With winter break rapidly approaching it’s important to think about ways to keep students connected over the month or so that they will be away from school.
Yes, winter break is a great time for us to relax (which you should take advantage of), but putting in a little time to minister to students over break can reap rewards for your
BASIC group. Some students will be returning to friends and family who will encourage them to go back to living a lifestyle they were in prior to becoming a part of your ministry. Others will be tempted to sin merely due to the boredom they may experience during break. It is important to find a way to keep the connection and accountability in place, so that when they return for their spring semester they are not starting from square one again spiritually.
Last year my wife and I decided to do what we called the Winter Break Challenge with our BASIC group at Geneseo. As the winter break was approaching we challenged the students in our group to commit to joining us weekly in reading the Bible. Over the break we sent out weekly messages through facebook with Scripture verses and encouraged the students to study that Scripture and the surrounding portions and really meditate on it throughout the week. Then they could reply to the group with anything the Lord spoke to them or revealed to them throughout the week. We encouraged them to write down (journal) anything the Lord was speaking to them as well. When they returned from break we got together with those students involved over a meal to discuss in more detail what God had done in their lives while they were home. This was a really simple way to encourage students to be in the Word and discussing it with others while they are at home. It also keeps them active in their connections they have made with friends in their BASIC group.
We saw that the Winter Break Challenge was helpful, but in the future I would do something that is a little more involved. Benson Hines, whose blog I have linked to before, even suggests giving students a goal list for over the break. You can find that post here.
Either way, it is better to do something to stay in touch with students and keep their minds on the Lord over break than it is to do nothing. Remember, while students are involved in BASIC during college they are under your care (as well as the care of their parents and pastors of course).
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”