弟兄姊妹，主裡平安！
六月中至六月底一連三個週末，在波士頓、芝加哥、休士頓三個城市分別舉辦了90後學生事工研討會，由北美華福、芝華、海外校園與中心共同主辦，每個地方都有好幾十位校園的同工、弟兄姊妹和對校園事工有負擔的傳道人參加。
大家相聚一起，不單可以聽到神所使用、在校園服事的傳道人分享經驗，每一堂結束之前，也都有分組討論的時間。這次討論的主題是：如何栽培90後年青學生，好讓他們能在主裡成長，成為主的門徒，並能積極參與校園的事工。
這次是第三屆校園事工研討會。上屆研討會是在兩年前舉行，主題是：創意性的校園事工。討論到要透過很多活動，如:遊戲、話劇…等來吸引學生。但感謝主，本屆推動的牧者們，都有一致的共識:單靠活動吸引學生是沒有好成效的，必需著重學生培訓工作，務使學生成為推動校園事工的主導，積極的參與校園事工，如此校園事工才會有復興的希望。若只靠傳道人做校園事工，校園福音事工的果效不會太大。學生若能得到良好的栽培，切慕追求主，成為主的門徒，他們必定能在校園裡有很好的影響力。感謝主！能讓北美校園同工們，明白這是訓練學生成為門徒，是校園事工的正確方向。
這次聚會中，不單有傳道人的分享，也有一些校園分享他們過去如何推動學生追求和服事主。這是個很好的方向，因此我們要為全世界的學生事工禱告，盼望更多的地方都能朝著這正確的方向走，好叫更多的學生不單接受裝備，在校園裡事奉主;當他們畢業後，在神的國度裡能有更好的服事，我們要為此禱告。感謝主！基督工人中心過去幾十年的服事，都是朝著這個方向而行。求神幫助我們繼續藉門徒訓練建立更多的學生來影響校園。
八月營會：
八月初的讀經營與門徒訓練營分別有約八十多與六十多人來參加。許多的弟兄姊妹都需要開八至十五小時的車來參加聚會，可見大家都肯付代價來學習，他們渴慕追求真理的心志，實在令人感動。求主藉這兩個營會，裝備未來一年的校園學生同工，讓這些弟兄姊妹能帶動各地校園事工的興旺。
迎新與短宣：
這幾週新同學不斷湧入美中各校園，我們可以用「成千上萬」來形容到美中各地校園的新同學總數。這實在是一個不容忽視的傳福音機會。神把新同學帶到我們面前，就是要我們傳福音給他們。主把我們放在他們身邊，不論我們是讀書或上班，其實都是為了要我們向這些同學傳福音，所以我們要快快向他們傳福音。從過去的經驗來說，迎新時候所看到的新同學，不論我們向不向他們傳福音，超過90%在開學兩個月後，就不再願意跟教會弟兄姊妹接觸，更不願意和我們作朋友，因此開學的第一、二個月是最重要的傳福音時機，福音朋友的心若沒有被福音所吸引，我們可能從此再沒有機會向他們傳福音。不少校園在這兩個月間，對新同學只做愛心服事工作，不敢向他們好好的傳福音，兩個月之後，向他們傳福音的門便關了。結果是我們發現過去所做的愛心關懷，好像白白浪費了。我們若錯過這傳福音的時機，如何能逃罪呢？
感謝主！本月中主安排約七隊的短宣隊來美中傳福音。在迎新期間，很多弟兄姊妹都忙著作迎新關懷工作，若沒有精力向福音朋友傳福音，短宣隊員就可以向他們傳福音，感謝主！每年都可以看到不少學生在剛來美國兩個月內信主。肯把握機會快快向新同學傳福音，必收豐盛的果子。校園同工若能與短宣隊配搭，就必使校園事工得以興旺。請為八月中與九月初兩梯次美中短宣禱告，求主使用。
願主賜福你手上所作的工！
主內
高榮德敬上
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Peace to you in the Lord!
For three consecutive weekends in June, the 2014 Campus Ministry Conference was held in Boston, Chicago, and Houston. The conference was co-sponsored by the Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism (CCCOWEUSA), Chicago Christian Missions (CCCM), Overseas Campus (OC), and Christian Witness Center (CWC). Scores of campus co-workers, brothers, sisters, and those who have great burdens toward campus ministry attended the meetings in each city. During the conference we heard from speakers who have been greatly used by God in campus ministry and also had many discussion sessions. The theme of the discussion is, “Developing the Post-90s to Influence the Campus”. The purpose was to train people to grow in the Lord, become disciples, and to actively participate in campus ministry.
This was the third such conference. The previous conference two years ago had the theme, “Creative Campus Ministry”. Those discussions focused on how to reach students with various activities such as games and drama. Thank the Lord that the ministers who organized this year’s conference had a general consensus that trying to attract students by activities only is not effective. We must focus on training students to become the leaders in promoting the campus ministry, on students becoming actively involved in the ministry, and on bringing a revival to the campus ministry. When students get good training and set their desire to pursue the Lord, to become His disciples, then they definitely will have great influence in their campus fellowship. We give thanks to the Lord that He has caused the campus ministers in North America to realize that student discipleship training is the core essential part for a successful campus ministry.
Besides sharing from different ministers, some student workers also shared how they and their fellow students had encouraged others to grow in the Lord and taking more active role for ministry in their campus fellowship. Discipleship Training and Coworker Training are the right direction and the key vision for college ministry. Let us pray that the Lord will help make this vision known to all campuses so more students are equipped to serve the Lord on campus, and so they are better servants in the Kingdom after graduation. Thanks be to the Lord! For the past several decades, the Christian Witness Center always emphasizes discipleship training. May God continue to help us to build up more students through discipleship training to bring influence to their campus.
August Meetings
Both Bible Camp and Discipleship Training Camp were held in early August. About 80 people and 60 people attended. We noticed that many of them paid a high price to attend—for example they drove 8 to 15 hours to come to the meeting. Their heart of hunger and thirst for truth has touched us. May the Lord equip the future campus coworkers for the new semester through these meetings, that these brothers and sisters may bring revival to the campuses.
New Students Welcoming and the Short-Term Mission Teams
In the next few weeks new students will be flooding into campuses. We could without exaggeration use the phrase “tens of thousands” to describe the number of students that are coming. This is an opportunity that cannot be ignored. God brought these students to us is for us to reach them for Christ. In another words, the purpose that God puts us (Christian students as well as lay-ministers) around these newcomers is to share the gospel with them. Therefore we need to act quickly to seize this time evangelizing to them. From our past experience, of the thousands of new students we meet during the welcome period, whether we share the gospel or not, two months later after school starts over 90% would not contact the church any more, let alone be friends with us. Therefore, the first two months of their arrival is the most crucial opportunity to share the gospel to them and lead them to Christ. In the first few weeks of their arrival, if the new students’ hearts have not been drawn by the gospel, we probably won’t get another chance to reach out to them later. Many campus ministries worked so hard to help the new students to settle in the new environment, yet were too timid to share the gospel with them; two months later, the door of evangelism was closed, and they realized that all the labors of reaching out to the students seemed only wasted time and energy. How shall we escape if we ignore such a great opportunity?
Praise the Lord that He has arranged about seven short-term mission teams to come to the Midwest for mission in mid-August and early September. This is a good time for the campus coworkers to join effort with the mission to share the gospel to new students. Thanks be to the Lord! We have seen every year a lot of students accept Christ during the first two months in the United States. Those who grab the opportunity to share the gospel to new students would harvest abundantly. When campus coworkers team up with the mission team, a revival will come to the campus ministry. Please pray for the mission trips in August and September. May God use these mission teams mightily.
May the Lord bless the work of your hands!
In Him,
William Ko