This weekend, April 13-15, our student ministry will load up in a giant charter bus and three vans and drive down to Camp Piankatank on the Chesapeake Bay for a weekend of life-transforming discipleship. This is our annual DNOW weekend. DNOW stands for Discipleship Now.
Once a year, we give our students an opportunity to unplug from the world and their devices and spend time in God’s beautiful creation together, growing in community with one another, and focusing our entire weekend on growing in Christ. Side note: we also have a ton of fun in the process! The students get to enjoy canoeing, climbing high ropes, playing this game called gaga-ball (which makes you filthy dirty), and enjoying s’mores by the fire.
We have a guest worship leader, Daniel Boterf, and guest speaker, Pastor Justin Chades who will lead us in our worship sessions. In addition, we have small groups that are led by our own team of adults and college leaders that will enable our students to go deeper in the Word.
Last April, we witnessed several students give their lives to Christ through the power of the gospel message. Many others experienced radical transformation in their own walks with Christ. I am expecting the Lord to meet us in a powerful way once again this weekend.
Our theme this weekend is Live Sent. It is founded upon the words of Christ that he gave to his disciples on the evening of the day he was resurrected.
He said to them, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” – John 20:21
We long for our students to leave this weekend knowing that wherever they go, they have been sent there for the sake of Christ. Christ tells us that we do not merely go places. He sends us places. Whether it is to our school, job, neighborhood, the kid we share a locker next to, or overseas. Every day Christ is sending us out with his message, in his power. We long for our students and adults to see the call to live sent. The gospel does not just save us. It sends us.
As DNOW approaches, I would invite you to pray for our group of 87 students and 31 adults that will be a part of this weekend. Here is how you can pray:
- Pray for salvation of unbelievers. Our students have invited their friends to join us, many of whom do not know Christ. Please pray that their hearts are open to receiving the gospel.
- Pray for transformation of believers. We long for our students to walk away having become like Christ and loving him more through the transforming power of the gospel.
- Pray for our adult leaders. 31 adult and college leaders are giving themselves to pour into the lives of teenagers for 48 hours. Pray for their energy, wisdom, joy, a servant’s heart, and their own personal growth and rest in Christ.
- Pray for Justin and Daniel. Justin is preaching the word all weekend. Daniel is leading our praise. Pray for their hearts, readiness, and that God would give them everything that they need to point us toward the gospel of Jesus Christ.