Jessup Launches Center for Global Engagement
Alumni Elias and Lauren* attended Jessup from 2014-2018. Elias came with a heart for intercultural studies and missions, while Lauren fostered a love for history and literature. Midway through their college experience, God intersected their paths. I remember early conversations with Elias about his work with Middle-Eastern refugees in Germany. There, God birthed in him a passion for Muslims, though he wasn’t sure exactly what this meant. Meanwhile, a Jessup global outreach trip for Lauren led to a life-changing internship in Austria. She continued to pursue her interests in research and culture through her studies, and work in Jessup’s library.
As God drew them closer together, Elias and Lauren were introduced to a Jessup partner who creates community gathering spaces such as libraries and coffee shops in Europe and the Middle East, regions largely unreached by the Gospel. In 2022, they led a short-term Jessup team to serve in the Middle East, exploring the potential alignment of their passions and this work. As you can imagine, their hearts burned more to participate!
Through God’s sovereign guidance, Elias and Lauren are currently transitioning from their jobs, raising financial support, and preparing to move full-time to the Middle East. We celebrate this milestone of God’s work in them, and continue to cheer them on.
Jessup remains committed to “educating students for transformational leadership,” and supporting students like Elias and Lauren for global engagement. In our increasingly connected world, with so many unreached peoples, the need is great for training and opportunities to cross cultural barriers for the sake of Christ.
With that, we are pleased to announce the inauguration of Jessup’s Center for Global Engagement (CGE), which will formally launch in Fall 2024. CGE draws from combined visions including our prior Global Center for Church Planting, our Hammond Memorial Mission Endowment, and other collective initiatives. Stemming from over a decade of dreams, the purpose of CGE is two-fold. First to elevate student opportunities for global engagement, and second, to accelerate the globalization of the Gospel. CGE will accomplish this by supporting existing efforts on campus (global outreach, study trips, etc.), and by providing additional global resources. Among them are:
Inaugurating a campus “hub” to promote global experiences and resources.
Building a cohesive strategic plan for global opportunities including outreach, travel studies, internships and partnerships.
Developing training curriculum and materials to equip students for biblically-grounded global and cross-cultural engagement.
Creating a team of expert consultants to assist partner organizations with global training, member care, organizational effectiveness and sustainability.
Ongoing research to identify current needs, emerging trends, and dynamic opportunities for students and global partners.
Through Jessup’s CGE, and your support, our prayer is that many future students and partners will be further equipped and mobilized for kingdom work around the world.
*Pseudonyms used for security purposes.
