We make followers of Jesus and help his followers grow

We make followers of Jesus and help his followers grow

Christ’s Church at Virginia Tech campus ministry

is a non-denominational Christian community of students who:

--believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God

--believe the Bible is the infallible Word of the one and only true God, and therefore embrace it as our first & final authority for faith & practice as it contains all the truth needed for salvation and living in Christ. (2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12)

--strive to put our faith in action, to keep growing in our knowledge and love for God, and to transform our world by living as Jesus lived. (James 2:14-26, Colossians 1:9-12, Romans 12:1-2)

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." -- Isaiah 40:8
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Monday, December 9, 2013

A CCVT Tradition Continues at The Homeplace

Our traditional semiannual outing to The Homeplace restaurant continues this Saturday! This delicious tradition started six years ago and we've been going to The Homeplace restaurant at the end of each semester ever since.

If you don't know about The Homeplace restaurant, you are missing out. Most people I know would say it's one of the best restaurants within an hour's drive of Blacksburg. It's out in the country in a small town called Catawba, about a half hour from here, near Roanoke. They make the most delicious southern style food like country ham, fried chicken, and roast beef, with mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, coleslaw, pinto beans, and other fruits or vegetables of the day, and apple butter for your buttermilk biscuits, and really good sweet tea or lemonade, and fruit cobbler for dessert.

As if the food wasn't good enough, we also get to eat it "family style" where you all sit around a huge table and just pass the food around and put however much you want on your plate and pass it on to the next person. It's like a big family holiday dinner. And the servers just keep bringing the food out until everybody has had as much as they want to eat.

All of this only costs about 15 dollars -- all you can eat, remember -- and it even includes your drink, dessert, and tax! The only thing you need to add is the tip.

So take a much needed study break after a long week of classes and exams and come on out to join us. And feel free to bring a friend with you.

Just meet at the campus house at 4:30pm and we'll carpool from there. We'll probably get back to campus around 8:30 or 9pm.

Remember: 4:30pm Saturday, at the campus house. 15 dollars plus tip.

See you then.
Steve

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Christmas Party this Friday

CCVT's awesome annual Christmas party is going to be this Friday at 6:30pm at the campus house.

Yum!
We'll enjoy some delicious hot chocolate, hot spiced cider, and various "Christmas desserts" while the sounds of some of your favorite Christmas music fill the air. Please bring a Christmas dessert to share. If you don't feel capable of baking, you can always just buy some Christmas cookies or something like that to chip in.

White Elephant gift exchange
We will continue the CCVT tradition of having a hilarious White Elephant gift exchange at the party. What's a White Elephant gift exchange? Well, I have no idea where the name comes from, but it's a really fun, yet inexpensive, way to celebrate Christmas by exchanging gifts.

Here are your instructions: Bring a gift worth less than 5 dollars. This keeps things affordable. It doesn't even have to be brand new, as long as it is in good condition and is something that someone will enjoy and is worth about $4-5. You might be surprised how cool some gifts can be even while they are that inexpensive. It just takes a little creativity and imagination.

Students in past years have found some great gifts combing the isles of dollar stores, and thrift shops like Good Will, or the YMCA thrift shop on North Main Street. Sometimes the shopping part of this game turns out to be almost as much fun as the game itself. (Picture yourself in the toy department of the dollar store reliving your childhood. This time there's no parent telling you you can't buy it.)

Besides toys, some other popular ideas from years past are: cool Christmas ornaments, some nifty gadget, or yummy food, like maybe some homemade cookies, or just some candy, or something like that. Use your imagination. What would you enjoy getting?

Now that you have your gift, there is one more very important thing you need to do with it. You need to wrap it, and you need to wrap it well enough that nobody can tell what it is. This is part of what makes the game fun. We're all going to put our gifts in a big pile and take turns picking a present out of the pile. There is more to it than that, but this mystery is part of what makes the game fun, like when you were a kid and couldn't wait to open your presents under the Christmas tree and kept shaking them and tapping them trying to figure out what they might be. So wrap it well enough that it's not obvious what it is.

If you don't have wrapping paper, use newspaper or paper grocery bags or something. It doesn't have to be pretty, just a mystery. Besides, I've seen gifts wrapped in these that ended up looking surprisingly good.

We'll explain the rest of the rules at the party. Suffice it to say, we always have a lot of laughs with this game.

Special Surprise Activity
We also have a special surprise activity planned for this Christmas party. Please bring the following supplies for the surprise activity if you have them:
a large stick
some olive oil (if you don't have any, vegetable oil or something like that will do)
some rope
a pair of sandals or flip-flops
a towel
a robe

If you don't have all of these, do not go out and buy them. We don't need for everyone to have all of these. If everyone just brings what they have, we will have as much as we need. Thanks.


Please invite your friends to join us. Just remember to explain to them about bringing a gift for the gift exchange, or else provide one for them yourself, so they don't get left out of that. It's gonna be a lot of fun.

The Homeplace
One more thing just so you can plan ahead -- we are making our traditional semi-annual trek to The Homeplace restaurant next week either Thursday (Reading Day) or Saturday. We will take a poll at Oasis this week to see which works better for people's schedules. In the meantime, just wanted to give you a heads up about that.


Remember:
6:30pm at the campus house
Bring a wrapped gift worth no more than $5
Bring a Christmas dessert to share
Bring supplies for the surprise activity if you have them

Thanks, and I hope to see you at Oasis this Wednesday.
Steve

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Feasting and Festivities

It's hard to believe, but our last weekend together before Thanksgiving Break is this weekend, already. That means it's time for CCVT's annual Thanksgiving Banquet! The feasting and festivities will commence at the campus house 6:30pm this Friday.

We'll have turkey, of course, with stuffing, potatoes and gravy, rolls, cornbread or biscuits, green beans, broccoli casserole and carrots, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, brownies, pumpkin pie, and more!

Besides enjoying a delicious meal together, we'll take a little time to praise God by sharing with each other what we are most thankful to God for this past year.

When everyone is done eating, we can take a walk down memory lane by watching the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special while we play some games or just visit.

This is a longstanding CCVT tradition and it's always so much fun to share a big, traditional Thanksgiving dinner together. And the food is always so delicious! So don't miss out. Make plans to come join us. And bring a friend.

6:30pm, Friday, Nov. 15 at the campus house.

Looking forward to giving thanks to God with you,
Steve

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Great Fun, Music, and Dancing

It's been a rough week for a lot of you, with the academic work load getting especially heavy at this point in the semester. And the weather has been turning a little unpleasant some days lately, too. Time to get away and dance those blues away! Come join us this Friday night as we go on a little adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Friday Night Jamboree in Floyd, Virginia!

As I mentioned in my email a few days ago, we are going to a good ole' fashioned Jamboree, up near the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. We will be carpooling up to The Floyd Country Store in the charming little town of Floyd, VA to experience the toe tappin' fun of the Friday Night Jamboree. Every time we go up there everyone has so much fun they want to go back, so this has become an annual tradition for us.

The Jamboree attracts some of the best Gospel and Bluegrass bands in the world. (Seriously. That's no exaggeration.) Every week it includes over 4 hours of Gospel and Bluegrass music and flatfoot dancing (your participation optional) all for only $5. Flatfoot dancing sounds funny, but it is easy to pick up, and everyone always has so much fun learning how to do it with their group of friends that they can't stop smiling.

Meet us at the campus house at 5:30pm 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, too. If you'd rather save some money you are certainly welcome to eat dinner on your own before you meet us at the campus house. The food is just an option. What we're really going for is the music and dancing.

So that's 5:30pm Friday at the campus house, and $5 for admission, plus a little extra if you want to buy food at the store.

Feel free to bring a friend, too.

I really hope you can join us. If you've never been there before, I promise you, it'll be an experience you won't soon forget.

Hope to see you there.

Steve

Monday, October 28, 2013

Save the Dates

Hey guys,
Just want to let you all know about a couple special events the Core Group Team has planned for November so you can save the dates on your calendars.

Friday, November 1, we are going to carpool out to beautiful Floyd, Virginia near the Blue Ridge Parkway to listen to some of the world's best live gospel and bluegrass music at the "Friday Night Jamboree" at the historic Floyd Country Store. You might even get to learn how to dance "flatfoot". If you've never been to the Friday Night Jamboree in Floyd, Virginia, you MUST come see it. Your education at Virginia Tech will not be complete until you do. And it's so much fun!



Friday, November 15, we are going to carry on the tradition of CCVT's annual Thanksgiving Banquet. The food is always awesome and abundant, and it is always so encouraging to hear how God has blessed everyone in various ways as we briefly share one thing we are especially thankful for from the past year. We'll have a few other little elements to the night, too.

We'll send you more details about these events as the days approach, but for now, please mark your calendars to save the dates.

Hope you guys can join us for these. 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

A-maize-ing Corn Maze and More

You are invited to join us this Friday night for an a-maze-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 5:30pm 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. You can get a nice hamburger, fries, and drink, including tax and tip, for under $5. It's a really quaint little place. You'll love it.

After that we'll mozy on over to the corn maze around the time it is getting dark. Tickets for the corn maze are only $5. The maze is different every year, so even if you've been there before, it should be a challenge to find your way around the maze in the dark. The corn is usually about 8 feet tall, so it's not like you are going to be able to see over the top of it. I would estimate the maze is approximately the size of two football fields, so it's not just some little thing you'll be done with in a few minutes.

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

Choose your footwear wisely. 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 sticking up where the corn has been cut down, etc. So let's say tennis shoes are a minimum, and boots would be even better.

Finally, the forecast is for clear skies and only a gentle breeze, unlike the last couple days, but it will still be pretty cold. It's supposed to get down into the upper 30's by the time we will be leaving the corn maze. So bundle up! You'll enjoy exploring the maze a lot more if you aren't distracted by your chattering teeth and numb fingers. My advice is to dress warmer than you think you'll need to. Remember, this is the first cold spell we've had since last spring, so our bodies haven't adjusted to the cold yet. This time of year we feel like it's freezing in the same weather we'll wear shorts in come January -- we perceive it differently when we aren't used to it. So dress extra warm. You'll have more fun.

So to recap:
5:30pm Friday at the campus house
$5 for the maze, plus about $5 or more for food
flashlights
appropriate footwear
dress very warm

Hope you can join us. And bring a friend!

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Fall Fun

Hey guys, just want to let you know about two fun fall events we have coming up here at CCVT:

1) This Friday we are having a little Harvest Party, I guess you might call it. We are going out to Joe's house in the country for a campfire. We'll roast some marshmallows, make some smores, and exercise our creativity carving pumpkins!

If you want to join us you'll need to get to the campus house within a few minutes of 6:15pm because soon after that the car pool caravan will be heading out, and out where Joe lives the BT does not venture!



2) Friday, Oct. 25, we will drive out to Sinkland Farms to wind our way through their amazing corn maze. But we'll wait 'til after dark to explore the corn maze. While we're waiting for the sun to set we'll catch dinner at this awesome little Italian diner just down the road from the corn maze. I'll send you more details when we get closer to that date. In the meantime, just mark it on your calendar for that Friday night.


Hope to see you tonight at Oasis Bible Study -- 7:15pm!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Cookout 5:30 this Friday

Praise God for a great weather forecast for our cookout 5:30 this Friday at our campus house. Sunny and high 70's!

We already have 12 people signed up to bring food, so that means 2 things:
1) we are bound to have a great turn out if we have 12 people coming before we even begin to count everybody coming who is not bringing food, and
2) we are going to have plenty of delicious food.

Hmmm... lots of good friends enjoying delicious food in great weather -- that's a pretty sweet combination! Hope you can join us.

We will have some yard games and such to play, too, of course.

And feel free to bring a friend.

Even if this would be your first time coming to CCVT, we'd love to have you join us. For a map and simple directions just look on the right side of your screen.

God bless you, and hope to see you Friday. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Your Invitation to a VT vs. Georgia Tech Football Party and Cookout

Just want to give you advance notice about 2 events coming up soon at CCVT:

The first is a football party we are throwing for the VT vs. Georgia Tech football game this Thursday night. Kickoff is at 7:30pm, so our party will begin around 7:15. We will have "football food" and cheer our Hokies on to victory together while we watch the game on our big screen at the campus house.

The second event will be a cookout at our campus house next Friday, October 4, beginning at 5:30pm. Assuming the weather is still as nice as it has been the last few days, this is bound to be awesome!

Please mark these dates on your calendar and make plans to join us. As always, feel free to bring a friend.

For a map and simple directions to CCVT's campus house, just look on the top right side of your screen.

Hope to see you at Oasis Wednesday night, and at these upcoming events. 

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Frosty Parrot

Hey everybody, we're gonna go to Frosty Parrot this Friday night. Should be fun, not to mention delicious.

Just meet us at the campus house at 7pm and then we'll go to Frosty Parrot together.

Maybe we'll do something together afterwards, too. We'll see what people feel like doing. Movie? Game? Around-the-world-ping-pong? We'll see. Maybe something else.

For a map and simple directions to our campus house, just look on the top right side of your screen.

Hope to see you then.

Remember: 7pm at the campus house

Thanks.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

What Is Your Life Built On?

"When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God." -- 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

What do you trust in? Is your life built on what seems to make sense according to the fashion of majority opinion as it stands today? Do you fit your faith into your lifestyle as long as it doesn't get in the way too much? Or is the truth the Bible teaches about God central in your life? Does your faith revolve around your life like a cute little, inconsequential moon of Jupiter, or does your life revolve around the the massive, unchanging truth of God, like the stars revolve around the center of our galaxy? Is going to church a ritual parenthesis to the rest of your life, or is going to class a means to the end of glorifying God through a career when you graduate? What is it you really believe? Not what you think you believe, but what your actions prove you believe? (You know actions speak louder than words.) Are you living according to human wisdom, or according to the power of God?

Come on out to Oasis Bible Study tonight and we'll explore this a little more, together. The passage above is our text for the night.

We do not judge anyone. We want to help everyone enjoy the life God wants for them. We can only find that by conforming our lives to the truth of God. When we do that, we are freed to be all that we were meant to be. So we help one another learn the truth of God by studying his word together, and we support one another by praying for each other, every Wednesday night at 7:15. We hope you will join us.

We meet in our campus house, just one block from Lee Hall. For most of you, it's even closer than your classes! For a map and simple directions just look on the top right side of your screen.

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

Whether this will be your first time here, or you've been to CCVT before, we really hope you can make it.

Come on over and 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.

Recap:
7:15pm every Wednesday -- Oasis Bible Study

Hope to see you there.

Monday, September 16, 2013

A little Straight Talk

"Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him." -- 1 John 2:4-5

Kind of challenging, isn't it? But sometimes we just need someone to love us enough to tell us the truth, straight up and without mincing words, and God does that. God does love us enough to tell us the truth. And he especially does that through the apostle John who wrote 1 John. The whole letter of 1 John is full of very straight talk. Not always confrontational, but always very straight forward. That's one of the reasons I think so many people love this book of the Bible so much.

Our "Men of God" Bible study continues our study of 1 John tonight, exploring a passage of scripture which includes the above two verses. We hope you will come join us.

We meet every Monday night at 7:15 at our campus house. For a map and clear directions just look on the top right side of your screen.

We'd love to have you join us whether this would be your 1st or 50th time, or anything in between.

Hope to see you there.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Glad to Have You Join Us

We were happy to have two people join us for church last week for the first time and we'd be glad to have you join us this week if this would be your first time, too. It's not too late, for sure. (We're always happy to see those of you who have come before, too. So don't feel unappreciated.) ;-)

Anyway, if you haven't already found a church home, why not come join us?

We will meet at our campus house at 10:15am and carpool to Belmont Christian Church. We'll probably even have some donuts or something for you to snack on while we wait for everyone to arrive.

Feel free to bring a friend.

Like I said, we are meeting up at our campus house which is right on the edge of campus, just one block from Lee Hall -- about a 2-3 minute walk for most of you. For a map & simple directions, just look on the top right side of your screen.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hope you can join us.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Indiana Jones Scavenger Hunt!

The Hunt is On!
This Friday, Sept. 13, 7 pm
at CCVT Campus Ministry!

What's Going On?
The Quest for the Holy Grail!

A Scavenger Hunt of Biblical Proportions!

A Campus Wide Search for True Treasure!

You won't want to miss it!
Prizes will be awarded to the best scavengers!

Discover your inner Indiana Jones!

Where Is It?
We will begin the scavenger hunt from CCVT's campus house only one block from Lee Hall -- on Clay St., one block over from Washington Street. We overlook the tennis courts and are next door to VT's Cranwell International Center. For most of you, it's even closer than your classes! For a map and simple directions just look on the top right side of your screen.

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

Who's Invited?
Everyone's Invited.
Bring a friend or two!

Never been here before?
Perfect! That's why we're inviting you -- we want to meet you!

You have been here before?
Perfect again! That's why we're inviting you -- so we can get to know each other better!

Do I need to bring anything?
Just your appetite for adventure, and some comfortable shoes, 'cause you will be getting around campus a lot gathering things for the scavenger hunt.

As part of the night's festivities we will also enjoy watching the movie that inspired this scavenger hunt -- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!

See you 7pm Friday!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Power, Wisdom, and Christ -- 7:15 tonight!

"Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." -- 1 Corinthians 1:22-25

To people who aren't Christians, and to be honest, often to a lot of people who think of themselves as Christians, Christianity often looks weak and silly. But to true Christians who understand what it's really all about, the gospel is power and wisdom beyond anything any of us ever could have even imagined if it had not been revealed to us by God.

How do you feel about your faith? Are you embarrassed by it? Doubting if it really even makes sense yourself? Then you need to study the passage of scripture we're studying tonight at Oasis. Make time to join us tonight at 7:15.

We meet every Wednesday at 7:15pm in our campus house, just one block from Lee Hall. For most of you, it's even closer than your classes! For a map and simple directions just look on the top right side of your screen.

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

Whether this will be your first time here, or you've been to CCVT before, we really hope you can make it.

So come on over and 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.

Recap:
7:15pm every Wednesday -- Oasis Bible Study

Hope to see you there.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Space Jam -- Got Game?

Going to Gobblerfest tomorrow? When you're done, come on over to CCVT's campus house about 8pm. We're gonna play some games for a while, and then about 9pm watch (drum roll please...) Space Jam!

So come on over and hang out for a while. We're looking forward to getting to know you a little better, and hey, if this would be your first time to CCVT, we'd love to get to meet you, too.

For a map and simple directions to our campus house, just look on the top right side of your screen.

Oh, and by the way, Gavin says if you want to go to Gobblerfest with him and some of the rest of the gang that planned to go together at Oasis last night, just give him a call or text.

Hope to see you Friday night.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

7:15 Tonight -- I love VT!

I love Virginia Tech. There are so many great things about this school -- the great school spirit, the heart for service (ut prosim), the perennially top notch football program, the beautiful campus, excellence in academics, and the list just keeps going on and on. But even with all of those attributes, sometimes for a Christian student who is really committed to living a life that pleases God, the campus can be a spiritually dry and arid place to be. It's a real challenge to stay focused on God with so many things competing for our allegiance.

That's why Christ's Church at VT (CCVT) has Oasis -- it's a place to come and be refreshed by God's living water. God knows that in order for us to keep him at the center of our lives, we all need to spend time with other believers often -- to learn God's ways and to enjoy the support of good friends. Oasis delivers this through meaningful Bible Study, group discussion, sharing with friends, and prayer. It's our main weekly meeting and happens at our campus house every Wednesday night at 7:15.

Tonight is only our second Oasis of the school year and we are sure to have lots of new people, so you won't be the only one, so please don't be shy. Come on over and join us tonight. We'd love to meet you, and who knows, maybe you will find some of the best friends of your college career here. It happens a lot around here.

Feel free to bring some of the friends you've already made at Tech with you, too.

I mentioned Oasis meets at our "campus house". By "campus house" we mean the big old house we own, right on the edge of campus just one block from Lee Hall. For most of you, it's even closer than your classes! For a map and simple directions just look on the top right side of your screen.

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

Whether this will be your first time here, or you've been to CCVT before, I really hope you can make it.

So come on over and 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.

Recap:
7:15pm every Wednesday -- Oasis Bible Study

Hope to see you there.
Steve

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Catch a Ride to Church Sunday AM

We are carpooling to church again this week and every week, so if you haven't already found a church home, why not come join us? You are welcome to catch a ride with us whether you've been here before, or this would be your first time. Doesn't matter.

We will meet at our campus house at 10:15am and carpool to Belmont Christian Church. We'll even have some fruit, donuts, or something for you to snack on while we wait for everyone to arrive.

Bring some lunch money along, too, if you want to go out to lunch with us. But we can drop you off on campus before lunch if you need to get back in time for a meeting or something, so don't let that stop you.

Feel free to bring a friend.

Like I said, we are meeting up at our campus house which is right on the edge of campus, just one block from Lee Hall -- about a 2-3 minute walk for most of you. For a map & simple directions, just look on the right side of your screen.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hope you can join us.

VT vs. Alabama Football Party

So I'm sure you are all well aware of the football game Saturday at 5:30pm against Alabama. Well, I just wanted to remind you we are throwing a little football party for the game and you are invited to come watch it with us on our 84 inch screen and enjoy some good "football food" with us, too.

If this would be your first time at Christ's Church at VT campus ministry (CCVT for short) we'd love to welcome you and meet you. If you've been here before, we'd love to get to know you better while we have fun watching the game. And feel free to bring a friend.

Come on over a few minutes early so you don't miss any of the game.

For a map & simple directions, just look on the top right side of your screen. If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only 100 yards from the tennis courts bus stop on Washington Street. If you drive, we have parking.

Let's recap: 5:15pm Saturday, Aug. 31, at CCVT's campus house.

Hope you can make it.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

It's Sundae Night on Friday Night!

No, we are not presuming to have the power to rearrange the days of the week. Just planning a little ice cream sundae making party for Friday night.

This Friday 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?

We will also have an amazing array of other toppings to choose from, including Dr. Pepper cherry dessert topper, Orange Crush orange/vanilla cream dessert topper, A&W Root Beer Float dessert topper, and more. Special guest Mr. Sprinkles will be joining our party in both chocolate and rainbow form. It'll be a childhood dream come true!

So save some room for dessert when you eat supper Friday, and then mosey on over to CCVT's campus house about 8pm and we'll play a few games, make some new friends, and exercise our culinary creativity seeing what kind of ice cream sundae masterpieces we can conjure up.

As always, feel free to bring a friend.

For a map and simple directions to CCVT's campus house only one block from Lee and Miles Hall, just look on the top right side of your screen. If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street by the tennis courts.

So that's Friday at 8pm.

Hope you can make it. It's gonna be a lot of fun.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Free Spaghetti Dinner and Oasis Bible Study this Wednesday Night

So how are you feeling about classes now that you have probably been to all of them at least once? Hopefully you are feeling pretty good about them, but if you are feeling at all intimidated, try to remember that what looks like an insurmountable mountain of assignments early in the semester usually turns out not to be so bad when you just take a deep breath and start chipping away at it bit by bit, with perseverance. At the end of the semester you look back and stand amazed at how much you were able to get done. Pray for God's help and trust him to answer your prayer and you will probably do even better, and have a lot less anxiety in the meantime.

Trusting God and doing your best is key to success not only in academics, but in life in general. And part of trusting God is not putting him on a shelf, or on the back burner of your life, but keeping him front and center -- the top priority in your life. I hope you will do that throughout your college career. If you will, not only your academics, but your whole life will be much more blessed.

I believe that is why God invented the Church. He knew that in order for us to keep him at the center of our lives, we all would need to spend time with other believers often, to learn God's ways and to enjoy the support of good friends. That is what Christ's Church at VT campus ministry (CCVT for short) is here to do. I hope you will take advantage of it while you are here at Tech.

One of the main ways we do that is through our main weekly meeting every Wednesday night at 7:15pm which we call "Oasis". As the name implies, it's a place to come for spiritual refreshing. Oasis includes Bible Study, group discussion, sharing with friends, and prayer.

This week we have an extra special treat to kickoff the new school year. We are going to have a free homemade spaghetti dinner before Oasis, complete with meat sauce (or meatless marinara sauce if you prefer), garlic bread, salad, drinks and dessert. Our own Joe Starr is the "starr" chef, and I have tasted his spaghetti before, so I can promise you it is very, very good. Please arrive by 6:15pm if you want to eat.

The dinner and Oasis will both be at our campus house, only one block from Lee and Miles halls. For a map and simple directions just go to CHRISTatVT.org and look on the right side of your screen. 


Whether this will be your first time here, or you've been to CCVT before, we really hope you can make it.

Feel free to bring a friend or two with you.

Recap:
6:15pm Spaghetti Dinner
7:15pm Oasis Bible Study
(Wednesday, August 28)
Directions: CHRISTatVT.org

Looking forward to seeing you Wednesday night.

God bless you.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Men's Bible Study Tonight at 7:15

Hey guys,
Hope your first day of classes has gone great and you are looking forward to how much you are going to learn the rest of the semester. I know usually at the beginning of the semester I felt a little overwhelmed by how much work was staring me in the face on the syllabi. But it always turned out to be much more doable than it seemed at the beginning of the semester. So don't get psyched out about it. If you just chip away at it faithfully everyday, you can get more done than you ever imagined possible. It's not like it's all due next week. Trust me -- I know from experience.

Hey, I hope you will take an hour or so out this evening to come check out our Bible study just for the guys which we call "Men of God" Bible study. We will be meeting every Monday night this semester at 7:15pm at our campus house, which is very conveniently located right on the edge of campus, just one block from Lee, O'Shag, or Miles Hall. For a map and simple directions just go to CHRISTatVT.org and look on the right side of your screen.

Whether this would be your first time ever to anything at CCVT, you're an "old-timer", or anything in between, you are welcome to join us.

Our Men of God Bible study has two main thrusts:
One is to study God's word and learn from it, of course.
The second is to make some really good friends who will support us and help us to live a life that pleases God.

Sometimes we have friends but faith really isn't at the center of our friendship, so they really don't do anything to help us stay strong in the faith. Or maybe they even do the opposite. Other times we study the Bible and learn more stuff about it, but we really aren't putting much of it into practice because we don't have anybody to help us know how or to give us moral support.

Our Guys' Bible Study is designed to bring these two crucial pieces together to give us the support we need to live out the truths we learn from God's word.

When you put chocolate and peanut butter together you end up with a really great dessert. But when you put God's word and Christian fellowship together, you end up with something even better. You end up with the church functioning the way God intended, and transformed lives that reflect the character of Christ. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.

Feel free to bring a friend with you. Just remember this is for guys only. (The girls have their own group, too.)

That's Monday nights at 7:15.

Hope you can make it tonight.

Thanks.
Steve

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Welcome to Tech Pizza Party

Come meet some of the students and staff of Christ's Church at VT campus ministry tonight (Friday, Aug. 23) at our Welcome to Tech Pizza Party. We are looking forward to meeting you and I'm sure some of you will end up making some great friends here who will be a blessing to you for years to come.

The party begins at 4pm and we'll be 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 volleyball. 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. Don't worry -- no special athletic ability required.

Feel free to bring a friend.

The party will be at our campus house which is right on the edge of campus, just one block from Lee Hall -- about a 5 minute walk for most of you. For a map & simple directions, just look on the top right side of your screen.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I'm looking forward to meeting you.

Steve Wilkin
Campus Minister

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A Home Away from Home

If you are new to VT, you may be looking for a campus ministry or church to call home during your college years, and maybe your search has led you here to our blog. If so, welcome! We are glad you have come to visit.

The most concise way I know how to give you an idea of what CCVT is all about is to say: CCVT believes that God is real, the Bible is true, and Jesus in alive! We are a Bible believing group of students saved by grace and striving to love God and love people more and more.

We often dive deep into God's Word to mine the deep spiritual truths to apply to our lives, but we also know how to laugh and have a good time. We do a lot of all of those things around here.

I want you to know you are welcome to make CCVT campus ministry your "home away from home" during your years here at Tech, like so many 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 who we are, 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 calendar 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 (over by the dorms, one block over from Washington St., by the tennis courts) for our main weekly meeting called "Oasis".

We also have small group Bible studies at various times during the week.

Hope to see you soon. Here's what's coming up. (All these events are FREE and happen at our campus house.)

Thursday, Aug. 22, 7pm -- Welcome Get Together -- When you're done eating your first meal in the dining halls on the meal plan, walk on over to our campus house for some informal volleyball, popsicles, and snacks, and make some new friends. Just a laid back time to meet some of the students and staff in our campus ministry and maybe find your spiritual "home away from home" for your time at VT. 

Kind of like an Open House, but more fun. More like a Cookout, but not as much food.

Friday, Aug. 23, 4pm -- Pizza Party -- 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 volleyball. 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. No special athletic ability required.

Saturday, Aug. 24, 11am -- Pancake Brunch -- Flapjacks, griddle cakes, hotcakes, or pancakes -- call them what you will, we will have them homemade, hot off the griddle, and in abundance Saturday morning, complete with pretty much whatever you might want on top -- strawberry syrup, blueberry syrup, butter pecan syrup, honey creme syrup, and oh ya, maple syrup. Almost forgot. We'll have sausage and juice, too, of course. Come on over and get to know your new friends at CCVT a little better. And feel free to bring a friend.

Sunday, Aug. 25, 10:15am -- Catch a ride to church with us! We'll meet at our campus house and carpool to Belmont Christian Church. We'll even have some fruit, donuts, or something for you to snack on while we wait for everyone to arrive. Bring some lunch money along, too, if you want to go out to eat for lunch with us. We can drop you off on campus if you'd rather eat on campus or just go back to your dorm.

Monday, Aug. 26, 7:15pm -- Guys' Bible Study -- just a bunch of Bible believing guys getting together to pray for each other and study God's word. Come join us!

Wednesday, Aug. 28, 6:15pm -- Spaghetti Dinner before Oasis -- Yeah, we like food at CCVT campus ministry, but more than that, we love people. And sitting down to enjoy some good spaghetti together is a good way to get to know each other. So please come join us for some great homemade spaghetti and garlic bread, and make some new friends in the process. Afterwards, at 7:15pm, you can join us for our main weekly Bible Study we like to call "Oasis."

Wednesday, Aug. 28, 7:15pm -- Oasis -- "Oasis" is CCVT's main weekly gathering dedicated to Bible Study, group discussion, sharing with friends, & prayer. Invite your friends and come join us!

Friday, Aug. 30, 8pm -- Build Your Own Sundae party -- This Friday 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 ice cream sundae! Can you feel the exhilaration already? Can you feel the anticipation building?

So save some room for dessert when you eat supper Friday, and then mosey on over to CCVT's campus house about 8pm and we'll play a few games and exercise our culinary creativity seeing what kind of ice cream sundae masterpieces we can conjure up.

Saturday, Aug. 31, 5:15pm -- Football Party for Alabama vs. VT -- Come watch the game with us on our 84 inch screen and enjoy some good "football food" with us, too. Feel free to bring a friend.

Sunday, Sept. 1, 10:15am -- Catch a ride to church with us -- Fresh fruit and donuts at the Campus House again, then carpool to Belmont Christian Church. We'll probably go out for lunch together again, too.

Sunday, Sept. 1, 7pm -- Girls' Bible Study -- a very friendly group of girls that excels at supporting one another while applying God's word to their lives. Always open to new members joining.

Monday, Sept. 2, 7:15pm -- Guys' Bible Study -- every week.

Wednesday, Sept. 4, 7:15pm -- Oasis -- every week.

Like I said, all these events will be, or at least begin, at our campus house over by the dorms, one block over from Washington St., by the tennis courts. For most of you, it's even closer than your classes! For a map & simple directions, just look on the top right side of your screen.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'd be glad to try to answer them.

Thanks. I hope to meet you soon!

Steve Wilkin
Campus Minister

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

11th Semi-Annual Reading Day Dinner at the Homeplace and a Special Oasis Tonight




And now for an important message from Joe:

Hello Y’all,

Tomorrow is Reading Day – the break between regularly scheduled classes and exams. Classes are coming to a close, and exams are set to begin, so you (Yes, YOU!) should take some time to recharge for them. 


Join us this Thursday for the 11th Semi-Annual Reading Day Dinner at the Homeplace! God-willing, it should be EPIC.

If you’ve never been to the Homeplace or heard about its wonders, let me fill you in right now with some reasons why you should check it out:
(1) The Homeplace is a delicious all-you-can-eat restaurant in Catawba (out near Dragon’s Tooth and McAfee Knob along the AT, if you’re familiar with either of them).
(2) The food is delicious country-style food – fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, biscuits, apple butter, and a side of the day (which is usually corn or apples or something similar).
(3) This all-you-can-eat food is served directly to the table – you don’t have to get up until it’s time to go (well, unless the fire alarm goes off or something…)!
(4) After you’re done eating, they bring you fruit cobbler (perhaps apple or blackberry, etc.) and ice cream. They’ll even bring you coffee if you want it.
(5) Thursday is BBQ day, so they also should be bringing out plenty of pulled pork and cole slaw!

We’re planning to meet up at the campus house at 4:30pm to carpool there. It costs around $15 + a tip (so about $18) and is extremely worth it (especially if you come hungry).

Classes should be over (except exams), and you’re going to eat dinner anyways, so why not join us?

God Bless,
Joseph W. Starr
(540) 622-0831



Thanks, Joe, for rounding us up for this long-lived CCVT tradition.

For those who may be wondering, we will probably make it back to campus sometime between 8 and 9pm.

Also, if you can't make it to the campus house by 4:30pm, but can by, like, 5:15pm or something like that, let me know and I'll coordinate a late departure vehicle for you. I think we are going to have one.

Hope you can join us. It's always fun. And by the way, this is our last official CCVT event of the school year for the guys. The girls still have one more Women of the Word Bible study this coming Sunday night. But for the guys, this is your last chance to get together as a group (unless you put something together yourselves). So hope to see you there.

And I hope to see you tonight at our last Oasis of the school year, too! As you know, we will wrap up our semester long study of 1 Timothy tonight and commission our graduates who are moving away from us, so this will be a very special Oasis you won't want to miss. Come join us in praying for our departing graduates and sending them off with our blessings.

Thanks.
Steve

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Cleaning and Cookout Saturday

'Tis the season for spring cleaning, and this Saturday that is exactly what we are going to do at the Campus House. There is a lot of indoor cleaning that needs to be done, and a lot of outdoor yard work to do, too.

Can we count on you to come help? It's a great service opportunity in the spirit of "ut prosim". You won't get a T-shirt for participating like you do with some well known service projects, but you'll have the satisfaction of a job well done, which you'll get to see every time you come to the campus house, and you'll be helping the Lord's work, which is the most important work you can possibly help, and "great will be your reward in heaven".

We'll meet at the campus house at 2pm to start divvying out the cleaning assignments. (That's d-i-v-v-y-i-n-g, not d-i-w-y-i-n-g like my arial font makes it appear on my screen. Haha.)

When it gets to be supper time we'll wrap up the cleaning and enjoy a great cookout together -- a well deserved reward for an afternoon's hard work. We'll probably play a little volleyball, too, assuming we still have enough energy.

We already have volunteers bringing all of the essentials, but if you would like to bring something to pitch in, let me know and I can tell you what we already have and what might be good to bring.

Even cleaning can be fun when you are doing it with friends, and as they say, "Many hands make light work", so I hope you will come join us Saturday afternoon for some good fellowship and service time with your CCVT friends.

See you 2pm Saturday.
Steve

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Spring Game Saturday


Wanna go watch VT's football team scrimmage at the "Spring Game" this Saturday?

We are meeting at 2pm at the campus house to walk on over and get some good seats together and watch the team warm up and stuff before the scrimmage actually starts at 3. The weather forecast is awesome! Looks like this is going to be a great year to watch the Spring Game.

Hope you can join us.

Steve

There's still time to register for Relay for Life this Friday night


Hey, everybody. It's still not too late to register to join us for Relay for Life this Friday night. Please read the message from Katherine below for more information: 

Hi friends! RELAY FOR LIFE AT VIRGINIA TECH IS THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 19th!
So, sign-up sign-up sign-up! 

We will be meeting at 4:30pm in front of War Memorial Gym to set up our camp on the Drillfield, and to get situated for an exciting night of walking, fundraising, and time spent together supporting the fight against cancer! 

If you still have not signed up and would like to, here are the details…
In order to register with out team:
Go to http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY13SA?fr_id=48736&pg=entry (or go to http://www.relayforlife.org and search for Virginia Tech in the “SIGN UP OR FIND AN EVENT” search box.)

Click the orange box "Sign Up". 

Click the middle orange box option on the right, "JOIN AN EXISTING TEAM". 

In the box, “Select or type the name of the team you'd like to join”, enter our team name: Relay for Life 2013 (CCVT) 

You can then proceed through the registration process. 

See you there! 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Friday Night Jamboree

On account of Spring Break it's been three weeks since we've had a chance to just hang out and have fun outside of Oasis and small group Bible studies. It feels like a long time. We had an awesome Progressive Dinner three weeks ago, with good food, good times, and a great turn out. Many thanks to everyone who hosted a course of the meal in their apartment, helped make food, provided transportation, or helped out in any other way. It was a lot of fun.

But like I said, it's been a while. So let's get together again this Friday night. Here's the plan: We are going to a good ole' fashioned Jamboree, up near the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. We will be carpooling up to The Floyd Country Store in the charming little town of Floyd, VA to experience the toe tappin' fun of the Friday Night Jamboree. Every time we go up there everyone has so much fun they want to go back, so this has become an annual tradition for us. 

The Jamboree attracts some of the best Gospel and Bluegrass bands in the world. (Seriously. That's no exaggeration.) Every week it includes over 4 hours of Gospel and Bluegrass music and flatfoot dancing (your participation optional) all for only $5. Flatfoot dancing sounds funny, but it is easy to pick up, and everyone always has so much fun learning how to do it with their group of friends they can't stop smiling.

Meet us at the campus house at 5:30pm 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. If you'd rather save some money or eat really healthy, then you might want to eat dinner on your own before you meet us at the campus house.

So that's 5:30pm Friday at the campus house. And bring $5 for admission, and a little extra if you want to buy food at the store. Bringing a friend would be good, too.

I really hope you can join us. If you've never been there before, I promise you, it'll be an experience you won't soon forget.

Hope to see you there.
Steve

The Big Event

VT's Big Event is on Saturday, April 6, this year, and CCVT is going to be a part of it once again this year.

If you are new to Tech this year and don't already know about the Big Event, it is an annual day of service where Virginia Tech students volunteer throughout the surrounding community. We could be doing anything from helping someone clean their house to doing yard work for a local church. It's a great opportunity to spend time with friends while giving back to the community that helps make this school so amazing. No special skills necessary, just people willing to work and get their hands dirty.

Katherine has already set up a team for us, but if you want to participate you must register to be a part of our team by this Friday, March 22!

Here is how you can sign-up:
1. Go to: www.vtbigevent.org
2. On the left side, click “Click Here to Volunteer”
3. Then click, “Register as an Individual” – the first of the two orange boxes on this page
4. On the Verify Account Type, select “I want to register as an individual.” And click Continue.
5. Fill in the information – name, shirt size, gender, phone, email and password.
6. Important step: On the next page, click “Join team” and select ChristChurchVT.
7. You should be registered.

Katherine says, "I remember we had such a good time volunteering with this event last year. I try and remember to set these kind of things up because I know what great memories I have made in my time here at Tech participating in the service, and I hope to give others that opportunity too!"

Thanks, Katherine, for setting up a team for us.

OK, everybody, we've only got today and tomorrow to register for this. After that you won't be allowed to sign up to participate on our team or anybody else's team. It's just a Big Event deadline that they have to put in place so they know how many people to plan on for printing T-shirts, working with sponsors to gather enough tools and supplies, and figuring out who to assign to what service projects, etc. So don't procrastinate. Register today!

Thanks. Look forward to working with you April 6.
Steve

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Progressive Dinner Friday Night

Have you ever been to a progressive dinner? It's so much fun. Here's how it works, and how we are going to do it: We meet at our campus house 5:30pm, Friday, for appetizers, courtesy of Bryan and Tiny. Then we all pile in a few cars (car pool) to Brittany and Corinna's apartment for the next course of our 5 course meal -- the soup. Next stop -- Sarah, Seth, and Luke's apartment for salad. Then it's off to Katherine, Lindsey, and Emily's apartment for the main course which Gavin and Amanda are preparing for us. And finally we top it all off with some delicious dessert prepared by Stacey, at me and Stacey's house.

It's so much fun piling in the cars and driving to different friends' places and getting to hang out with them in their own apartment for a change, talk, and enjoy some delicious food.

Our menu will follow an Italian theme. I don't want to spoil the element of surprise, because that is part of the fun of this, too, but I can tell you that from what I've heard, the hosts and hostesses are definitely not cutting corners on the food. This is going to be a really nice meal, even if you have to do a whole lot of traveling to get it all.

So join us this Friday at 5:30pm at the campus house, and bring a friend or two with you, if you want.

Look forward to seeing you there.
Steve

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Sakura Friday night

Hey everybody, we are getting together to go out to eat at Sakura this Friday night. Remember, we got snowed out last time we tried this, so hopefully the weather will cooperate with us this time.

We are planning to meet at the campus house 5:15pm to carpool there. Sakura is the Japanese steakhouse in the vicinity of the New River Valley Mall, but across 460 and closer to Kmart. They don't throw knives or build flaming volcanoes out of an onion, but on the plus side, there's not a long wait, and the prices are reasonable, and the food is still really good. So on the whole, it's a great place to go out to eat with friends. Yelp.com says the average meal ends up under $10 even with a drink, tax and tip.

After dinner we'll come back to the campus house to hang out and play some games.

So hope to see you Friday night, and don't forget to invite your friends.

Key facts: Carpool from campus house 5:15pm Friday.

Thanks.
Steve

Monday, February 18, 2013

CCVT's Relay for Life team

Katherine is leading CCVT's Relay for Life team this year. This is a great cause, obviously, so I encourage you to get involved and raise a lot of money for the American Cancer Society. Please read on for Katherine's explanation and instructions on how to join our team.

Thanks.
Steve


Hi friends!
Here are some details for this years event:
Where: Drillfield
When: From 5 p.m. on Friday, April 19, until early morning Saturday, April 20
What: This fundraiser is an all-night celebration to raise money in the fight against cancer. We will set up camp on the Drillfield, and enjoy the night's festivities!
How much: $10 to register. And, although not required, this event is to raise money for the American Cancer Society. So hit up your friends and family, and let them know that they can donate to the ACS and Relay for Life through you. I will give more details about fundraising this week at Oasis, if this is something you are interested in!

Soooooo…..
In order to register with our team:
Go to http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY13SA?fr_id=48736&pg=entry (or go to http://www.relayforlife.org and search for Virginia Tech in the “SIGN UP OR FIND AN EVENT” search box.)
Click the orange box Sign Up.
Click the middle orange box option on the right, JOIN AN EXISTING TEAM.
In the box, “Select or type the name of the team you'd like to join”, enter our team name: Relay for Life 2013 (CCVT)
You can then proceed through the registration process.
FYI: Apparently this year, you must raise $100 in order to get a T-shirt. Keep this in mind when you set your fundraising goal. Remember, it is NOT a requirement to raise money to attend the event, but every little bit helps, if you are interested in fundraising for the American Cancer Society!
Love you guys, and looking forward to enjoying Relay for Life 2013 with you all!!

Katherine

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Let's Roll!

This Friday night we are going to go roller skating at Adventure World right over in Christiansburg.

If you have never been skating before, or like me, you've been skating, but you can count the number of times on one hand, and you never got very good at it, don't worry about it -- please come join us anyway. We are just doing this for fun, and trying something new is half the fun of it. We're not doing this to see who can skate the fastest or prettiest or anything like that. We're just getting together to have some fun doing something we don't get to do together very often.

The cost is $7 to skate, plus $4 to rent skates assuming you don't have your own to bring.

We're meeting at the campus house at 7pm to carpool on over.

The rink doesn't close until 11pm, so we'll all have plenty of time to skate to our heart's content, but I'm thinking we'll probably leave a while before that and go hang out somewhere else for a while anyway. Your ankles can only handle so much skating when they're not used to it. Maybe we'll go get some ice cream at Dairy Queen on the way home, or just go back to the campus house to hang out for a while. We'll see.

So invite your friends and come on over to the campus house at 7pm this Friday and we'll roll on over to Adventure World...and then roll some more.

See you then.
Steve

Friday, February 1, 2013

Super Bowl Party

Hey guys,
Here's the details on the Super Bowl party this coming Sunday. I hope you can join us.

We are going to watch the game on our big screen at the campus house. You are welcome to come anytime after 6pm. (The best information I can find says kickoff will be at 6:30pm.)

Of course, we will have some delicious "football food" to enjoy during the game, too. If you would like to bring something to share, feel free -- we would be happy to help you eat it. But don't feel like you have to bring anything to come. We've already had several people confirm they plan on bringing some "football food" to share.

At halftime we'll have a little devotional thought that will be more beneficial for everyone than God only knows what may end up in the halftime show.

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

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

See you sometime after 6pm Sunday at the campus house.

If you need directions, just look on the right side of your screen. You're welcome to call me at 540-552-8292 if you need to.

Thanks. Hope to see you there.
Steve

Thursday, January 31, 2013

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

Dinner at Sakura got snowed out last weekend, but don't despair -- the Core Group Team has sketched out a ton more opportunities for us to get together the rest of this semester through Spring Break. They are included in the list of events below. Please mark your calendar now so you won't miss out on these later.

All events meet, or at least begin, at our campus house. I've put the special weekend events that we don't do the same day and time every week in bold to make them easier to find.

Notice the Super Bowl Party coming right up, this coming Sunday. Hope you can join us!

February 3, Sunday, 10:30am -- Carpool to Belmont Christian Church

February 3, Sunday, 5pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

February 3, Sunday, 6pm -- Super Bowl Party

February 4, Monday, 7:15pm -- Men of God Bible Study

February 6, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Bible Study

February 8, Friday, 7pm -- Inline Skating/Roller Skating

February 10, Sunday, 10:30am -- Carpool to Belmont Christian Church

February 10, Sunday, 7pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

February 11, Monday, 7:15pm -- Men of God Bible Study

February 13, Wednesday, 6pm -- Core Group Team meeting

February 13, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Bible Study

February 17, Sunday, 10:30am -- Carpool to Belmont Christian Church

February 17, Sunday, 7pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

February 18, Monday, 7:15pm -- Men of God Bible Study

February 20, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Bible Study

February 22, Friday, 5:15pm -- Out to eat at Sakura (take 2)

February 24, Sunday, 10:30am -- Carpool to Belmont Christian Church

February 24, Sunday, 7pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

February 25, Monday, 7:15pm -- Men of God Bible Study

February 27, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Bible Study

March 1, Friday, 5:30pm -- Progressive Dinner

March 3, Sunday, 10:30am -- Carpool to Belmont Christian Church

March 3, Sunday, 7pm -- Women of the Word Bible Study

March 4, Monday, 7:15pm -- Men of God Bible Study

March 6, Wednesday, 6pm -- Core Group Team meeting

March 6, Wednesday, 7:15pm -- Oasis Bible Study

March 8, Friday evening -- Spring Break starts!

Be sure to mark these on your calendar and plan now to attend.

Look forward to seeing you there.
Steve

Sunday, January 27, 2013

New Night for "Men of God" Bible Study

Sorry ladies, this post is just for the guys:

Hey guys,
In case you haven't already heard, our Men of God Bible study is moving to a new night this semester, in order to accommodate as many guys' schedules as possible. We will kick things off for the semester this Monday, January 28. The time and place remain unchanged -- 7:15pm at our campus house.

We will be continuing our study of the life of Christ through the gospel of Mark. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say it has been an inspiring study so far. I always expect a Bible study to be good, because God's word is always worthwhile, but this study through Mark has simply exceeded my expectations. Whether you have been coming last semester or you would just be starting, I hope you will come join us for the rest of this study this semester.

If you've never been to our campus house before, we are only one block from Lee Hall, and just 100 yards from the nearest bus stop. You can get clear, easy directions right here off our web page. Just look on the right side of your screen. Call me if you have any questions: 540-552-8292.

Hope to see you there, whether it's your first time, or 50th.

7:15pm Mondays

Thanks.
Steve

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Start the new year off right -- catch a ride to church with us

Maybe you haven't been in the habit of going to church since you got to Virginia Tech, but you've been thinking you want to get back to doing that. If so, you are more than welcome to catch a ride to church with us.

Several of us meet at our campus house every Sunday morning at 10:30 to carpool to Belmont Christian Church for their contemporary worship service.

Whether you've gotten out of the habit of going to church, are simply still looking around for the right church, or whatever, we hope you'll join us.
And feel free to bring a friend along with you.

For a map and simple directions to CCVT's campus house only one block from Lee Hall, just look on the top right side of your screen. If you live off campus and ride the bus, we are only 100 yards from the bus stop on Washington Street.

So that's 10:30am Sunday at CCVT's campus house.

Hope you can join us.

Steve

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Sakura and Snow

Hey everybody,
If I haven't seen you yet this year, let me say I hope you had a fantastic break and are off to a good start in the new semester.

So far this semester the only chance we've had to get together as a whole group has been Oasis last night. So the Core Group Team decided that we should go out to eat together this weekend. We are planning to meet at the campus house 5:15pm Friday to carpool to Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. That's the one in the vicinity of the New River Valley Mall, but across 460 and closer to Kmart. They don't throw knives or build flaming volcanoes out of an onion, but on the plus side, there's not a long wait, and the prices are reasonable, and the food is still really good. So on the whole, it's a great place to go out to eat with friends. Yelp.com says the average meal ends up under $10 even with a drink, tax and tip.

After dinner we'll come back to the campus house to hang out and play some games. If you have any games you got for Christmas or something that you'd like to play, feel free to bring them. We'll probably give it a try.

Of course, all of this is contingent on the weather. The National Weather Service is predicting 2-4 inches of snow Friday afternoon tapering off in the evening. So we will keep an eye on the weather and I'll email you Friday afternoon around 4:30pm or sooner if we need to cancel our plans. Another possibility is that we could still meet at the campus house and just go out to eat someplace closer here in Blacksburg, if necessary. Also, if conditions are right, some of us might decide to go sledding or build a snowman. So if that sounds like fun to you, come equipped with the proper attire in case we get a chance to do that.

If you don't get an email from me saying it's canceled you can assume we are still on for 5:15pm Friday at the campus house.

So now, what are you rooting for -- Sakura, or more snow? I don't know, they both sound like a lot of fun to me!

Hope to see you Friday evening.
Steve