Christian Student Fellowship

Special Guest, Hannah Knight, is the Director of Junior High Ministry at West Side Christian Church and is a CSF Board member.  Hannah shared about the importance of self care.  Whether we're personally in the midst of the chaos of depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts or helping someone else through it, Hannah challenged us to consider how we could lean into God and our community for support.  

Gretchen finished off our series on Stories of Ordinary People Who Followed Jesus by sharing about Mary Magdalene.  She challenged us to consider what it could look like to not only love Jesus as Mary did, but to be a messenger of the Good News as Mary was after Jesus' resurrection.  

David taught from John 11, where we encounter Mary and Martha, two women who have every reason to be disappointed with God.  Many of us attempting to pursue Jesus can easily relate to their disappointment.  Yet in Jesus' statement, "I am the resurrection and the life," God offers all of us a way forward in the midst of our disappointment. 

Continuing in our series "Stories of Ordinary People who followed Jesus," Gretchen taught on Jesus' interaction with a man born blind in John 9.  The blind man was healed, and then began to share his story.  In the same way, Gretchen challenged us to consider where God has been at work in our lives to bring healing and presence.  We too can say as the blind man did, "I was blind, but now I see."

In John 4, Jesus interacts with an outcast of society.   Gretchen taught about how just like the woman at the well, Jesus sees our very worst, and still wants us.  She challenged us to acknowledge and confess our sin, trading it in for the new LIFE Jesus offers.  (accidental special guest appearance from David's phone audio Bible...)

Gretchen continued in our series "Stories of ORDINARY PEOPLE who followed Jesus," teaching from John 3 about Nicodemus.  From his interaction with Jesus, it's clear that God doesn't just want to "clean us up," but to make us into something completely new. She then challenged everyone to consider the call to repent and either 1.) be baptized or 2.) remember our baptisms.

Five CSF Students shared their stories as a part of CSF Worship and Testimonies Night.   Bill Coffey (0:18), Emily Zimmerman (3:02), Caitlyn Day (5:56), Chloe Taft (9:46), and Claude Henry (12:08) highlighted ways God is at work in their lives through their personal testimonies.  Several specifically addressed the impact of their experiences at CSF's Fall Retreat this past weekend. Gretchen invited everyone to personally consider how God is at work right now in our own lives as well (16:36).   

CSF kicked off a new series entitled "Stories of ORDINARY PEOPLE who followed Jesus".  Gretchen Magruder shared from John 1 about Nathaniel - a skeptic who followed Jesus.  She challenged us to not let skepticism keep us from pursuing faith in Christ.  She then provided some practical guidance for: 1.) How to pursue faith as a skeptic and 2.) How to be helpful to a friend who is a skeptic.  

Lindsey Lasley showed us from the scriptures that Jesus' intention is for all His followers to be on His mission. She challenged the community to: 1.) train in knowing God, 2.) identify the specific spheres of influence He has given us and 3.) engage in God's mission with other believers(rather than going it alone).  CSF student, Abbie Varbel, shared how God has guided her to use her spheres of influence on campus to be on Jesus' mission (16:20).

David Lasley shared at Monday Night Worship what CSF is all about: The Gospel.  He explained how in the Gospel we discover that we are loved by God and that in Jesus, we are invited to let that define our whole lives.  LLCC student, Jack Snyders shared his story of coming to faith in Christ (33:40).