Campus Outreach helps students find their place

Georgia College & State University has great diversity among its students. Where is my fit? A circle can only be forced into a square so many times before scraping and scarring develops.

Campus Outreach, an inter-denominational organization, providing freedom from the scraping and scarring of circle shaped, square forcing life. Campus Outreach can be found on over 60 campuses in the United States and 15 campuses overseas. It is primarily found in the southeastern states, but can also be located at Harvard and Brown Universities. It was founded in 1978 in Birmingham, Ala.

Glenn Wilkins, campus director for GC&SU, has been involved with the ministry for over eight years.

“When I was a freshman in college at Augusta State University, I went on a winter retreat after becoming a Christian,” Wilkins said. “I had a desire to learn more about the rich blessings of Jesus Christ.”

In 1999, Wilkins was asked to come on staff with Campus Outreach at GC&SU.

“I wanted to help college students know Jesus Christ personally,” Wilkins said of why he felt the Lord leading him to GC&SU. “I want to reach students here in Milledgeville who may one day take the words of Jesus Christ to all parts of the world.”

Campus Outreach is a non-profit organization that is funded by men and women with a similar vision for reaching college students with the words of Jesus Christ. First Presbyterian of Augusta is the home church and office for Campus Outreach. Its mission statement is “to glorify God by building laborers on the campus for the lost world.”

Campus Outreach has bi-weekly meetings in Peabody Auditorium. The meeting is called “180,” symbolizing the change that one experiences when knowing Jesus Christ. This great change is based on 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

“The Christian life is about change, one person surrendering his life to Christ and being changed from the inside out,” Wilkins said.

Brandon Huff, a junior at GC&SU, became involved with Campus Outreach and has since had many opportunities for growth.

“I have placed myself in a position to be around Godly men with a similar vision. They have helped keep me accountable in my walk with God,” he said.

For a more detailed look into the life of Christ, there are small group Bible studies that focus on the life of Christ, offer accountability and prepare you to lead a small group Bible study yourself. Senior Carson Peterson became involved in Campus Outreach through a Bible study led by his RA as a freshman.

“I began to see a bigger picture of who God is and what He wants for my life,” he said.

Peterson has remained involved and now leads a Bible study and accountability group with freshmen in Sanford Hall. He will spend the summer in South Africa on a mission trip.

Campus Outreach will be having a winter ski retreat Feb. 14 in Asheville, NC. They also have several different summer mission opportunities. They will be sending three teams out this summer – one to Daytona Beach, Fla., a second team to Bangkok, Thailand and the third group will go to Johannesburg, South Africa. Wilkins will be leading the team of nine GC&SU students to South Africa where they will work with a Campus Outreach branch of over 30 staff members.

Wilkins is one of the 300 plus staff members spread across the world with the common goal of seeing men and women experience the joy and love of Jesus Christ. For more information on Campus Outreach you may contact Glenn Wilkins at 454-1178.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 17 2003. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry