Retreat 2010

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great summer and are launching into a new school year with excitement. We just got back from an amazing retreat with all of the new and returning JRLC students. This was the best retreat we have ever had. God moved in a powerful way, and everyone had a great time getting to know one another. At retreat, we are able to set our focus for the year and pray that we will be ready for whatever God has for us. The theme of this year's retreat was MOVE. We believe that God has a plan for every student this year; He will accomplish this plan only if they have to faith to step out and "move" into all He has for them. There are a few pictures posted in the media gallery, and a highlight video will be posted soon.

Kinsey Gammon - My Story

James River Leadership College has been, by far, one of the greatest blessings of my life.  Looking back over the past couple of months, I am in awe of the things God has done.  I truly have experienced God on a whole new level.  I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for JRLC, and the amazing staff guiding me on this journey. The experience that has impacted me most this year is the emphasis on the importance of prayer.  My prayer life has grown so much since the beginning. I used to struggle through prayer times, but now I find that only any hour a day in prayer isn’t nearly enough. My longing and desire to be in the presence of our Father continues to grow the more I seek Him. The time spent in prayer and in His Word has greatly influenced my own personal walk with the Lord. I am constantly praying and seeking Him in everything. From Scripture memorizing and book discussions, to community outreaches and practicums, God has used each moment to equip me and show me His heart.  These past few months, He’s laid on my heart a passion for missions. Whether giving my time or my finances, my desire has become to give Him my best in everything. His desire for all of us is to live a selfless live according to His Word. Though I am far from perfect, I have had a remarkable journey with the Lord as He continues to strengthen me each day to live out His salvation. This semester, God has placed on my heart to be an encouragement to those around me. God’s desire for all of us is to encourage and lift one another up, whether in triumph or in trial. We are to love each other unconditionally and be in constant prayer for one another. I know I have a long way to go and still have much to learn, but it is so exciting to know that God will continually reveal His plans for me. I am so blessed, and I am beyond thankful for what the Lord has done for me these past few months.  I can't wait to see what He has in store. The best is yet to come!

Missions 2010: St. Louis Dream Center by Braden Larive

Some of us here at Leadership College took the opportunity to go to the St. Louis Dream Center during Spring Break.  I doubt any of those who went regretted sacrificing their break to be involved in ministry.  Not only was our team able to encourage the Dream Center by lending a hand with anything we could, but we were also uplifted by their dedication and willingness to serve their community for Christ.  The areas of ministry at the Dream Center are diverse, each one uniquely effective in reflecting God's love.  From singing at the nursing home to arranging a food pantry to feeding kids after school to conversing with those at the DC Cafe, all of us got out feet wet in Inner City Missions.  The Dream Center makes evident the fact that there our countless ways to minister.  Everyone at the Dream Center is consumed with God and has a passion for the lost.  It was tough to leave such a joyful environment, but we had another venue to serve in at the end of the week, the Eurasia Experience.  The Eurasia Experience basically recreates the adventure of traveling to a country in Eurasia complete with an airport terminal, a crowded, fragrant marketplace, and a Muslim Holy Place.  Many hours were put into making the experience a success, but in the end it was well worth it.  We each had a part throughout the journey including Russian guards, Muslim radicals, and Middle-Eastern vendors.  It truly was a blast. I came back with wonderful memories, stronger friendships, and a fire in my heart that I pray never goes out.  If you ever get a chance to go to the St. Louis Dream Center I urge you to go.

Leeland Concert

 A ton of exciting things are happening here at JRLC! Here's a little bit of the action: tonight, Leeland joined us for a free concert here, at James River Assembly! The guys stopped off on their tour through Missouri to pay us a visit. People from all over Springfield came to JRA for this great event. Leeland and the guys rocked the house playing a selection of songs off of their most recent album, "Love is On the Move." Pastor Scotty Gibbons gave an altar call near the end of the service, and many people responded to the love of Christ! This was such an awesome outreach to the local community. God is SO good. We also happen to be right in the middle of College Days, which has been incredible! 130 visiting students arrived early this morning to check out JRLC. So far, they've had the opportunity to get a tour of the church, play awesome games, and enjoy some time connecting with the Leadership College staff and current students. Now they're off to their late night activity, but the weekend is only just beginning! Tomorrow, they'll sit in on class with the 1st years, and have a chance to see what James River Leadership College life is really like. God has blessed us a truly phenomenal weekend. The best is yet to come!

New Campus!

What an exciting time to be at James Rive Assembly! The church just recently opened its first off-site campus in southwest Springfield. James River Assembly (JRA) now consists of the James River Campus (JRC) and the Wilsons Creek Campus (WCC).  It is one church in two locations! We have been blessed with the privilege of being able to serve at our new Wilsons Creek Campus, and let me tell you what an amazing opportunity it has been. God has been doing some incredible things at WCC. When we first opened the doors, we weren’t sure what the response would be. Blown away would hardly describe our reaction. Within a couple of weeks, WCC had over 2,100 in attendance! That is a staggering number considering the most generous of estimates put the attendance at about 1,200. As amazing as those numbers are, however, it is not the most exciting part…it’s the impact that God is having in the community and in the lives of those attending WCC. Week after week, God is changing lives. The new campus is allowing us to reach a whole new group of people that may have never come to church otherwise. Every Sunday we hear how people love that the church is closer to where they live. There is story after story of people’s prayers for a “light in the community” that are being answered. The result is record attendance, more salvations, greater impact, and the amazing, God given opportunity to reach more lost people than ever before. It is humbling to be a part of what God is doing not only in the church, but also in the lives of so many men and women.

I Love America and Leeland

At James River we recently celebrated Independence Day with our annual I Love America Celebration.  Over a 100,000 people from our city came out to enjoy games, music, and a huge fireworks display. It was so cool to share the gospel with our community and see lives changed for Jesus Christ. Following the fireworks we had the privilege of hosting Leeland for a powerful time of worship. We are so thankful to be apart of a local church that God is using to change peoples lives.

Christine Caine

We had the exciting opportunity to host Christine Caine from Hillsong Church last week. This was a great opportunity to hear the word from one of the churches most powerful speakers.  Students attending this fall will be hearing from guest speakers like John Bevere, Lisa Bevere, Nancy Alcorn, and Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill. We are so excited about what God is doing now and what he will do in the future.

Statement concerning the Leadership College and Master's Commission

As we often say at James River, “The best is yet to come,” we are excited to share with you a new adventure in the James River Master’s Commission and Leadership College. Beginning this fall, Master’s Commission will merge with the Leadership College to offer students a stronger, more synergetic learning opportunity.

Of course the first question is, “What will it look like?” Right now we are building the structure, but the important components will look like this:

 *We are building on the concept of a three-year educational experience that includes intensive teaching and training in discipleship and leadership. The structure will include the following:

The First Year: Master’s Commission will maintain a current focus on discipleship, scripture focus, and missions.

 *The Second Year: Master’s Commission will provide students with two options:

• Option One: Dual enrollment as a second year Master’s Commission student and a first year Leadership College student.

• Option Two: Traditional Master’s Commission schedule without dual enrollment.

 *The Third Year:(for those in the dual enrollment of MC/LC) will be the completion of the Leadership College Bible degree.

*The Leadership College will continue to offer students a traditional educational track including an Associate of Arts degree in Bible, leadership training, and ministry experience.

 *The Master’s Commission and Leadership College teams will be working in tandem to develop all of the students as disciplined, godly leaders who will impact their world for the gospel.

We’re excited about the synergy that combining these two programs will offer to both the students and James River. Truly the best is yet to come!

Mark Driscoll - By Brandon Lindell

James River Leadership College has a mission to raise up a generation of world changing leaders. One way we accomplish this is by exposing them to leaders out side of our church who are making a difference. Today we had the awesome opportunity to hear from Mark Driscoll in the James River staff chapel! Mark spoke about some leadership principles and also did a question and answer session where JRLC students were able to ask him questions and receive an immediate answer. It is so awesome to see how God is providing opportunities for our students to interface with amazing leaders!

You can listen to the message below if you copy and paste the address to your browser!
http://www.jamesriverleadershipcollege.org/downloads/currentstudents/mark_d.mp3
 

Blare Wood - My Story

  I have grown up in the ministry and have seen all of its unique aspects. In my latter years of high school, I began running from the call of God on my life. I allowed ungodly people to influence how I thought and acted. Through the prayers and relationships of friends and family, I began to turn my heart back to God. I knew I had to answer the call of ministry. At first I attended Northwest University in Seattle and loved it, then I struggled with getting involved in a church and began having trouble with school. The classes were so big that I just got lost in the crowd. I had heard of JRLC through close ministry friends; Jeffery Portman and Monty Hipp. The intense ministry opportunities were something I wanted and needed. The hands-on approach to learning and the opportunity that I have been given so far have proven to be invaluable in shaping myself as a leader.
    The small class size and good quality teachers have been the secret to my success here. Not only have I excelled in school but I have gotten so much experience in ministry in the 9 months I have been here that I feel like when I leave here I will have the tools to be able to be an effective leader anywhere I go. I started off this year in the youth practicum and I absolutely loved it, then this semester I decided to switch my practicum to live event production. I thought at first that I would just sit back at a sound board and watch somebody do it the whole time....that wasn’t it at all. Within 2 weeks I was running sound for different worship teams and for the kids’ ministry. JRLC not only is affecting me now but has opened so many doors for me in the future. Through the Leadership College I have been offered an internship at Realife Student Ministries that is going to help me even more on the way to my goal of being a youth pastor. JRLC is the place to be!!!

The Moment - Dr. Jon Spence

When I watch football games and they have camera shots of the sidelines, I always look at the guys who aren’t in the huddle. I always wonder when a back up player is called to duty if he is ready for the sudden challenge. These athletes must be prepared for the moment and dive into the rhythm of the game without the luxury of warming up. The late Bill Walsh commented about his 1984 World Champion San Francisco 49ers in a documentary I was watching; they had 49 players on the roster and he used all of them.  He believed in preparing for the moment – at any moment he would place a specific player in the game to perform a certain task due to down, distance, field position, and anticipated defensive alignment. There was no question of Coach Walsh’s brilliance; but the greatest accomplishment was that his players bought into preparing for the moment rather than complaining that they weren’t on the field all the time.  In the book of Genesis we see that Joseph personified this mindset. Though frustrated by wrongful accusation and punishment, he chose not to waste time whining about the violation of his rights and the misuse of his talents. At every juncture, we see Joseph responding in the moment. Then, as the Lord’s providence would prevail, He utilized Joseph to transport a supernatural strategy that saved a nation and the surrounding region. So… are you prepared for your moment?

Women's Conference

Christine Caine, from Hillsong Church in Sydney Australia, spoke at the Designed For Life Women’s Conference and did an incredible job. Designed For Life was a great opportunity to see the detail that goes into a large-scale event and to be poured into from gifted speakers from around the world.

Stats - Dr. Jon Spence

Quantitative data drives decisions. We look at numbers to determine what to do with our money, political direction, and fantasy football drafts. The Bible provides interesting perspectives on quantitative data. In Judges 6 and 7, God trimmed Gideon’s army down to the right 300 soldiers to fight an enemy whose numbers were beyond counting.  In Matthew 14, Jesus expands a child’s lunch into a buffet that fed over 5000 with leftovers to warm up at home. We began the first year of James River Leadership College with 12 students. Twelve does not ring up in a crowd motivated by statistical significance. Yet, we found the spiritual significance in that number; yes, it is the same number that Jesus chose for his staff, but more important was the confidence God gave us that these students were the right ones to begin the journey. Last spring we began to take time early in the day to pray for the college. We set out 30 chairs to see what it looked like; we believed those chairs would be filled with students. Last week we had chapel in that same room. As we stood and worshipped, my eyes were opened to see 40 chairs filled with students. Only God could make this happen. Two lessons learned: (1) God determines the right amount in order to show it is He, not us who make it happen; and (2) when we trust Him, He always gives abundantly more than we expect.

I Love America - Rocked

I Love America was awesome!  We had over 80,000 guests with whom we shared the love of Christ. The students did an incredible job by planning and working hard to make the event happen. ILA aired on God TV and there are amazing testimonies of people  giving their hearts to Jesus Christ. Phil Wickham put on a great concert after the event. We are thankful that God has given us the opportunity to impact our community, and we are looking forward to next year!

Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill - Brandon Lindell

This week Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill from Abundant Life Church in Bradford, England, spoke to our students and church staff. It was awesome to be able to hear from a person with such a passion for the local church and ministry. The students loved it and were able to ask her great questions concerning her role in ministry. This was an exciting opportunity for them to learn from a person who is doing amazing things for the kingdom of God. 

Fired Up After Spring Break!!!!! – Brandon Lindell

Spring Break was refreshing for everyone, and we are firing up for March and April with tons of ministry experience on the way.

As always Easter at JRA is going to be amazing! We are expecting a packed house with thousands of people who are hungry to know an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

As a college we will do our best to play our part and make sure that day is a great success!

All of our students will have a chance to inspire and encourage youth leaders from around the country through the RYLC Student Ministry Conference. Our Guest speaker is Monty Hipp, who will be speaking along with the entire Realife team.

The JRA Women’s Rally will be an awesome opportunity for us to encourage women and teach about their value in Christ. The rally features guest speaker Alicia Britt Chole, an amazing speaker and the author of several books.

All of these opportunities are a few of the ways that we as a college will contribute to what God is doing at James River!

Developing Young Leaders - Dr. Jon Spence

No matter what is written or said about leadership, it always comes down to influence. It is a sobering fact that, regardless of my role, my words and actions influence the decisions others make with their lives. As I work with others around me, I am responsible to assist them in connecting the dots between who God designed them to be and how they are to use their wiring to impact the world. For the past 20 years I have had the privilege to work with young people as they develop their potential. The Lord has helped me to define three principles of leadership that I try to emphasize with young people that will help them regardless of the context of their lives:

1. Leaders never come off the clock. I watch the counter help every time I go into a fast food restaurant just to see initiative in action. In a matter of seconds I can tell whether the young person serving me views his job as a means for financing his car and insurance or if he recognizes he holds the power of a customer’s return to the restaurant. It’s the concept of ownership. A leader doesn’t have the luxury of deciding when he is or isn’t going to be an example; the true leader takes ownership of his place in each situation. As David stated his case before Saul in I Samuel 17, his readiness for Goliath was based on his ownership of his father’s sheep (I Samuel 17:34-36). It is critical to teach young people that some of the greatest leadership lessons are learned when they take ownership of what seems like meaningless moments.
2. Leaders do not ride the bench. When I go to football games, I often watch the players on the sideline. For many, this is symbolic of their lives; never participating in the action, never expecting to make an impact on the results of the contest. Often people take on the persona of a benchwarmer; that their existence is just to fill space. Yet, God took the time to create each individual with amazing potential only to be maximized when that individual partners with Him. Gideon only saw himself as a benchwarmer, “the least of the least (Judges 6:15).” When he chose to trust and obey the Lord’s command, Gideon was transformed into a mighty warrior who led a small band of men to defeat an enemy that numbered in the thousands (Judges 7:21-25). We must engrain in young people that regardless of their level of development, God created each person to accomplish extraordinary things in His time frame. God does not create people to live pedestrian lives; each person is uniquely wired to be an impact player.
3. Leaders utilize reliable metal detectors. It is rare that while on trips to the beach that I don’t see someone with a metal detector searching for valuables. In warfare, metal detectors saved lives by revealing buried explosives. Leadership is no different. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a metal detector. He saw that Moses’ governing practices were both ineffective and unhealthy (Exodus 18:17-22). When Moses followed Jethro’s advice to change his system, he became a more effective leader. Great leaders readily point to their support system as the backbone of success. Young leaders are in desperate need of supporting advisors who recognize potential and can operate as metal detectors in their lives. These mentors reveal both the land mines and the buried treasure that transports young leaders to new levels of maturity and productivity for the Kingdom.