by Jordan Foley, Student Public Relations Writer
The pressure of academics and daily life makes it easy for college students to focus intensely on academic programs and, therefore, lose sight of people in difficult situations.
Several students from Cedarville University want to change this focus, which is why they started an organization — the Evangelism Org — that will encourage classmates and individuals to interact with the community.
Mickey Neal, a junior from Cincinnati, Ohio, majoring in biblical studies, and Jacob DeVol, a senior from Yorkville, Illinois, majoring in environmental science, noticed their classmates lacked confidence in building relationships and sharing the Gospel with individuals in their local communities and other college campuses.
The new Evangelism Org is a biweekly workshop that prepares, equips and trains Cedarville students on effectively evangelizing to unbelievers and inspires them to be active in our discipleship calling. In the workshop, students learn to evangelize by listening to instructions from Neal and DeVol and practicing gospel conversations with others.
“The goal of Evangelism Org is to provide students with practical tools to make evangelism less intimidating,” said DeVol. “We want to cultivate a Christian culture that is centered around making fruit-bearing disciples in local churches and on the mission field.”
Although Evangelism Org is new to the Cedarville student body, it is already making a difference in the lives of teens who attend The Barn Youth Center, a program run by Cedarville students every week during the school year that helps create Christian fellowship. Several Cedarville students reported that they felt a newfound confidence when sharing the gospel at The Barn Youth Center and credited Evangelism Org for providing the tools to effectively witness to others.
Dr. Joshua Bowman, assistant professor of missions and theology, leads an evangelism class that inspired Neal and DeVol to create Evangelism Org.
“Dr. Bowman’s evangelism class helped shape my perspective regarding evangelism and we felt inspired to mobilize his classroom for people who do not have the space in their four-year plan to take his class,” added Neal.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is a Baptist university with undergraduate programs in arts, sciences, and professional programs, and graduateprograms. With an enrollment of 5,456 students in 175 areas of study, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio and is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, and high graduation and retention rates. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.
Written by Jordan Foley