IMPACT 360 is also growing in numbers and size. The pioneer program, which offers college-age students a “gap year” of study focused on servant leadership and Christian worldview, has seen its enrollment boosted by 10% every year since 2008.

Expansion on Horizon for IMPACT 360

Program Director, John Basie, calls the incredible growth, “a testimony to the hard work of our team, as well as God’s hand of provision.”

But when IMPACT 360 reached capacity in 2011, leadership began discussing ways to keep a number of open slots that met the demand of applications.

“We want to provide the highest quality program possible, while offering as many seats as we can, so that no qualified applicant is turned away because of space limitations,” Basie says.

After much prayer and consideration, a decision was made to purchase available land across the street from the current location in Pine Mountain, Georgia. The new space presents a variety of exciting possibilities for the campus, students, and staff.

Director Basie believes quality of learning for college students is often influenced by environment and a place of openness to discuss ideas and build relationships, which more facilities would provide.

“We are a higher education institution,” he says. “An innovative one for sure, but what we deliver here is a college level education. For us, the richest and most enduring kind of learning about God’s Word and His world happens in community. The new land will permit us to build structures that encourage a rich learning environment where this is possible.”

As plans come to fruition for the expanded campus, IMPACT 360 hopes to continue developing its network as well. The number of alumni grows every year, broadening the reach and influence of IMPACT 360 graduates in communities and cities all over the globe, and sparking new interest in this unique experience.

Phil Alsup, Senior Director Students, WinShape Foundation said,  “when IMPACT 360 began we were excited to have the chance to operate in a great setting like Pine Mountain. The people of the city are wonderful neighbors and friends to our work here and we look forward to expanding the opportunity to touch the world through a growing IMPACT 360 ministry right here.”

Pray for our students and staff as they serve the people of Brazil.  God is working!

I have always loved the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. When I was a boy, my church used to perform a group of public acts on several occasions each year. One of them was a reenactment of Matthew chapter 14 where Jesus and Peter walk on water. The reenactment was pretty cheesy. A bunch of old guys who put on fake beards and a make shift pond with a piece of plywood board just below the surface made for cheap theatrics. Even still, this is about the best we can do when trying to imagine the real event. Who else has ever actually walked on water? I love this story for many reasons. One is that this story is very easy to translate to real life. I.e., it’s very easy to identify with Peter in this story and apply it to personal experiences. I’ve never heard a preacher read this story without saying something along the lines of, “if you want to walk on water, then you have to get out of the boat.” Many of us have heard this time and again. This is a very simple way of interpreting this story, but I don’t think that makes it any less significant. Just because we’ve heard the same sermon over and over again for many years doesn’t make it any less true or any less relevant.

The easy part of this story is finding the meaning. If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat. Quite simple. The difficulty comes when applying this to personal experience.

Most of us will go through life and experience tuggings or longings in our hearts. Avery Willis calls this a ‘stirring of your nest’. Sometimes this is God. Other times it is a bad burrito we had for lunch. Staying in God’s word and hearing those around you will help you tell the difference. But when it does seem that God is moving in us or pulling us somewhere or even just calling us to Him, it is important that we understand the situation and make a move.

Here is why. There were about 12 men who saw Jesus walking on water. Verse 33 sums it up, “they worshiped him.” after the other 11 saw Peter and Jesus return to the boat, they had an intimate worship experience. All of them knew him as the son of God, but as far as we know, only one had put his feet upon the crashing waves and walked on a liquid surface, defying everything we know about physics. Yes it was scary. So scary that Peter began to sink. But if I were a bettin man, I’d bet that if you asked Peter if it was worth it, he’d tell you yes, without question. Peter moved, and he did something no one else had done.

In Scripture, we must always find the objective meaning. But we must also always find personal experience with it. This is the challenge of the 21st century Christian. Finding subjectivity within objectivity. Postmodernism goes too far, modernism usually doesn’t go far enough. We can’t say that the meaning is only for us to decide, and we can’t say that the meaning is somewhere floating out in space where no one can reach it.

Jesus’ call to Peter was very clear and very real. But basking in the awe of seeing another man walk on water wasn’t enough for Peter, and it shouldn’t be enough for us. He wanted to experience it for himself. We should never settle for a third person view only, not when we can experience the God of the universe first hand, by our own accord, not when we can taste and smell his presence all around us.

Since completing the IMPACT 360 program, I have returned there as often as I have been able. I do this for a couple of reasons. I like the people there and I have fond memories of the place. But more than these, I return for this: every time I go back to Pine Mountain, God speaks to me, and He calls to me. He shows me a glimpse of what is out on the water. The people at IMPACT 360 challenge me to get out of the boat. They challenge me to see what is out on the water, and go pursue it.

On the words marked for December 13th, Oswald Chambers had great words for me to hear. I love reading Chambers because he helps me understand God’s word. And He knows better than anyone that I need help understanding it. In his brief discussion of intercessory prayer, Chambers says, “True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person.” He says that intercession is not simply sympathizing with someone, it is actually experiencing what they are experiencing. It is understanding their affliction. It is seeing them as God sees them. It is seeing the reality of redemption.

As I have interceded for my friends and colleagues back in Iraq, I have come to just an understanding of these people. I want for them more than anything, to see redemption. Every day, I see people whose lives have been ruined by the haunts of war. Some of these people have grown up in a country where they have never known a time of peace. Recognizing their suffering is part of the process of intercession.

Chambers then quotes the Apostle Paul as saying that we are to fill up with what is lacking in affliction. I take from this that as we intercede, we are to take upon ourselves the afflictions for those whom we are speaking on behalf of.

This is exactly what Jesus has taught us to do, and it is exactly what he did. He became flesh, to understand our problems. Then, he became sin, in order that we may become His righteousness. This is the meaning of Christmas. God came to the earth to share our sufferings, because he saw our redemption.

So, in light of this, in the Christmas season 2011, my focus is on understanding God’s efforts to understand our afflictions, while maintaining a vision of redemption. This, I hope to take back with me to the afflicted country where He has called me to be for the time being.

IMPACT 360 Class of 2012

Another said, “Being here has helped me realize so many things about myself that I did not know were there. I’ve learned to really dig deep into my thoughts, passions, and feelings, which has really enhanced my ability to have good, solid, relationships with people and understand God better. IMPACT 360 has challenged me in almost every way and I am extremely grateful for that.” 

Tonight’s monthly GNO (Guys/Girls Night Out) underwent some interesting last minute changes. Whatever the previous plans were, they were shortly scrapped and we were all informed that instead of leaving campus at 5:00, we would be meeting in David and Mary Michael’s rooms at 8:00. The only words of instruction they gave us were to come in our pajamas and be ready to get comfortable. Well, we soon found out that our GNO’s were now GNI’s (Guys/Girls Night In). 8:00 came around, and David and Mary Michael informed us that the night’s activity would be….a fort building contest of epic proportions! Using any and all materials we could get our hands on, we started assembling our citadels, the guys in Mary Michael’s room and the girls in David’s room. Mattresses were compromised, teddy bears were abducted, and sleeping bags everywhere were sacrificed for the cause. The guys battled the girls in an hour-and-a-half struggle for supremacy. At the end of the race, the time was called and the judging began. The girls had constructed essentially a circus tent housing a giant pallet of cheetah prints and polka-dots. The guys, on the other hand, had built the ultimate man cave, complete with hanging neckties, strobe lights, and underglow lighting from the crowning centerpiece – a street bike brought into the middle of the fort and decked out with a Christmas wreath and string lights. If my descriptions sound biased, just know that though both forts were very impressive, the judges agreed with my assessment, and the guys took top prize. To celebrate, the night was capped with cinnamon buns, ice cream, and pizza rolls, all ready for us to enjoy in our forts while we snuggled in blankets and watched our favorite movies. A great night in.

- Josiah Brown

This week, the students of IMPACT 360 spent a great three days in Lineville Alabama. SIFAT, or Servants In Faith And Technology, is a Christian nonprofit organization that provides training in self-help programs for a needy world. Students were able to spend a night in their global village, a great place to learn how people in other parts of the world live. Students also saw how trading among other countries works. At the end of the day, they were compelled to action on behalf of the starving people in other countries as well as in America.

Students were also given the opportunity to live in the slums, which was such a valuable experience. Students put themselves in a situation of poverty for about three hours. Many students expressed that going from having everything to having nothing was extremely overwhelming. Even though the situation was not “real” it was still very powerful to think that people have to wake up and struggle to survive day after day.

The last day was a chance for the students to give back to SIFAT. They did everything from demolishing goat playgrounds to cutting, picking up, and hauling big branches out of the road. It was great to see the glowing faces of the SIFAT staff, who were so thankful for just a hard day of work.

Even though the week was physically and emotionally taxing, everyone involved came away refreshed and ready to go spread the good news of Christ.

- Jack Wardle

This past weekend, in addition to serving at City of Refuge on Friday, we helped host two block parties on Saturday in the Atlanta area. One was held in Walton Communities in Marietta and the other was held in Clarkston, the most diverse community in the world. I was assigned to the Clarkston group and was responsible for running the salvation bracelet table and sharing my testimony with the kids that stopped by my table. We had been preparing for these block parties for weeks. I’d been rehearsing my testimony, and we had all been praying for the people we encountered and that they would be ready to hear the good news! The night before the block parties, we spent time training for our stations and making posters for the events. When it came time to put all our preparation into action, we were ready.

Upon arrival at Clarkston, I immediately noticed the many nationalities represented. We were introduced to Mr. Bennett, the resident missionary to the community. He briefed us on what we were about to encounter: kids who were hungry for attention, care, and love. For the next three hours, that’s what we provided, with God’s help and to the best of our abilities. My salvation bracelet station started off slow, with most kids opting to simply draw or color. While they were busy doodling away, God gave me many opportunities to share Him with them. I’d usually start the conversation by asking about their family and if they had any brothers and sisters. I’d share my own experience from growing up with two older sisters and one younger brother, and how even though we loved each other, we were still mean to each other. They’d say the same was true for them. I’d use that to show how we are sinful and need Jesus. I’d go on to share who Jesus is and how I made Jesus my King. I’d invite them to do the same. Most of the kids claimed to know who Jesus was and, when asked, often pointed to the sky or said something about dying on the cross. I’d share with them how Jesus is my closest friend – when I pray, I talk to Him about anything and everything, and He helps me. Sometimes I wouldn’t get the response I hoped for, but I just remembered that it’s not up to me to save them. I plant the seeds. God grows the vine.

I felt God made a significant impact on one girl in particular. I won’t attempt to spell her name, but for conversation’s sake, we’ll call her “Pa.” She shared with me that her name, which ended in “Pa”, meant something to do with a flower and being talkative. I felt both things described her very well. She had one baby brother, who sat with her mother nearby. I don’t believe her mother spoke English, but Pa spoke it well enough for the both of them. I found out about how she came to America, and how she got sick when she rode in a car for the first time. She told me that she thought the plane was some sort of magical car. She also told me that, when pressed, she doesn’t really know if she believes in God. She likes to believe in Jesus because it makes her feel good, but she’s not sure about it all the time. God gave me the words to speak into this precious girl’s life. I told her that I believed in Him, and I know He is real! At the end of our conversation, I asked her what she thought. With a smile, she replied that she thought He is real. It seemed genuine. Certainly progress was made. I’ll be praying, and I invite you to pray for Pa as well. I want a new sister in Christ.

- Josiah Brown

Having grown up in a Catholic church, I was really interested in learning even more about the faith and tradition I had learned about from a young age. When I started attending the Protestant church when I was in my early teens, I was curious about the differences between Protestants and Catholics – weren’t we all just Christians?
Dr. Nyquist talked about the rich history of the Catholic church, and gave us great background knowledge, in order to better understand the similarities and differences. It was interesting to learn about the papacy, Catholic beliefs about the Virgin Mary, and common Catholic traditions and practices.
Dr. Nyquist then used this base knowledge to then show us how to appropriately communicate with Catholics around the world. I found it very helpful and informative, seeing as though many of the people we will encounter in Brazil practice some form of the Catholic faith.

It is surprising how much better we can relate to individuals when we take the time to understand a peoples culture, religious background, customs, and traditions. If we simply argue the validity of our faith and religion and impress it upon others, we will get nowhere. Instead, we must start by learning and asking questions about the faith of others. Doing so will help to build a trusting and caring environment in which we can then more appropriately share the Gospel message with an individual.

All in all, the students were able to glean a lot of information, and it will be interesting to see how we use the skills we learned in Brazil.

IMPACT 360 – Class of 2012
Nicole Kylene Provenzano