complete strangers and asking to talk about deep, heart-level issues. But the beauty of it is that, despite our insecurities and inadequacies, there’s no way we can fail if we step out in faith. God doesn’t call us to save those we approach on the beach; He simply calls us to be faithful to share the best news in the world.

Even though “cold turkey evangelism” isn’t our normal modus operandi, I think Ministry Training is one of the most valuable times of the STP week because it’s our chance to vocalize and live out what we profess the rest of the week: that God’s free gift of eternal life through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is the most important thing in our lives, and we want the world to know it.

Brianna Williamson
STP Student Communications Intern