FEATURED STORY FROM THE Best of BG – 2015 ISSUE
ACT Church:
ACT offers students a Christ-focused home away from home
Being away from family and friends is one of the toughest transitions for college students. But just across the street from Founder’s Hall is a “home” that bridges the gap and provides students a much-needed home away from home with a sense of community.
Active Christians Today, located at 612 East Wooster, is a non-denominational campus ministry where the emphasis is on “a home away from home, “ says Dave Warner, pastor at ACT. “It has that feeling here.”
Pastor Warner has been leading the ministry for 19 years, and along with his wife, Vicki, they strive to provide a welcoming and inviting environment for all students through ACT.
“My wife and I are at the age where a lot of students look to us as mom and dad,” says Dave. “We do family meals together and trips together. We try to create that family-type atmosphere.”
Of course the central mission of ACT is to provide a Christian ministry for students and help them establish or grow a relationship with Jesus Christ. ACT hosts an 8 p.m. Wednesday chapel service with contemporary worship music and a message usually led by Pastor Dave. Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m., currently at the ACT house, is evening fellowship for students, with an emphasis on community, meaning they hope to develop transparency between people to build relationships.
ACT also offers service projects and mission work throughout the year.
The ACT House on Wooster serves as the central area of activity for the ministry. It serves as a place of welcome for all students. Every day, Monday through Friday, the house opens its doors at 8 a.m. and stays open into the evening “until the last person leaves,” says Pastor Dave. The house features a full kitchen for student use, free Internet, cable TV, a quiet room and a remodeled garage that serves as an informal gathering place. To help introduce students to the ACT house, two food giveaways, featuring a cookout atmosphere, are hosted at Homecoming during the fall and the Friday before finals week in the spring
Pastor Dave sees the mission of ACT unchanging over the years, if not more important in today’s world of social media.
“We live in a really tough world and there is a lot of different voices out there demanding attention,” he says. “A lot of those voices are being about a sense or focus on self. The message of the Gospel, that of Jesus, is to love one another as I have loved you.”
Pastor Dave invites all students to stop by and hang out at the ACT house with him and his wife.