Hello new and returning WCU students and welcome to the Fall 2010 semester!

We look forward to meeting many of you and sharing our story with you, but we also want to hear your own story. And so, we invite you to participate in the things we’re doing on campus this semester. Whether it’s a cookout, a small group study, an intramural sport or something else, we are eager to “do life” together here at WCU!

Look for adventure together! Grow in your relationship with Christ and help others find out more about who He is and what He has done in your life. Those who are in Christ are a new creation and are called to no longer live for themselves, but for Him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). That’s what we’re about in CrossSeekers: helping others find their life in Jesus Christ so that they may not live for themselves but for Him.

We’ll see you around!

Download the promotional flyer for our weekly gatherings: lingoflyer

Hey folks! Picked up some t-shirts from a friend over in Pittsburgh. It seems they had an overrun and thought we might be able to make use of them. They are white and have the CrossSeekers logo on them with a short statement on the back. I figure we can help the other ministry out by unloading them for $5 apiece. All the proceeds will go directly to the campus ministry at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Get yours today! Send Brodie an e-mail or put a comment below to reserve yours. There are plenty to go around, but don’t procrastinate!

We hope you’re getting ready for the Fall semester! CrossSeekers is looking forward to starting things off with a splash, so keep your eyes peeled for what’s to come!

CrossSeekers took some time to serve the campus during finals week by cooking up and dishing out some free pancakes in the Sykes Ballrooms on Tuesday night, May 4! For several hours, students were working the griddles to provide some free food and breaktime from studying. It was our way of saying “Good Luck” and serving as a blessing to the students of WCU!

We hope you all enjoyed the end of the semester and are having a good summer break thus far. Some of you will be back soon, but others of you we won’t see until the fall semester kicks off in late August. Take care and let us know how we can serve you during your remaining time at WCU!

After last weeks look at 1 Peter 3, you might feel a little challenged or discouraged. As we peered into Peter’s letter, we saw a basic framework of elements that make up authentic, biblical community. I encouraged all of us to look at CrossSeekers and see how we measure up to these “standards.” The idea was that we could encourage each other to exemplify what it means to live out each of those elements. When the individuals in a community lift these things up as essential, the whole community benefits and many who are not in will be impacted by what they see.

We wanted our students to be challenged to live in authentic community with each other. It’s not always and easy thing because we’re human. And any time humans get involved, things can go haywire at just about any moment.

You might have felt a little discouraged because maybe you don’t see us lifting these elements as virtues in our community. That’s okay. The best way to make a difference is to begin to live them out in your own life. Imagine the impact that could be made in even one life when brotherly love is offered to someone who might not “deserve” it. Or when someone reviles you and you do not retaliate but in some way bless the person who’s bent out of shape.

Things can be different. Things should be different. By the grace and mercy of Christ, things will be different because a few people at West Chester University made a conscious decision to live in authentic community with one another.

Yeah, there are only two weeks left to this semester (three if you count finals week). But it is not too late to engage some of these aspects of community. Extend love, seek unity, show tenderness and sympathy and practice humility. And while you’re at it, bless those around you whether you like them or not, whether they deserve it or not, whether you feel like doing it or not. Just do it, and everyone will benefit.

Be encouraged today. Christ is risen and we are His!

Rejoice in the risen Savior this day and all days ahead until His glorious return! Christ had died. Christ is risen! Christ will come again!

My my! It’s seems like it’s been forever since we had a full day of classes! Hope you’ve enjoyed the extended weekend and are looking forward to a little more of the white stuff tonight. It shouldn’t be too bad, but you never really can tell.

Regardless of the weather outside, it’s great to have you all back on campus! We hope you’re as excited as we are!

So, get ready for all CrossSeekers has to offer this week. Brodie and Becky will be on campus throughout the week if you wanna hangout and talk, ask questions or just voice concerns.

Wednesday night at 7:30, we’ll be back in GOSHEN 101A as we have been the last couple of weeks. We’ll continue to look at 1 Peter and should finish up the first chapter with a look at obedience, purity and the Word of God.

Friday morning, the Don’t Waste Your Life study continues in Brandywine Hall (Lindsay’s place) starting at 10:30. It’s not too late to join in as more copies of the book are on their way! Talk to Ed if you’re interested in taking part.

In the between times, we pray that you would be active in sharing your faith — faithfully sharing your personal story of redemption and sharing with your brothers and sisters in Christ the faith that you have in common.

Have a great week and we’ll see you out on campus at WCU!

Due to another round of winter weather expected to hit tonight and last on throughout Wednesday, WCU has canceled classes after 4 p.m. today and all classes tomorrow.

That means our typical Impact Gathering will not be taking place this week. Expect to resume next Wednesday in Goshen 101A at 7:30 p.m.

If you’d like to hang out (outside or indoors) or do something constructive (like snow removal on walkways in the burough), feel free to organize something and invite your fellow CrossSeekers to participate!

We hope you enjoy your time off from classes and pray that in the midst of all the craziness, you’ll be able to catch up on schoolwork and have a chance to rest in the middle of the week.

Our Wednesday night gatherings for this semester will now be taking place in GOSHEN 101A. Because the theater department was granted full access to our previous space, we have been forced to move our location to the other end of Goshen Hall.

We still plan to start at 7:30 each Wednesday night, so we look forward to seeing you there!

Find out how not to waste your life.

This study of John Piper’s book of the same title will challenge you to rethink the way you live your life. No one wants to get to the end of their life, look back over the years they’ve put in on this planet and think they’ve wasted the time they’ve been given. But how do you live in light of that? What does the unwasted life look like?

Join in on this study each Friday morning (from 10:30-Noon). Led by a leader within CrossSeekers, you’ll get the book by John Piper and a study guide to work through as you study together. This study will combine a video followed by discussion based around the ideas promoted in the book.

Don’t waste this collegiate moment! Take the time to find out how not to waste it with your fellow students each Friday morning. Meet the group in Sykes at 10:15 a.m. this Friday and then walk together to Brandywine Hall.

For more information, contact Ed Burns at bostonfaninpa@gmail.com.