The last several weeks have been incredible within Impact as we saw God move in enormous ways. So much has happened and it is a joy to share what God is doing as a testament to His never-failing faithfulness. God continues to makes it clearly evident that He has this ministry in His hands every step of the way. It is because of God’s faithfulness that we can confidently engage and prepare for the mission He has set before us.
All thirty camps now have an outstanding group of counselors and our entire staff of over 550 students is officially complete for Impact 2017! We gathered for the first time at the beginning of March at our First All-Staff Retreat. It proved to be a special time together as they cultivated relationships with one another while building unity. Connor Saye, counselor for Alpha Levi, summed up the retreat as, “a great reminder of what a joy it will be to serve the freshmen with a community of like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ.” Barrett Burns, counselor of Alpha Gad, added, “it was a cool experience because it gave me a chance to get to know the other counselors on a deeper level. On top of that, it was also a lot of fun preparing for the freshmen.”
The focus of the retreat was to cast vision for the mission God has called us to in reaching the class of 2021 at Texas A&M and Blinn. God has so much purpose in how He orchestrates each of our lives. We learned how each story is unique and that the story of each freshman will be unique. It was an inspiring moment looking out among the hundreds of students brought together to further His Kingdom. He is on the move and we cannot wait to see what He accomplishes in and through our entire staff in the coming months.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Freshmen registration for Impact 2017 officially began March 1st and It is exciting to already have over 700 hundred freshmen signed up to hear the Gospel and see a glimpse of the body of Christ at Texas A&M and Blinn. How can you help make sure freshmen know about this incredible ministry? We would love for you to partner alongside us in reaching freshmen! After all, before we can have freshmen attend Impact, we have to have freshmen sign up and register! One way you can help is by reaching out to the youth pastor of your local church and informing them about Impact. We would love to connect with your church and come up with a way to best communicate with your church’s graduating seniors about Impact. If you'd like to partner with us or have any questions, please send an email to publicrelations@impactretreat.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you so much in advance for your help!
FRESHMEN SPOTLIGHT
It is always neat to hear new stories of how God uses this ministry to direct freshmen to the local church. We believe it is in the church that freshmen will find a source of sustaining community that is crucial during their short time in college. Cassidy Tuggle, Class of 2020 and Delta Naphtali counselor, attended Impact Retreat this past August and has since plugged into a church that continuously pushes her towards Christ. Before college Cassidy had many older friends tell her that going to church while in college is a burden and was often just another thing to check off their "to do" list. However, Cassidy was determined to have a different perspective.
“I immediately felt the Lord’s presence and knew it was where He was calling me to plug in and serve.”
Upon returning to College Station for the start of the semester, Cassidy was eager to find a church home: “I was very picky while looking for a local church. Coming from such a small community, I was use to a very tight knit church that felt more like family than people I only see on Sunday mornings.” After visiting a few churches during the first month of college, Cassidy walked into First Baptist Bryan one Sunday. “I immediately felt the Lord's presence and knew it was where He was calling me to plug in and serve. Throughout this first year of college, I have found spiritual growth through leaning on the many friendships I have made at First Baptist Bryan. Being surrounded and encouraged by followers of Christ in fellowship allows us to spread the love of Christ by being the hands and the feet that we are called to be.”