More than 7,000 Students Answer Missionary Call

This year at the U.S. Assembly of God (AG) annual youth conference “Indy07—Experience the Dream,” more than 7,000 young people answered the call to become missionaries on their middle and high school campuses. AG National Youth Director Jay Mooney said students were challenged to join the AG vision to reach 1 million American teenagers and graft them into a local church by the end of 2015. “These students are the on-campus pastors and evangelists to America’s most strategic mission field—the middle and secondary school campuses,” Mooney said. “Leaders, we no longer can do youth ministry as normal. We need to be challenging and equipping our students to become youth in ministry.” Sessions were held throughout the week to help students develop their ministry gifts and equip them to be effective missionaries on their campuses. Thomas E. Trask, the former AG general superintendent, appeared via satellite and charged the students who had committed to becoming on-campus missionaries and AG local and foreign missionaries with a commission to evangelize the world. The students were also given Bibles that included tips for on-campus missions. “Our students aren’t just the future church—they are the church. If Christianity is to come alive in America, it will take students reaching students!” said Rick Lorimer, the AG’s student missions director. Some of the students said they not only learned how to be on-campus missionaries but gained hands-on experience during their week in Indianapolis by participating in projects such as rebuilding homes, working with children through block parties and sports camps, and helping to feed the poor. “This is helping me to serve other people and share with other people about God,” said Jade Roberts, a student from Thornton, Colo. “It’s teaching me how I can go home and [serve there], too.”