Student revival teams available for summer

Ryan Brice spent much of his summer vacation last year traveling from church to church around Alabama, helping junior high and high school students strengthen their relationships with Christ. As part of a student revival team sponsored by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM), the Jacksonville State University student saw God touch many lives through the retreats he and other college students led at their churches. Many lives, he said, were committed to Christ last summer.
   
“Also, through the influence that we had, another young man surrendered his life to the ministry,” Brice added.
   
At the SBOM, Mike Nuss, director of the office of collegiate and student ministries, knows it is vital to reach out to Baptist youth across the state. That’s why his office sponsors student revival teams. Many of the college students, such as Brice, are committed to joining the ministry. In fact, Brice will soon become minister to students and young adults at Thelma Baptist Church in Wetumpka, one of the churches his revival team visited last summer. “We want to help churches reach out to their youth, and the bottom line is, we want to see more students reached for Christ,” Nuss said.
   
He pointed out that most of the more than 3,100 Baptist churches in Alabama are small, and many are located in rural areas. In some cases, they don’t have the resources to present youth programs in the community the way they would like.
   
Last year, three three-member missions teams, coordinated through Nuss’ office, led youth revivals in 37 churches across Alabama. While most sessions were weekend events, several churches came together for one weeklong beach retreat.
   
“The teams always add to our youth program by showing our youth just how effective they can be in the life of our church,” said Richard Bradford, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Jasper. “Last year, the excellent team that came to us spent a lot of time with the youth, just fellowshiping outside the worship time, even teaching them skits that our young people performed in some of our services.”
   
“They can see that after they leave the church youth group, their spiritual life doesn’t end,” noted Nuss. “It’s an excellent way to talk to young people about Baptist Campus Ministries and life after high school.” For more information about student revival teams, contact Mike Nuss at 1-800-264-1225 or mnuss@alsbom.org.