Living the Gospel Story
One of the core aims of CCO, the national college ministry which our parish partners with for our college ministries at UR and VCU, is for college students to gain a vision for following Christ in every area of life. One of the ways that we try to equip our students with this whole life vision for discipleship is through CCO’s annual Jubilee Conference.
This year, Tee, Audrey, and I travelled with 18 students from UR and VCU to participate in Jubilee. We joined with CCO ministries from around the country for three days of worship, fellowship, and plenary sessions organized around the gospel story: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Perhaps the most unique thing about Jubilee is the diversity of the breakout sessions. Students are able to choose from a broad array of workshops, to learn about how the gospel applies to every area of life: friendship, business, medicine, education, visual arts, law, social media, artificial intelligence, evangelism, creation care, the Church, farming, poetry, and more.
“One thing I really loved about Jubilee was the breakout sessions, and especially the breakout about why you should join a local church. It taught me to really lean into the church and take advantage of things like intergenerational fellowship, corporate worship, and participation in the sacraments… Jubilee was a great experience, especially in college years when you are defining the ways you are going to live for the rest of your life.”
“Jubilee was beautiful! I really felt God’s hand on my heart. I learned so much about applying the gospel to different aspects of my life, and it opened my eyes to what it can look like to truly love my neighbors.”
Coming back to Richmond, it has been encouraging to see students learning to live inside the gospel story, applying the gospel to the specifics of their actual, everyday lives—in their callings as students, friends, roommates, church members, and members of our CCO campus ministries.
“My time at Jubilee was very enjoyable! I got to spend some time away from campus and fellowship with friends old and new. I hope every student in CCO will take advantage of this opportunity and all that we can learn from spaces like this.”
Please pray for our ministries on campus at UR and VCU, that CCO would continue to be a place where students experience gospel formation for missional presence on these two campuses, and that the Lord would use our ministries to draw college students to himself.
The Rev. Will Clark
College Minister — V.C.U.