This week in chapel, ACU students listened to several speakers discuss the idea of being a Mission Keeper. The goal of this week was to introduce and reinforce the idea of being a Mission Keeper to the ACU community.
The idea for this theme came from ACU’s mission statement that most of us have heard numerous times since coming to ACU. Jan Meyer, executive director for the Center for Christian Service and Leadership and Bob Strader, director for Ministry and Service defined what it means to live out God’s calling as a “Mission Keeper.”
“When you accept the mantel of an ACU Mission Keeper, you can expect to be transformed and live a Christ-centered life. Not just a life of service or leadership, but a life of Christ-centered service and leadership,” Meyer said.
Strader and Meyer told many inspiring stories of current and past ACU students who have lived out God’s calling as a Mission Keeper. Â They said that simply saying “Yes” to the service and leadership opportunities that the world has to offer is just the start of what it means to be a Mission Keeper.
On Tuesday, Larry James, CEO of City Square, spoke about how he lived out the calling of a Mission Keeper by seeing a need in Dallas to find homes for the homeless. The government did not give the homeless the opportunity they needed to succeed, so James founded City Square to fulfill this need.
Kari McQueen, junior elementary education major from Georgetown enjoyed hearing the stories about current and past ACU students that have realized what it means to be a Mission Keeper.
“I think it is really great to hear stories from the people that have made a difference, because it encourages me to make a difference as well,” McQueen said.
On Wednesday and Thursday there were many tables set up in the Campus Center for a Service Expo of different non-profit organizations that are in the Abilene area.
“When students exit Moody each day we like the idea that they might mull over to the tables to start their life as a Mission Keeper. We’re asking God to grow them into amazing kingdom workers,” Meyer said.
Meyer and Strader are talking about becoming Mission Keepers’, but even more than that, they are talking about fulfilling the mission of God. Monday’s chapel ended with a quote that echoes the meaning of God’s calling as a Mission Keeper.
“Let the love that God has for you compel you to serve and lead throughout the world- starting right where you are today,” Strader said.
