Student Friends,
Glad to have you back for another year of Through The Roof!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the roots of Through The Roof, the story began back in 2001 when organization founder, Greg Musselman, had a vision put on his heart stemming from the Biblical story of Mark 2, where Jesus showed up in a town and people from all over rushed to see him. The building was packed. On the outside of the building were a few friends that had travelled there with their friend who was quite sick. The friends knew about Jesus and they had heard (maybe even seen for themselves) that everywhere Jesus travelled, people were being freed of inner turmoils, physical and spiritual illnesses and ailments, past regrets and deeply rooted pain from the choices they were making or had made in their lives. Considering there was no room left in the building, the four friends got creative, and decided to climb up onto the rooftop of the building where Jesus was - they chissled through the clay roof, and lowered their friend gentlly down to where Jesus was. Scripture makes it clear to us that when Jesus saw the faith of the friends, he had compassion on the man, and healed him right there.
In response to that story, Through The Roof is dedicated in 2007-2008 to continuing to provide a unique opportunity for young adults to encounter the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, thereby releasing them to pursue their intended meaning and purpose in life.
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Our challenge is for those young adults who say they do not believe in God; that want nothing to do with God, the Church, or some guy named Jesus, and we want to extend an invitation to those people and invite them to take a risk pursuing Jesus, seek him out, and regardless of any preconceived notions they might have of him, see if He is who he says he is.
On the flip side, we want to encourage people who call themselves 'followers of Jesus' to keep their approach to inviting friends to their campus group, Church, or Through The Roof very simple. We want to challenge them to consider who God has put in the sphere of their everyday life -- be it friends, coworkers, etc. -- and trust for a moment that the God of the Universe can use them to draw people to Him. The risk for many is too significant and scary, but we are going to ask people this year the question: "Are you ready to take a risk?". Moreover, "Do you believe God is who He says he is?".
That being said, we believe that to live in today desires something more. We want to see people consider Jesus, pursue Jesus, and ultimately give their lives and all that they are over to Jesus.
What does this mean for the young adult culture?
Many young adults fail to realize that they are the future leaders of our cities and nation. If they don't define what foundation they stand on, someone will define them.
At University/College, students are faced with some of the most daunting decisions they will ever face in life. For instance:
-"Why am I here?"
-"Who will I hang out with?"
-"Who will I date?"
-"Will I meet my husband/wife here"
-"What course am I going to take?"
-"Where is it going to lead me?"
-"Where am I going to use my time well?"
-"Do I have what it takes to do life outside of school?"
Did you know that statistics indicate that young adults receive the most rejection from 18 to 24 years of age. The consequences can be devastating.
That is one of the reasons Through The Roof attempts to respond to this need and create an opportunity for people from all walks of life to come and be challenged by the message of Jesus Christ. We believe that hosting the event in a bar offers a neutral, non-threatening and out-of-the-box setting. Additionally, the relaxed atmosphere and sheer numbers produce an excellent opportunity for connection and the building of new relationships.
Ultimately, we believe that the hunger in the hearts of so many can only be satisfied by one thing – a relationship with Jesus Christ. And that's who we want to introduce you too.
If you have any questions or want a bit more info, we would be happy to hear from you. Please contact us at info@throughtheroof.ca
Enjoy the 2007-2008 school year! Hope to see you at Through The Roof.
One love,
The Through The Roof Team
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