Our mission statement at Heritage reads, “Spreading the unsearchable riches of Christ broader in the world and deeper in the church.” In light of HBC’s mission, Impact’s aim is “to help college students know God, treasure his gospel, serve his church, and claim his mission.” This is the foundation of who we are, and it serves as the directional arrow for what we do. Since the college years are formative years, we want this season to be formative for the glory of Christ and the good of his church. This is why we call our college ministry Impact. We’re committed to gospel-impact among our students in these strategic years.

At Heritage, we are blessed with a large number of college students who choose to call our church home. These students represent a wonderful injection of life into our midst, and with that injection God’s given us a significant responsibility to love them in the gospel.

It is to that end that we invite you to participate in our Adopt-a-Student program. At most, we have four years with these students, and it is our desire as a church family to invest our lives in them with the hope that they grow as disciples of Jesus. We do not simply want these students to come on Sundays for worship and be content merely to participate as consumers. They bring a unique perspective, their own giftedness, and individual stories of grace that the Lord can (and will) use powerfully in our own church family. As a result of their participation in our Adopt-a-Student program and in worshiping with us at Heritage, we hope that our college students will graduate as more mature disciples of Jesus who know God more deeply through the gospel, serve the church with greater intentionality, and participate in gospel global advance with unwavering commitment.

More than anything else, what we are asking of you is for your intentionality as you welcome these students into your lives, into your relationships, and into the story of grace that God is writing for you. If our purpose is to see these students grow as disciples, then we need your help. Discipleship growth does not happen only as a result of their attendance at our Sunday gatherings. It doesn’t merely happen through small talk in the lobby before and after the service. It happens through your intentional life-on-life investment and honest engagement. We aren’t asking you to be theologians or professional counselors. We’re asking you to be authentic, faithful, gospel-voices in these students’ lives.

• We ask that you strive to connect with your student(s) in some meaningful way at least twice each semester outside of Heritage. this could be as simple as meeting them for coffee or a milkshake, going on a hike, etc. While it’s not on you to force them to respond, we want you to commit to maintaining points of contact with these students.
• We ask that you pray intentionally for your students by name on a regular basis. Ask them to give some thought to a few ways you can pray for them. Once they share their requests with you and you begin to pray for them, you will have some natural points of contact as you touch base with them throughout the year.
• Encourage your students to participate in the life of Heritage. It may include you encouraging them to join you on a Sunday when you are scheduled to serve on a volunteer team or inviting them to join you in an Elective or at a Family Meeting. We want them to be an active and vital part of who we are and what we do.
• If you commit to adopting a student, we ask that you participate actively in the program for the duration of both semesters of the school year. If extenuating circumstances require you to step back from participation in the program, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements for your adopted students.
  

If have any questions, concerns, or recommendations throughout the semester, don’t hesitate to email Matt Jackson (matt@heritagegvl.com). The only way that we will continue to grow in loving and serving these students well is through thoughtful feedback, so please share any ideas you might have.