Campus evangelism groups

Have the Churches Abandoned Campus Evangelism?

Where are the fellowships, SU? Churches are sleeping, devil is winning our children!
By Bola Adewara
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I had thought that the official removal of religious education from schools was only in America. I never knew that even in Nigeria, many Churches have stopped their evangelism or fellowships in schools, especially institutions of higher learning. Or how do we explain the high velocity inanity, immoralities and the lack of caution displayed by children of school ages?

BACKGROUND
When I was in secondary school and the university between the 70s and 80s, churches focussed on campus evangelism and I guess it largely accounted for the level of caution and morality then.

In my secondary school, the Scripture Union (SU) deployed much time and resources to winning souls of secondary schools students. Every Sunday afternoon, SU students of University of Ife would flood all secondary schools in the villages close to Ife: Ede, Ara, Osogbo, Gbongan, Ode Omu, Sekona, etc.

Not only the SU, the Baptist Students Fellowship, CAC, Anglican, etc all their their fellowships. So many of the people doing well for Christ today were won at this period. Today, I guess these efforts have fizzled out. Current church leaders have abandoned campus fellowship for empire building. No wonder the society is in downward spiral, fast degradation and utter decadence.

THE PARLOUS STATE
Everyday, you and I complain about the decadence we see everywhere, especially amongst these children and youth without proffering solutions. Chidinma caught in the killing of the Super TV CEO is just 21 years old, an age so unbelievable for such a crime. Children of her age want to drive the best of cars, live in Banana island, want to see the world even when they are not equipped or qualified for such.

It is not too late to revive and redirect this generation, if the current parents hope to live in peace in their old age.

MY SUGGESTIONS
I don’t have all the solutions but I can speak to my first constituency, the Church, on what we can do: let us go back to the foundation laid by the SU, evangelism in schools. Enough of the parish mentality along every streets. Many of these parishes are nothing but business centres!

As long as there is no law forbidden churches or ministries from holding fellowship in schools on Sundays after service or midweek fellowship in classes, it is high time we went to these Schools and win the souls of these children who are going haywire.

I speak to these churches to have educational department to formulate policies and strategies for soul winning in schools. I am sure the current SU should still have the templates that made them succeed in the 1970s and 1980s.

CAN and PFN, should look into this as a matter of urgency. We are losing our children. Preachers should look into holding crusades once in a while in schools, not to collect tithes, but to sow into their lives, lay hands on them, introduce them to the Holy Spirit so they can receive power.

The church is under attack. The society cannot stand again. We should go back to the pattern laid by the SU in soul winning in our schools. If we catch these children when they are young, it will be easy to retain them when they are old.

Praise the Lord.