When Collision was first launched in 2008, Collision Cafe at Lincoln High School was the only venue of ministry. It is five years later and the Lord has opened up doors at Joe Foss, Multicultural Academy, New Tech, Ombudsman, Roosevelt, and Washington each with several aspects of ministry. In addition to Cafes, SLAM (student leader meetings) and God Inquiries have been implemented to facilitate each piece of the movement.
Collision Cafe is the part of First Priority Collision that facilitates relationship-building among the students. In each school, a cafe-like atmosphere is created. English muffins, bananas, cappuccino, hot chocolate, and bagels from Bagel Boy are served to the students by the student leadership team and volunteers. This is the place of opportunity for Collision students to have a more focused time of building relationships with other students to, ultimately, advance the gospel of Jesus Christ on their high school campus. Collision Cafe also serves as a setting for students to practice sharing Jesus with their friends boldly. It is in this place that students step into a new dimension of learning the love of Christ through serving, caring for hearts, and declaring the Hope that high school students are longing to hear and enter into.
SLAM (also known as Student Leader Meetings) are the weekly gatherings of student leaders. This is a place of fellowship, prayer, and planning. Student leaders love having time to catch up with each other and, in doing so, form a greater bond of unity. Prayer is the greatest way students are united. It is awesome to pray with these students and hear their cry for hearts to be awakened to Jesus’ love and calling. SLAM is also the place for planning the Collision Cafe and other outreaches that are coming. The student leaders plan the devotional that is shared before Cafe opens and discuss how they can better minister to their friends. SLAM is where the prayer and unity happen to equip the students to go out on the mission field!
God Inquiries are weekly gatherings for students to ask the questions they have about Jesus. God Inquiries are instigated by the student leaders, who invite their youth pastors and other spiritual leaders to come and help answer the questions students propose about the Lord. The vision behind this piece of the Collision ministry is to catalyze growth in the students’ relationships with Jesus and to increase understanding of who God is to nonbelievers (in hope that they come to know Him).
What are missionary teams?Missionary teams are the teams formed by the different social groups the students are involved with. We figure that instead of trying to penetrate a more vast and large group of people with the gospel, we should pursue sharing Jesus with those we already live life with from day to day. One example of this is the football missionary team. A couple student leaders gathered with a heart for their football team. They are now being intentional about building relationships with their teammates and sharing with them what Jesus Christ has done for them. These young men are learning how to live out their passion for Jesus daily and they are changing lives while doing so. Another great part of being a part of a missionary team is that each missionary keeps the other accountable to their mission, checking with their co-laborers and making sure they are staying encouraged to do the work of the ministry. These students are incredible to minister with! So far, other examples of missionary teams are Marching Band and Theater.
