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Printer-Friendly ModeFaith Corner - Vanguard Video
November 15, 2010 —
At a specially combined service,the unity of believers was the theme when members of three Christian on-campus organizations gathered together to glorify God.
“Anytime a group of Christians get together they have Christ in common. That connection is supernatural and it surpasses anything else,” said Nate Polzin, the pastor and speaker for Standing in the Gap.
The three groups — Standing in the Gap, Cru and His House — all had the opportunity to experience this connection during Unity Night.
Social work junior Beth Ambrose, a member of Standing in the Gap was happy to see the unity of the groups during worship.
“It’s great to see the body of Christ come together, especially on a college campus,” she said.
The night began with a mixer and games. In one game, two people took turns calling out a number and a body part and that number of people had to touch that part of their body. One example was the number 20 and bottom of feet, where 20 chosen people touch the bottom of their feet.
Following the games, members of the worship teams led the group in songs and opened with prayer. Polzin began the service with a message about freedom that comes from accountability with fellow believers. He said that if we confess our sins to one another, it takes away the power of secret shame and makes it a part of our testimony to help others dealing with the same thing.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who thought they had done something so terrible that they couldn’t be forgiven, but Jesus says all,” said Polzin. “You’re free and cleansed. I’ve seen the weight roll off people and experienced it myself.”
He also said in his message that all sin is equal and everyone sins. By being honest with each other, we can help encourage each other.
“No one is better,” he said. “We’re all broken in some way. Jesus is the cure, the answer for all of it.”
After the message, the combined worship teams closed the service with a few more songs and a prayer.
Ambrose said she would like to have more services like Unity Night.
“I wish we could do it more often and bring more people in,” she said. “It’s really encouraging to see so many Christians come out for a church service.”
Carolyn Payne, a literature and history junior and leader for Cru, said she appreciated the benefits of having Unity Night.
“It shows the campus we’re united as a whole with Christ at the center of all the groups,” she said.
She also mentioned that most of the people know each other from things outside of these groups.
“Everyone is so well connected as a group and gets connected in other groups, too,” she said. “Then, they all hang out with each other.”
Payne and Ambrose agreed that Unity Night was a great way for members of the different groups to get to hang out and meet each other.
“It’s neat to see there isn’t competition between the groups,” said Ambrose. “There’s a lot of love, friendship and fun.”