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Do Students Need Relationships?

*The proportion of children under age 18 living with two married parents fell…to 67% in 2005. (America’s Children in Brief: 2006; www.childstats.gov)

*More than 40% of American adults have no weekly contact with their children. (The Heart of a Father)

          *The average mother spends less than 17 minutes a day in meaningful interaction with any of her teenage children and the father spends less than 7 minutes per day.  (www.gallup.com)

          *50% (of teens surveyed) said their fathers were emotionally absent from them growing up. (The Heart of a Father)

          *One million children have been affected by divorce every year since 1972 – that’s 25.5 million children (since year of study).  (Dennis Rainey)

All around us we see divided homes, parental disconnect and moral failings among church leaders and secular authorities.  In a world of weakening trust, the best way to communicate hope and life in Christ to a generation so obviously in need is the model of Christ.

Model of Christ

While on earth, Jesus ministered to the masses, preached to thousands, offering the hope of life in Him.  But the majority of His time was spent directly investing in others on an individual or small group basis.  His interactions with Zaccheus, Mary and Martha, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the disciples all show His desire to intentionally invest in each person – even for a short time.  Jesus knew the best way to impact a life – know each name, look each one in the eye and meet them right where they are.

Even for us today, Jesus wants to be more than just a far-away God, a distant source of wisdom.  He desires a personal relationship with each of us – to know our names, to see our hearts and to meet us exactly where we are.  It is His relentless pursuit of us - relationships for His glory.

Our Desire

Crossings’ desire is to take on that “relentless pursuit” of life-altering relationships for God’s glory.  We feel that camp is an ideal place to pursue those relationships.

The recent trend in church-group camping is moving away from small, relational camp experiences to large gathering, conference-style events.  Great messages and powerful times of worship are surely shared at these events, and lives are being impacted for Christ.
At Crossings, we believe that relationships are the key to reaching students and adults for Christ.  The only way to break through to “the most information overloaded generation ever” (The Barna Group), is not to offer more facts and theories, but to know their names, hear their hearts and meet them right where they are with the love of Christ.

We want Crossings to be the best relational camp in the world.  Our mission is to create an environment where people can come to know Christ or more fully experience Him.  And our heart is based in John 5:24:

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (NIV)

 
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