TEACH (to your fellowship community)
I’d like to recommend that Biblical content in the 2-3 weeks prior to Spring Break focus on the radical values and issues of the Kingdom. Any of scores of passages could be used:
Jesus’ ministry mandate (Luke 4, Is 61); God’s judgment of Israel for neglecting the issues of justice and mercy in their worship (Isaiah 1); or God’s chosen fast (Isaiah 58). Other possibilities include “The rest of the story” passages like The Sin of Sodom (Ezek 16:49); What does Knowing God involve? (Jer. 22:16), or any of numerous narratives of Jesus as he lunches with scoundrels, partners with traitors and prostitutes, visits lepers and the demon possessed, etc., etc. Jesus perfectly lives out the Father’s purposes (“When you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father”) so whatever helps our students walk in Jesus’ footsteps will help lead them into the heart of God. (Who are the ‘lepers’ on campus? What kindness can be shown to the ‘possessed’?)
Use your own teaching times, outside speakers, student testimonies, dramatic readings (dramatize Walter Wangerin’s ‘The Ragman’, e.g.), to bring these issues front and center in your large group times, community worship, etc. Choose worship songs that reflect sacrifice, service, and loving the world. Consider having your small group Bible studies focus similarly (cf. Bob & Carol Hunter’s excellent ‘Loving Justice’, by IVP for a dozen inductive studies)
SERVE (the larger campus and town communities)
Please plan at least 1 community service outing in the weeks leading up to break.
(and please consider how to INVITE non-members and non-Christians to join you in this)
Perhaps ask all members to commit to 1 servant activity/month throughout the Spring, offering a couple different ones to choose from before March. Often ‘low-tech, minimal cost, short plan/prep time’ activities are best. Some examples?
- Snow removal for elderly and shut ins after a storm
- After school tutoring for a struggling child (just call local school and volunteer)
- Small group visit to a ‘neglected’ old-folks home
- Assist at a food/clothing pantry, homeless shelter, soup kitchen
- Volunteer Saturday at Habitat for Humanity, adult day-care, help with field-trip
for a group from school for disabled children, etc
- Campus Canned food, (or winter coats) drive for a food pantry or church ministry
- Host a ‘3rd World Banquet’ and invite the campus—(use as fund raiser for
- Host a ’30 hour Famine’—and invite the campus World Vision or World Relief)
(some very helpful ideas and resources at their web sites: worldrelief.org and worldvision.org)
MAKE AWARE (broadly to the campus)
Host a well-advertised screening on campus of a film that raises issues of compassionate response to the ‘invisible’, the ‘despised’, or the ‘vulnerable’ (e.g. recent films like Beyond the Gates, God Grew Tired of Us, or The Great Debaters ). Follow the screening with a well led discussion of the issues, relate what response might be expected from Jesus to people like those shown, THEN offer a concrete, specific action step immediately to those who come:
e.g. fundraiser for International Justice Mission, letters to Congress, sponsor a child with Compassion International, collect for World Vision, volunteer with refugee ministry, etc.
