What are we compelled by, and for that matter, what does it mean to be compelled?
These questions and more were posed as college students from all across the Southeast journeyed to Atlanta for one of Campus Crusade’s annual Christmas Conferences. A time of surrender and life change for many students, the worship and the main speakers’ talks set an environment that focused our attention on God and His character, the world’s need for the Gospel, and our need to participate in taking that message to the world. Seminars reinforced these concepts and gave students practical applications for growing in their relationships with God and reaching their peers.
DAY OF OUTREACH ’05
To Compel (kәm-păl’): To exert a strong, irresistible force on.
During the Day of Outreach, Christ’s love indeed exerted a strong and irresistible force on students and staff as they sought to meet the physical and spiritual needs of different communities all around Atlanta.
Partnering with Campus Crusade’s compassionate urban ministry, Here’s Life Inner City, each campus and metro team took Boxes of Love (containing food) to underprivileged neighborhoods. Metro Atlanta is known for having over 145 different nations represented in less than five square miles. This was truly an endeavor to reach the world!
Along with distributing the boxes, students played with area children, had opportunities to share the Gospel, pray with residents, and even be answers to prayer! Students from the University of Florida encountered a woman who had to move out of her apartment within just a few hours. 10 students loaded their cars up and got the job done. The woman tearfully shared that her mother had prayed that morning for God to provide help somehow. How wonderful to be the hands and feet of Christ!
LIFE CHANGE AT ACC05
“I was able to truly experience God's Presence and communicate with Him in a deeper way during that week than I have for a long time....my heart was broken and open before Him, I was convicted of a number of areas in my life.”
~Student from the University of Alabama- Huntsville
“Throughout the week I kept realizing what a great mission field God has placed me in and I would be miserable if I tried to ignore God. I know that He can use me and I know in my heart that He placed me here for a purpose.”
~Student from the University of South Florida
“One of our students, Mallory, gave her life to the Lord last summer, but didn’t know that there was more to being a Christian than just believing in Christ. At ACC, she learned that following Christ means truly surrendering everything about herself to the Lord and allowing Him to direct her path. It was an eye-opening moment for her and a fresh reminder for me that students need to be taught how to grow in their walks with the Lord and that happens in significant ways at Christmas Conference.”
~Don, a Crusade staff member from the University of Alabama 
For the past couple of years, students and staff from Florida State University and Tampa Bay Metro campuses have been investing in the University of West Indies in Barbados through spring break and summer project trips. Some recent college graduates have also invested a year of their lives on that campus on STINT. The result has been an explosion of students at the University of West Indies coming to Christ and students taking leadership of their campus to reach their peers.
We had the unique pleasure this year at Christmas Conference of 11 students from Barbados attending. All were excited to be there to share in worshipping God and growing in their faith. How awesome to see this tangible fruit of God expanding His Kingdom.
