HANNIBAL (HLGU) – Hannibal-LaGrange University welcomed Real Encounter Outreach to campus for HLGU’s Spiritual Emphasis Days, a special two-day chapel event, Sept. 9-10. During the event, more than twelve students professed a new faith in Christ.
The event featured special speaker Brad Bennett, president and founder of Real Encounter Outreach and director of making disciples at the Missouri Baptist Convention. His team performed several extreme sports tricks and stunts on stage, involving a few familiar faces from the HLGU faculty, before Bennett presented his message.
Bennett’s message challenged HLGU students to consider their eternity and surrender their lives to Christ. “The most important question that can ever be asked of a person is ‘where will you go when you spend the rest of eternity?’” Bennett said. “Have you surrendered everything to Christ? He surrendered everything to the Father. He laid down his life for you.”
Bennett added, “God has a plan and a purpose for your life.” He went on to quote Colossians 1:16, which says, “all things have been created through Him and for Him.” “And to fulfill the purpose God has for us, it starts with a personal relationship with Him,” he said.
Wednesday evening, Real Encounter held a special event in an HLGU parking lot where they performed bike and skateboard stunts.
More than a dozen students indicated they accepted Christ for the first time during this two-day event. They are being connected with local churches in the area and are also encouraged to begin the discipleship process through HLGU’s Campus Ministry and Missions office.
Real Encounter Outreach is a ministry that partners with local churches and various organizations and uses extreme sports as a way to share the gospel. They’re made up of professional athletes and ministers in the area of Moto Stunting, Street Bike Stunting, and BMX Bike Stunt Team. They performed on Americas Got Talent in 2014.