A Special Christmas Oasis/Party

With the semester rapidly coming to a close I won't have many opportunities to say "Merry Christmas" to all of you, so let me say it now -- Merry Christmas!

This Wednesday will be our last Oasis of the semester (we don't meet during exams) and since you all will be busy with exams the rest of the time you are in town, we are taking the opportunity to gift wrap our final Oasis of 2011 and a CCVT Christmas Party all into one this Wednesday night! The Oasis part will be abbreviated and lead into our Christmas party for which we have some fun Christmas games and yummy Christmas food planned, among other Christmasy things. Stacey is making some Christmas deserts, but if you have time to make some more to share, or even just buy some ready made Christmas snacks to bring, that would be great. Otherwise, just bring your Christmas spirited self and come celebrate the birth of our Savior with some of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

This special Christmas Oasis/Party will begin at 7:15pm at CCVT's campus house.

Hope to see you there.
Steve

ACC Championship Football Party

The score was an ugly 23-3 last time Clemson and VT met, but our Hokies hung in there, didn't give up, worked hard to improve, and kept winning games. So now they have a second chance to beat Clemson and win the ACC Championship! Pretty cool story line. This is part of what makes collegiate sports so much fun.

What might be even more fun would be to go see the game in person in Charlotte, but since most of us will not be able to do that, we thought it would be the next best thing to watch it together with friends on the big screen in the campus house.

So Saturday night we are having a Football Party. Besides the game, we will have football food to share. If you would like to bring some traditional football fare to share, please do. If cooking is not your thing, maybe just bring a 2-liter of soda or bag of chips or something. Can't make it to the store in time? Don't worry about it, just bring yourself, and bring a friend if you want to.

The game starts at 8pm, so feel free to arrive a few minutes before that.

Let's recap: 8pm Saturday, Dec. 3, at CCVT's campus house to watch VT redeem itself against Clemson.

Hope you can join us.
Steve

What's Coming Up

Here's what's coming up after Thanksgiving Break:

November 28, Monday, 7:15pm -- Guys' Grow Group Bible Study

November 30, Wednesday, 5:30pm -- Core Group Team Meeting

November 30, Wednesday, 6:30pm -- Worship Team Meeting

November 30, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Worship

December 3, Saturday, 8pm -- ACC Championship Football Party

December 4, Sunday, 7pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

December 5, Monday, 7:15pm -- Guys' Grow Group Bible Study

December 7, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Christmas Oasis/Party

December 8, Thursday (Reading Day), 4:30pm -- The 8th Semiannual Reading Day Dinner at The Homeplace! Meet at the campus house at 4:30pm to carpool to The Homeplace restaurant in Catawba, VA. 

VT vs. GT Football Party

So tomorrow night (Thursday) is the football game against Georgia Tech that will probably determine which of the two teams will be going to the ACC Championship game in Charlotte. This match up always seems to lead to an exciting and close game in recent years. It would be great to be able to see it in person in Atlanta, but since most of us will not be able to do that, we thought it would be the next best thing to watch it together with friends on the big screen in the campus house.

So Thursday night we are having a Football Party. Besides the game, we will have football food to share. If you would like to bring some traditional football fare to share, please do. If cooking is not your thing, maybe just bring a 2-liter of soda or bag of pretzels or something. Can't make it to the store in time? Don't worry about it, just bring yourself, and bring a friend if you want to.

The game starts at 8pm, so feel free to arrive a little while before that.

Let's recap: 8pm Thursday, Nov. 10, at CCVT's campus house to watch VT beat GT.

Hope you can join us.
Steve

Food, Fun, Worship and Prayer, More Food and Fellowship, Bible Study and Friends, and the List Goes On

Here's a heads up about some upcoming events we wanted you to know about so you can plan ahead to be a part of them:

November 4, Friday, 6:30pm -- Dinner at Squires Food Court and Bowling in the BreakZONE

November 6, Sunday, 7pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

November 7, Monday, 7:15pm -- Guys' Grow Group Bible Study

November 9, Wednesday, 6pm -- Worship Team Meeting

November 9, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Worship

November 10, Thursday, 8pm -- VT @ GA Tech Football Party

November 13, Sunday, 7pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

November 14, Monday, 7:15pm -- Guys' Grow Group Bible Study

November 16, Wednesday, 5:30pm -- Core Group Team Meeting

November 16, Wednesday, 6:30pm -- Worship Team Meeting

November 16, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Worship

November 18, Friday night -- Thanksgiving Break begins!

Food and Fun Friday Night

Hey guys,
Just wanted to give you all a heads up in case you haven't already heard about it: we are getting together this Friday night to eat dinner together and then go bowling. Should be a lot of fun. Maybe we'll do something else after bowling, too, but we'll leave that open to decide on later.

We are meeting in front of ABP (Au Bon Pain) in Squires at 6:30pm. If you don't want to eat what ABP is offering, you can always get something right next door in Squires Food Court at Sbarro, or even bring your own food to eat with us in the food court.

When we are done eating we will walk right over to the BreakZONE where we have a couple bowling alleys reserved. That's convenient, but wait, it gets better -- the bowling is already paid for. All you have to pay for is your bowling shoes: $1.50 for VT students; $2 for anybody else. Well, you have to pay for your own food, too, but you get the idea. The alleys are already paid for.

So grab a friend and come join us 6:30pm Friday night in front of ABP.

Hope to see you then.
Steve

A-maize-ing Corn Maze and More

Make plans now to join us this Friday night for an a-maize-ing adventure through a huge maze of corn, after dark. (Please pardon my corn-y joke. Oh, wait, I did it again. I just can't stop myself.)

OK, enough with the bad puns. Here's the scoop:
The corn maze is about a 20 minute drive from campus and there is this really cool little family owned Italian pizzeria just down the road from it, so we are going to meet at CCVT's campus house at 5pm Friday and carpool to Aly's Family Italian Restaurant and enjoy some delicious Italian food -- your choice of anything from pizza and calzones to lasagna and chicken parmigiana, or if you actually aren't into Italian food, they also have good ol' hamburgers, Philly cheese steaks, subs and all kinds of stuff. Also, the prices are very reasonable. It's a really quaint little place. I love it.

After that we'll waddle over to the corn maze around the time it is getting dark. Bring your student ID. Groups of 10 or more with student IDs get $1 off the regular $6 ticket price. By the time we enter the maze it should be dark, making it a significant challenge to find your way out. Believe me, this isn't just a maze for little kiddies. It's big and complex.

Be sure to bring a flashlight, and please bring an extra, if you have one, to share with someone else who might need it.

And ladies, please leave the high heels at home. Remember, this is a corn field we will be walking in, so it's pretty bumpy from the furrows the plow has made, and the corn stalk stumps that are still sticking up where the corn has been cut down, etc. So flip-flops and sandals are a bad idea, too. Let's say tennis shoes are a minimum, and boots would be even better.

So to recap:
5pm at the campus house (directions on the right side of your screen)
$5 for the maze, plus about $5 or more for food (you can get a nice hamburger, fries and drink including tax and tip for under $5)
student ID
flashlights
appropriate footwear
warm attire appropriate for cool October nights

Hope you can join us. And bring a friend!
Steve

Spaghetti Dinner before Oasis

One of CCVT's own shining culinary stars will be in the campus house kitchen preparing a delicious spaghetti dinner just for you this Wednesday before Oasis. The star I am referring to is Joe Starr, to be exact.

Since we knew many of you would be out of town for Fall Break last weekend, and we expect many more to go home this weekend since there is no home football game, we haven't planned any special events for either of those weekends, but decided instead to provide this special pre-Oasis spaghetti dinner. Many thanks to Joe for volunteering to be the chef.

The dinner is free and will start at 6pm this Wednesday at the campus house.

As always, you are encouraged to bring a friend. Maybe you have a friend who has said they would like to come check out Oasis sometime, but has never gotten around to it yet. This might be the perfect time for them to come.

Hope to see you Wednesday night for dinner.

Steve

Friday Night Campfire

Hey guys,
For this Friday night, now that the temperatures are getting cooler and the weather is turning more fall-like, we thought it would be fun to get together and have a campfire and roast some marshmallows, make some smores, and sit around the fire and tell stories and stuff. We'll also have some apple cider (and water if you prefer) to quench our smores induced thirst. Kenny is going to bring his guitar, too, so we can even sing a few songs to complete the whole campfire experience thing. Many thanks to Matt and his parents for letting us have the campfire at their place. (They have a nice place out in the country but still only about a 10 minute drive from campus.)

Meet up at CCVT's campus house at 7pm to carpool out to Matt's house.

As always, it would be great to bring a friend.

Hope to see you 7pm Friday.
Steve

Football Party for Marshall game Saturday

As you probably already know, VT's football team is playing at Marshall this Saturday at 3:30pm. Since most of us will not be in any danger of being trampled by the "Thundering Herd", being a safe distance away back here in Blacksburg, we thought it would be fun to watch the game together on the big screen here at CCVT's campus house. If you can't be at the game, the next best thing is watching it with a bunch of friends on a big screen while enjoying some delicious "football food". So that's what we'll be doing this Saturday.

We already have some generous volunteers planning to bring some ham rolls, sausage balls, chicken bites, sausage pin wheels, brownies, and of course, chips, dip, and drinks, and several people volunteered to bring something but hadn't decided what yet. So we have plenty of good food in store. If you would like to bring something to chip in, feel free, but if not, we've got you covered. So just bring yourself and maybe some friends if you want to, and come enjoy the game with us.

The game is scheduled for 3:30 so feel free to come a little while before that if you want to catch some of the pregame coverage or whatever.

Hope to see you Saturday afternoon.
Steve

P.S. -- If you haven't been to our campus house yet, it is very conveniently located right by campus. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only about 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street. If you drive, we have parking. For clear and easy directions just look on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Hokie Scavenger Hunt -- Take 2

Our last attempt at our Hokie Scavenger Hunt two weeks ago got rained out, so this will be Hokie Scavenger Hunt -- Take 2. Our prospects look better this time around as the forecast is calling for beautiful fall weather in the 50's with no rain.

Hokie Scavenger Hunt -- Take 2 will be this Friday at 7pm at CCVT's campus house. We will be searching all over campus for items of special Hokie significance and competing in teams to see which team can come up with the most points before time runs out! It's going to be a lot of fun!

Since we will be starting the hunt soon after everyone arrives, try not to be too late, so you don't miss out on the scavenger hunt. But if you can't make it by 7pm, you should still come later, because after the scavenger hunt we will be having some snacks, playing some games, and basically just hanging out at the campus house having a good time. So that'll probably be sometime around 8:15pm.

As always, feel free to bring some friends with you. Everyone is invited.

If you haven't been to our campus house yet, you can get clear and easy directions on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Remember, 7pm Friday at CCVT's campus house.

Hope to see you there.
Steve

Friday Night Get Together

Hey guys,
If you weren't here last Friday, you missed out on some real excitement. Right after it started raining and we had to come in out of the rain, lightning struck the tree in the front yard of the campus house. Talk about a startling experience. It was LOUD and blew a big chunk of wood and a bunch of bark all over the yard, and then there was the smell of burning wood. It burned out my ethernet card, Danny's router, and Kenny's X-box, too. Ouch! So, regrettably we had to postpone the Hokie Scavenger Hunt until next week, Friday, Sept. 16. But it all turned out OK because we still had a great time just hanging out and playing games and a little guitar and stuff at the campus house while it rained outside. Everybody seemed to have a blast, and I can think of at least two really funny stories to tell you that happened that night, but I'll have to tell you in person sometime because it would just take too long by email. Ask me about it next time you see me.

So, since we had so much fun just hanging out last week, we thought we'd keep it simple again this weekend. We're going to have the volleyball net up and probably play some other games, and then pick a movie to watch a little later. I'll get us some popcorn and your choice of toppings for the popcorn, although probably not quite as many as the plethora of choices you had for the banana splits the other week. Pray for no rain so we get a chance to play outside for a while. Better pray for no lightning while you're at it!

We'll start at about 7pm this Friday at CCVT's campus house.

As always, feel free to bring some friends with you. Everyone is invited.

If you haven't been to our campus house yet, it is very conveniently located right by campus. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only about 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street. If you drive, we have parking. You can get clear and easy directions on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Remember, 7pm Friday at CCVT's campus house.

Hope to see you there.
Steve

Oasis Worship and Arkansas State football tickets

Well, it looks like the rains have finally subsided and maybe we won't need to rebuild Noah's Ark after all. That's good, because it will make it easier for all of us to get to CCVT's campus house for Oasis Worship Wednesday night at 7:15. Hope you will be joining us.

If you won the lottery and have a bar code for tickets to the Arkansas State game and would like to sit with your fellow CCVTers, bring your bar code with you to Oasis. Tiny has again won the lottery and again volunteered to handle getting our tickets together. Thanks, Tiny! If for some reason you won't be able to make it to Oasis but want to get your ticket with us, get in touch with Tiny and arrange a time to drop off your bar code to him. Tiny82@vt.edu 434-258-2483

If you want to come to Oasis Worship but haven't been to our campus house yet, it is very conveniently located right by campus. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. You could throw a tennis ball from our front yard onto the tennis courts.

If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only about 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street. If you drive, we have parking.

Whether you walk from on campus, ride the bus, or drive, any which way you can get clear and easy directions. Just look on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Remember: 7:15pm every Wednesday at CCVT's campus house.

Hope to see you there,
Steve

Hokie Scavenger Hunt!

Happy September, everybody! Guess what.

You are invited to a very special Hokie Scavenger Hunt this Friday starting at 7pm at CCVT's campus house. We will be searching all over campus for items of special Hokie significance and competing in teams to see which team can come up with the most points before time runs out! It's going to be a lot of fun!

Since we will be starting the hunt soon after everyone arrives, try not to be too late, so you don't miss out on the scavenger hunt. But if you can't make it by 7pm, you should still come later, because after the scavenger hunt we will be having some snacks and we have some more games planned. So that'll probably be some time after 8pm.

As always, feel free to bring some friends with you. Everyone is invited.

If you haven't been to our campus house yet, it is very conveniently located right by campus. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only about 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street. If you drive, we have parking.

For clear and easy directions just look on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to: 540-552-8292.

Remember, 7pm Friday at CCVT's campus house.

Hope to see you there.
Steve

Guys' Bible Study Tonight 7:15

Hey guys,
Hope you all had a good weekend. Saw a lot of you Saturday and/or Sunday morning. Hope the rest of you had a good weekend, too.

Just sending a quick reminder about our Bible Study tonight just for the guys. We'll be starting our study of Romans tonight. This is a lot of people's favorite book of the Bible, and for good reason. Some of the clearest teaching on some of the most important parts of Christianity are contained in Romans. It is quite inspiring at times.

If you missed last week, now would still be a great time to get in on this study because we are really just this week starting the study. Last week we took some time to get to know each other and talked about the vision for the group, so we didn't really start the study of Romans yet. So if you come this week, you'll be in on it right from the beginning.

I mentioned our vision for the group. Basically, the short version is that we have two main goals for this Guys' Bible Study: 1) we want to help each other make some good friends in this group so that we can be a support to each other in living the Christian life as best we can, and 2) we want to put some roots down into the Word of God so that we will know how to draw strength from it at those times in life when we need it. So this is more than just a place to learn more information about the Bible. It's a group of guys that is going to help you live out what you already know, and it's an investment of your time that is going to pay off big for you down the road, later in life, whether that is a few days later, or several years later -- probably both, actually. Invest your time wisely. It's a limited resource.

Feel free to bring a friend with you.

We meet at 7:15pm every Monday at the campus house.

If you need directions, that's easy. Just look at the top right part of your screen. The directions are very clear and our campus house is very conveniently located.

Hope to see you tonight.

Steve

Need a ride to Church?

Really enjoyed going to church with a whole bunch of you last week. We're going to carpool again this week, so if you'd like to ride with us, just meet at CCVT's campus house at 9:10am.

We have plenty of drivers lined up with room in their vehicles, so feel free to bring one or two friends with you.

Last week most of us went out to eat together afterwards, so you might want to bring a method of payment along with you, but if you have somewhere you need to be right after church, that's OK, too. We got Ethan back in time for his 11am meeting in Squires and dropped him off right at the door of Squires on our way home.

If you need directions to our campus house:
It is probably closer to your dorm room than most of your classes. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. You could throw a tennis ball from our front yard onto the tennis courts. (Are you starting to get the idea how close we are, and how short of a walk this is going to be for you?)

You can get clear and easy directions on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Where are we going? We'll be going to a non-denominational church, Belmont Christian Church, real close to the mall and Wal-Mart. They have three worship services but we're going to the middle one which is contemporary in style. In fact, Kenny, who many of you have met and is our Campus Ministry Intern and leads worship for us at our Wednesday night meeting, he will be helping to lead worship at this service at Belmont. So, kind of a neat connection there.

Hope you can join us.

Remember, 9:10am at CCVT's campus house.

Steve

Let's Go Bananas!

So how was your first week of classes? Hope you are adjusting well to your new routine and starting to get settled in and comfortable.

Just writing to invite you to our party Saturday night. It's a Build Your Own Banana Split party! This Saturday night you are the master of your own sweet icy treat destiny! You choose your ice cream flavors. You choose your toppings -- will it be hot fudge, caramel, strawberry? Do you want whipped cream on that? Cherry on top, or no cherry? And no one can tell you whether to split your banana lengthwise or in slices, because YOU are the MASTER ARCHITECT of your own banana split! Can you feel the exhilaration already? Can you feel the anticipation building?

Oh, ya, and we will have sprinkles for your banana split, too. If you were at CCVT's "Oasis" Wednesday night you know how much Chris is looking forward to the sprinkles on top. (We'll have lots of other stuff, too, but you get the idea.)

So save some room for dessert when you eat supper Saturday, and then mosey on over to CCVT's campus house about 7pm and we'll play a few games and exercise our culinary creativity seeing what kind of banana split masterpieces we can conjure up.

As always, feel free to bring some friends along.

If you haven't been to our campus house yet, it is very conveniently located right by campus. In fact, it is probably closer to your dorm room than most of your classes. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. You could throw a tennis ball from our front yard onto the tennis courts. (Are you starting to get the idea how close we are, and how short of a walk this is going to be for you if you live on campus?)

If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only about 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street. If you drive, we have parking.

For clear and easy directions just look on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Hope you can make it Saturday at about 7pm.
Steve

Oasis Worship -- 7:15pm Wed.

It's been great getting to meet so many of you at our social events Friday and Saturday, and going to church together Sunday morning, and last night we enjoyed welcoming several new guys to our Guys' Bible Study.

Next, this Wednesday night at 7:15, we finally get to come together for CCVT's (Christ's Church at VT campus ministry's) main weekly event -- "Oasis Worship".

"Oasis Worship" is CCVT's large group gathering dedicated to Bible Study, group discussion, sharing with friends, prayer, & celebration through heartfelt worship.

Oasis meets every Wednesday at 7:15pm at CCVT's campus house.

If you haven't been to our campus house yet, it is very conveniently located right by campus. In fact, it is probably closer to your dorm room than most of your classes. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. You could throw a tennis ball from our front yard onto the tennis courts. (Are you starting to get the idea how close we are, and how short of a walk this is going to be for you if you live on campus?)

If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only about 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street. If you drive, we have parking.

You can get clear and easy directions on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.


So come join us for Oasis. It's a great mid-week boost to your morale. You will be challenged to grow spiritually, and encouraged by all the Christian friends you will meet. And by all means, feel free to bring your friends.

If you've been to CCVT earlier this past week, now's your chance to see what we are really all about. We love to have fun enjoying good food and playing games, but now it's time to really worship God and dig into his holy word.

If you haven't been able to make it to any of CCVT's events so far this semester, now would be an excellent time to start. This is our first "Oasis" of the school year, so you will be in on it right from the beginning. Don't be shy, there will be lots of new people. You won't be the only one. We are a very friendly group and we are really looking forward to meeting you and welcoming you to CCVT. So please come join us.

7:15pm Wednesday at CCVT's campus house.

Hope to see you there,
Steve

Starting this Monday 7:15pm -- Guys' Small Group Bible Study

Hey Guys,
I pray that your first day of classes today will be blessed and will go well for you, that you'll have no trouble finding any of your classrooms, and that you will not be too nervous but will feel good about the upcoming semester.

I'm writing this post to guys only to invite you to Christ's Church at VT campus ministry's (CCVT's) Guys' Small Group Bible Study.

I know you are very busy with classes and other things, and especially if this is your first year at VT you are probably feeling very nervous about whether or not you are going to be able to get all your work done on time and do well. Under those circumstances many a college student has decided he doesn't have time for a Bible Study on top of going to church on Sundays. But Jesus issued a grave warning about that line of thinking. In Matthew 13:3-8 and 18-23 he said, "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.... Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Did you catch that? Jesus said that "the worries of this life" often choke a person's faith, "making it unfruitful." I see Christian college students' worries about their busy schedules choke out their faith all the time. And the thing is, none of them made a conscious decision one day to let that happen. It just happens by default when one day at a time they make little decisions to put worldly things higher on their priority list than the things of God, and pretty soon God has been nudged almost completely out of that student's life -- one small decision at a time.

But some of you are thinking, "Hey, my parents are shelling out thousands of dollars for this education and my future depends on it. I can't afford to blow this." To you I would say, don't forget, God knows what you need. He'll take care of you. You just need to trust him to do that. But don't expect him to do that for you if you are stiffing him. Or to put it in Jesus' words: "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:31-33).

So don't think that you are doing yourself any favors by putting God on the bottom of your priority list. If you make God your top priority, he will make sure you have what you need. He can do that, you know. After all, he is the Master of the entire universe! Trust him.

I believe that if you make time in your schedule to join us on Monday nights for this Bible study, God will bless you for it, and you will be glad you did.

But why come to this Bible Study and not just spend the time reading your Bible on your own or something? Here's why:

"Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!...

12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10, 12).

In other words, we need each other. God knows that we need each other. That's why he invented the Church! Because we are not designed to do this on our own! We need the support of fellow believers to live lives that glorify God. And that is at the heart and soul of CCVT's small group Bible study program. Our goal is not only to teach you more information about the Bible. We place equal emphasis on being a support to one another in living out what we already know. (What's the use of learning more if we aren't applying what we already know?) So we take the time to really get to know one another, and pray for each other, and support each other, and ya, we end up having a lot of fun and laughing a lot and hanging out and just being good friends for each other, too. I think that's what God always wanted his Church to be like -- a source of support and genuine friendship, in addition to being a source of learning God's word.

So does this sound like something you want to be a part of? Good. I look forward to seeing you tonight at 7:15pm at CCVT's campus house. It's only one block from Lee Hall. For a map and clear directions, just look on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us at 540-552-8292, too.

As always, feel free to bring a friend. Just remember this one is for guys only. The girls will be starting their own in a few days.

Hope to see you soon.
Steve

Church Sunday morning 9:15am

Hey everybody,
I've really enjoyed meeting so many of you the last couple of days, and I hope to meet the rest of you very soon. Tomorrow may be one of those opportunities because we are going to be carpooling to one of the local churches for Sunday morning worship. I hope you will come join us.

Our campus ministry's main weekly worship meeting is Wednesday nights at 7:15pm, but that doesn't mean we don't want you to go to church on Sunday morning. On the contrary, we very much encourage you to go to church Sunday mornings, and we want to facilitate that by providing you a ride if you need one, and a group of your fellow Christian college students to go with, too, because, let's face it, it's just more fun going to church with a bunch of friends than having to go all by yourself. So please come join us tomorrow morning as we carpool to church together.

We have a whole caravan of cars lined up to drive and every one of them has room for at least 3 more people, so we are ready and waiting for you to join us.

When are we meeting up to carpool? 9:15am

Where are we meeting up? Our campus house, the same place a lot of you came for the Pizza Party Friday, and/or the Pancake Brunch today. But if you haven't been here yet, our campus house is probably closer to your dorm room than most of your classes. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. You could throw a tennis ball from our front yard onto the tennis courts. (Are you starting to get the idea how close we are, and how short of a walk this is going to be for you?)

You can get real clear and easy directions on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Where are we going? We'll be going to a non-denominational church, Belmont Christian Church, real close to the mall and Wal-Mart. They have three worship services but we're going to the middle one which is contemporary in style. In fact, Kenny, who many of you have met and is our Campus Ministry Intern and leads worship for us at our Wednesday night meeting, he will be helping to lead worship at this service at Belmont. So, kind of a neat connection there.

Feel free to bring some friends with you.

Hope you can join us.

Remember, 9:15am at CCVT's campus house.

Steve

Pancake Brunch & Scrimmage 12:30pm Saturday

Being at 12:30 you might call it lunch, but if you slept in and just rolled out of bed you might call it breakfast. Let's compromise and call it brunch. The name doesn't matter, the point is we're going to enjoy some delicious breakfast food and then walk right over to the stadium to watch the VT football scrimmage together. (But if you're not into football [gasp] you're more than welcome to come only for the brunch.) Either way, we'd love to meet you and welcome you to Christ's Church at VT campus ministry. Come make some of the best friends you will ever have, and feel free to bring some of the friends you already have with you.

We're going to have buttermilk pancakes with your choice of blueberry, strawberry, boysenberry, honey creme, butter pecan, buttery maple, or just good 'ole fashioned maple syrup, sausage, fresh fruit, milk, coffee and OJ. (I'm not sure but I think I just listed more flavors of syrup than IHOP has!) Anyway, it's going to be delicious.

Like I said in the post about the Pizza Party, our campus house is probably closer to your dorm room than most of your classes. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. You could throw a tennis ball from our front yard onto the tennis courts. (Are you starting to get the idea how close we are, and how short of a walk this is going to be for you?)

For real clear and easy directions, just look on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292. 

Looking forward to meeting you if I haven't already,
Steve

Pizza Party at 5pm Today!

Hey everybody,

Don't forget, our Pizza Party starts at 5pm today at our campus house (Christ's Church at VT). This is your chance to make friends with a lot of really neat students who share your values before you get busy with classes.

So come join us for some laid back fun playing a few games, enjoying some free pizza, and making new friends. Some of the games you've probably played before, like corn-hole and ladder-ball. Others will probably be new and novel to you, and we think you'll have a lot of fun learning how to play them, and making some more friends in the process.

Our campus house is probably closer to your dorm room than most of your classes. We're right over by the Washington Street tennis courts, on Clay Street, which is one block over from Washington, and parallel to it. We are the last house on the end of Clay Street closest to the tennis courts. You could throw a tennis ball from our front yard onto the tennis courts. (Are you starting to get the idea how close we are and how short of a walk this is going to be for you?)

You can get real clear and easy directions on the top right side of your screen. Of course you can always call us if you need to, too. 540-552-8292.

Feel free to bring some friends if you want to!

Hope to see you soon!
Steve

Welcome to VT!

If you are new to VT, we want you to know you are welcome to make CCVT campus ministry your home away from home, just like hundreds of students have before you. You see, CCVT is more than just another student organization, or place to go to church. For years, CCVT has been a place where students build some of the best friendships they have ever had with other Christian students, and in the process get the support we all need to make the adjustment to college life and get the most out of our college years. We don't just "clock-in, and clock-out" of church. We take the time to really care about each other and build one another up in the faith and in our walk with God. We want to do that for you, too, and we hope you will be a good friend to us, as well.

Since that is such a big part of what we are all about, we do a lot of fun events together, especially at the beginning of the school year, so we can all meet each other and get to know one another. Below is a list of the events we have planned for the beginning of the fall semester. Please make a note of these on your Google Calendar, Outlook, or whatever you use, and make plans to join us. We are really looking forward to meeting you and getting to know you.

Also, don't forget to join us Wednesday nights at 7:15pm at our campus house for our weekly worship service called "Oasis".

Hope to see you soon. Here's what's coming up:

August 19, Friday, 5pm -- Party at the campus house -- Plans include some laid back games of Corn Hole, Ladder Ball and such, plenty of free pizza, and a bunch of new games you've probably never played before that we think you'll have a lot of fun learning and playing.

August 20, Saturday, 12:30pm -- Pancake Brunch & VT Football Scrimmage.

August 22, Monday, 7:15pm -- Guys' small group Bible study

August 24, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Worship

August 27, Saturday, 7pm -- Build Your Own Banana Split & games

August 29, Monday, 7:15pm -- Guys' Gel Group

August 31, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Worship

The girls will be deciding when the Girls' small group Bible study will meet based on what time works best for as many girls as possible, so that day and time is TBD (to be determined). Email WOWgirlVT@gmail.com if you are interested in coming to this Bible study and would like to say which days and times work best for you, or if you'd just like to be notified when the girls will meet once that decision is made.

All these events will take place at CCVT's campus house. Need directions? That's easy. Just look at the top right side of your screen.

Oasis on Wednesday Nights

CCVT's weekly "Oasis" worship is moving from Sunday mornings to Wednesday nights at 7:15pm. We'll still be meeting in the campus house. Our first Oasis will be August 24, during the first week of classes. 

Based on input from CCVT's staff and students, and taking many factors into account, CCVT's Board of Directors made the decision to move Oasis back to Wednesday nights for this year. There are many advantages and disadvantages to either meeting time, but for this year, the facts pointed to Wednesday nights as the best time for CCVT's Oasis. The decision has broad and overwhelming support from the students currently involved in CCVT. We are grateful to God for the strong unity around this decision. 

Of course, we still want to encourage students to attend church on Sunday mornings. Many of us will be attending various churches in Blacksburg or Christiansburg and you would be more than welcome to join us. 

If you have any questions, please let me know. In the meantime, be planning to join us on Wednesday nights at 7:15 at CCVT's campus house. 

See you soon! 

Steve

Summer Bible Study

Hey guys, 
If you are one of the many CCVTers who have been away for the summer, and haven't already heard, we have been having a great Summer Bible Study here this summer. Since Joe, Jodi, Katherine, Kenny, Matt, and Craig have all been in town this summer in addition to me and Stacey, we had enough people for a good little Summer Bible Study. We have had several others join us from week to week, too. And a really nice girl named Rebecca started coming about the second week, and has been coming ever since. She's a friend of Katherine's. So you can look forward to meeting her when you get back in town for Fall Semester. We had a great study on Titus, and are in the middle of a quick 2 week study on Philemon, which is perfect considering how short that book is. 


Just wanted to give you a quick update on what's been going on here this summer. We're looking forward to having you all back in just a couple weeks. I'll post an update here soon on our plans for the beginning of the Fall Semester, so keep an eye out for that. 


Enjoy the rest of your summer, and see you soon! 
Steve

Finish Strong

We are finishing the semester strong here at CCVT with a packed schedule. Make plans now to join us for these events, and hey, invite your friends. Here's what we have planned:

March 28, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

March 31, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

April 2, Saturday, 6pm -- "Iron Chef: Mystery Edition" Event

April 3, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

April 3, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

April 3, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 4, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 7, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

April 8, Friday, 5:30pm -- Friday Night Bluegrass/Gospel Jamboree at The Country Store in Floyd, VA (back by popular demand). Meet at the campus house to carpool there.

April 10, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

April 10, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

April 10, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 11, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 14, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

April 15, Friday, 6pm -- Cookout and Volleyball

April 17, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

April 17, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

April 17, Sunday, after Fellowship Dinner -- Core Group Team meeting

April 17, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 18, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 21, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

April 23, Saturday, 11am -- Brunch at the campus house, then about 12:00 walk over to the stadium for Spring Game (football) which starts at 2pm.

April 24, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

April 24, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

April 24, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 25, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 28, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

April 29 or 30, Friday or Saturday -- Special event planned for girls by Guys' Gel Group. Details currently being developed.

May 1, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

May 1, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

May 1, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

May 2, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

May 5, Thursday (Reading Day), 3:30pm -- Worship Team meeting

May 5, Thursday (Reading Day), 4:30pm -- The Homeplace restaurant. Meet at the campus house to carpool there.

May 8, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

May 8, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

All of these events take place at the campus house, or at least start by meeting at the campus house, unless stated otherwise. If you need directions to the campus house, that's easy, just look at the top right side of your screen.

See you soon.
Steve

Food, Fun, Worship and Prayer, More Food and Fellowship, Bible Study and Friends, and the List Goes On

Here's a heads up about some upcoming events we wanted you to know about so you can plan ahead to be a part of them:

March 14, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

March 17, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

March 18, Friday, 6pm -- Mystery Event -- out to eat, then a surprise activity afterward, planned by the girls.

March 19, Saturday, 7pm -- vtONE Worship Event in Squires Commonwealth Ballroom

March 20, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

March 20, Sunday, after Oasis -- Free Fellowship Dinner

March 20, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

March 21, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

March 24, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

March 25, Friday, 6pm -- Guys' Night Out -- Driving Range, Batting Cage, and Mini-golf

March 25-26, Friday, 2:15pm - Saturday, 3pm -- "Desiring God: A Heart like Josiah's" Girls' Retreat at state park

March 27, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

March 27, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

March 27, Sunday, after Fellowship Dinner -- Core Group Team meeting (CCVT's student leadership team)

March 27, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

March 28, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

March 31, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

April 2, Saturday, 6pm -- "Iron Chef" Event

April 3, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

April 3, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

April 3, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 4, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 7, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

April 10, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

April 10, Sunday, after Oasis -- Fellowship Dinner

April 10, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 11, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

April 14, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

All of these events take place at the campus house, as usual, or at least start by meeting at the campus house, unless stated otherwise. If you need directions to the campus house, that's easy, just look at the right side of your screen.

Be sure to mark these dates on your calendar, and hey, invite your friends to come with you.

See you soon.
Steve

Friday Night Festivities

For this Friday night the Core Group Team has planned a trip to The Country Store in the charming little town of Floyd, VA to experience the toe tappin' fun of the Friday Night Jamboree. The Jamboree attracts some of the best Gospel and Bluegrass bands in the world -- seriously. Every week it includes over 4 hours of Gospel and Bluegrass music and flatfoot dancing (your participation optional) all for only $5. Some of you went last spring and really enjoyed it. Sarah suggested we go again. Ross just went with his family a few weeks ago to celebrate his birthday and endorses it. With a celebrity endorsement like that, how can you go wrong? Danny has been so full of anticipation for the Jamboree he pressed his cowboy boots into service last Sunday just to get ready. They're all shined up and ready to go.

If you're as ready to join us on this adventure as Danny's boots, meet at the campus house at 5pm this Friday. We will carpool for the 45 minute drive to Floyd, VA and get to the Country Store early so we can get some great seats and enjoy some delicious food before the concert. They have all kinds of sandwiches, hot dogs, and BBQ sandwiches to eat, and a large selection of ice cream, milk shakes, homemade pies, cakes, and other desserts, and old fashioned candy to buy.

So that's 5:00pm Friday at the campus house. And bring $5 for admission. Bringing a friend would be good, too.

If you need directions to the campus house, just look on the right side of your screen.

I really hope you can join us. It'll be an experience you won't soon forget.

Steve

Food, Fun, Worship and Prayer, More Food and Fellowship, Bible Study and Friends, and the List Goes On

Here's a heads up about some upcoming events we wanted you to know about so that you can plan ahead to be a part of them:

Feb. 18, Friday, 5pm -- Friday Night Bluegrass/Gospel Jamboree at The Country Store in Floyd, VA

Feb. 20, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

Feb. 20, Sunday, after Oasis -- Free Fellowship Dinner

Feb. 20, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

Feb. 21, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

Feb. 24, Thursday, 5pm -- Worship Team meeting

Feb. 27, Sunday, 11am -- Oasis Worship

Feb. 27, Sunday, after Oasis -- Free Fellowship Dinner

Feb. 27, Sunday, after Fellowship Dinner -- Core Group Team meeting (CCVT's student leadership team)

Feb. 27, Sunday, 7pm -- Girls' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

Feb. 28, Monday, 7pm -- Guys' Gel Group (small group Bible study)

Mar. 5-13 Spring Break

All of these events take place at the campus house, as usual, except the Jamboree. But we're meeting at the campus house to carpool to that. If you need directions to the campus house, just look at the right side of your screen.

Be sure to mark these dates on your calendar and invite your friends to come with you.

See you soon.
Steve

Super Bowl Party

Hey everybody,
I hope you can join us for our Super Bowl Party this coming Sunday. We are going to watch the game (and, of course, the always much talked about Super Bowl commercials) on our big screen at the campus house. Kickoff is at 6:30pm so be sure to get here a little while before then.

We will have some delicious Super Bowl food to enjoy during the game, too. Stacey is bringing her famous Chicken Buffalo Dip, Danny is contributing some Mexican Dip, Ross has the drinks covered, Linda is providing the chips and dip without which no Super Bowl party would be complete, and Kenny is signed up to bring "a little sump'n sump'n" -- whatever that means.

If you would like to bring something to contribute too, feel free. We would be happy to help you eat it. But don't feel like you have to bring anything to come.

Also, please invite your friends. This is not just for CCVT regulars. Everyone is welcome.

Whether you are coming to watch the game, or the commercials, or just for the food and friends, we look forward to seeing you.

See you about 6:15pm Sunday at the campus house. If you need directions, just look on the right side of the screen.

Thanks.
Steve

Guys' Gel Group Kicking Off New Study of 2 Timothy

Hey Guys,
Our small group Bible Study just for guys, which we call "Guys' Gel Group", will be kicking off a new study on 2 Timothy tonight at 7pm at our campus house. Whether you were a regular last semester or this is your first time ever, we would love to have you come join us. Now would be a great time to start coming since we are starting this new lesson series, so you won't be coming into the middle of something feeling lost or anything like that.

If you've never been to Gel Group before, our purpose is to support one another spiritually, and the way we do that is by being good friends for each other, and gaining wisdom and insight from the Bible. Both parts are crucial to living a life that glorifies God, so please don't deprive yourself of the spiritual support we all need to stay strong in the faith.

If you need directions to the campus house, we are only a stone's throw from Lee Hall. Just look at the directions on the right side of this screen. You can always call me, too: 552-8292.

Hope to see you tonight at 7pm.

Steve

Friday Night Food & Fun

Hey everybody, I have some good news. CCVT's "Core Group Team" has planned a special night for us all tomorrow night (Friday) at 7pm at the campus house.

Jodi and Sarah are making a delicious dinner for us -- your choice of potato or taco soup with tortilla chips, or both, and for desert, brownies with ice cream.

Besides dinner, we are also going to watch some movies and play some games. We will have a bunch of each to choose from. Personally, I'm looking forward to playing some games I've never played before, including "Scene It", which I guess is a movie trivia game, and "Dicecapades". But if those are old hat for you, we'll have a bunch of others to play, too. Bring one of your own if you have discovered the next big hit and you want to teach us how to play.

Hope you can make it. We'd love for you to join us whether you've been here before or if this is your first time.

If you need directions just look on the right side of this screen. We're right by the Washington Street tennis courts.

Remember -- 7pm Friday at the campus house.

Steve