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Now That You're In Real Life |
Welcome to the exciting, innovative, and practical approach to
Christian Higher Education known as Real Life! As a Real Life student, you will soon be
attending classes at Ohio State or Columbus State University. You will be moving into your
ministry house, and meeting those who will become your friends for the next few years. You
will be enrolling in a weekly Bible/Theological study called Christian Principles 1 for
your first quarter of biblical training, and you will meet your adult mentor if you
haven't done so already.
Always feel free to ask as many questions as you need. We are all
here to help you get adjusted and succeed in this program. Learn who to call with problems
or questions:
Local Leadership
Your house leader, your cell group leader(s) and your home church
leaders are your primary helpers. In some cases these may all describe the same person.
These people have all undergone the training you are about to undergo, and much more
besides. You can trust them as knowledgeable Christians and advisors. If they don't have
your answer, they will likely know where to find it.
Mentor
You have been assigned an older, volunteer mentor who will be
meeting with you every other week to follow your progress and give you any help he or she
can. You can trust this mentor to be a mature walking Christian who has spend many years
discipling others and leading Christian groups. Feel free to ask anything of him or her,
whether personal or having to do with the program.
Real Life Director
You can call the director of Real Life at (614) 823-6500. There
you can find answers anytime you were unable to get them from others. Report any problems
you are having to the director or to your mentor.
Expectations
As a participant in Real Life, you are requesting that dozens of
volunteers and staff workers help you with your spiritual and practical education. We are
excited to do so, and look forward to the contribution we can make. At the same time, we
have some expectations of you! These expectations are only for your own good, as
experience shows that any student who fails to deliver in these areas will not benefit
from the program anyway.
Involvement
- To be in Real Life, you must live in a ministry house.
These houses are exceptional environments for meeting others of your own age and spiritual
orientation. By making friends of your housemates, you will be laying a social and
relational foundation for the next few years of your life. God will use these friendships
to enrich you and to support you during times of struggle. Familiarize yourself with any
rules your house may have. Ask your house leader what rules may apply if no one offers
this information. If you have a problem with these house rules, be sure to notify the Real
Life director or your mentor.
- You and your friends in your ministry house will all belong to a home
church. Home churches are basically home Bible studies that take a further interest in
discipleship and outreach to non-Christians. This group will form your main social
community. Unlike your ministry house, which is same sex, home churches are co-ed. Your
home church will meet weekly, and we assume you will make it to the meetings unless
something serious comes up.
- Within the home church, you will also be invited to a cell
group. Your housemates will likely go to the same group. This group is for more
in-depth study and relationship building. You will have opportunity to share and pray with
the group. The group meets weekly, and we assume you will be there, both for the meeting
and for some recreation afterward.
- Finally, you will be attending a large meeting on campus where
people often bring their non Christian friends from class. These are exciting meetings
with one to two hundred attending. This will be your third time each week to see your
friends from home church, as well as many from other home groups and from the campus. We
believe one meeting on Sunday mornings (as practiced by some in churches today) is far
from the biblical ideal of Christian community. The early church came together in one form
or another most days of the week, according to Acts 2:42-47.
Training
- You will be taking weekly formal training in Bible
content, interpretation, and application. These
classes meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 10:30. The classes include
lecture and homework. They test for comprehension and recall with quizzes
and tests. Each quarter you receive a grade for your work. We expect you will
attend and maintain a C or better in these classes which are similar in difficulty
to a typical college class. If you find you are having difficulty with the
study, ask for help, either from the instructor, your housemates, or your
mentor.
Self Control
- Going to Real Life is like real life--people there are not saintly
or sinless. You will see plenty of sinful behaviors on all sides living on a modern
secular campus. We believe Christians are not called to avoid sinful people in the world
(see 1 Corinthians 5: 9,10 where Paul says, "I have written you in my letter not to
associate with immoral people--not at all meaning the people of this world who are
immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave
this world."). This is the great difference between the Real Life approach and a
typical Christian college. Real Life students experience real life, not a Christian
version of modern culture. However, we associate with those of this world, not so we may
join into the deeds of darkness, but rather to expose them . . . But everything exposed by
the light becomes visible (Ephesians 5:11,13). While none of us are completely successful
at avoiding sin, we do expect a level of self-control suitable to front-line disciples of
Jesus Christ. We expect to see a level of control that would include avoiding flagrant
failure in the following areas:
- Sexual immorality
--People should not come to Real Life to have
immoral sex. If you fall into temptation in this area, tell your leaders immediately and
we will try to help you. However, if you are not able to gain victory, you will have to
leave the program.
- Drug and Alcohol abuse
--We don't permit drug use or underage
drinking in the program. If you are over 21 we have no rule against moderate, controlled,
social drinking, but will not tolerate intoxication. Again, the purpose of Real Life is
spiritual growth, and this will not be possible while abusing drugs. If you fall into
temptation, let us know quickly and we will try to help you overcome the habit. Otherwise
you will have to leave the program. (Please note that tobacco use and obesity are
discouraged but not prohibited in the program except as restricted by law. We don't
approve of addictions to smoking or eating, since both are harmful to the body, but we
feel these are not as serious as other addictions mentioned above. Feel free to seek
clarification of our policies in these areas.)
- Failure to carry out Real Life requirements
--If you don't pay
your rent, if you fail at college, if you fail in your Bible classes, or you fail to
follow the rules in your house, you are in default of your agreement as a student in Real
Life. Disclose such failures immediately and we will try to help you. However, if no
progress is evident, you will have to leave the program.
Real Life discipline policy
As a student accepted into the Real Life program, you have
already convinced us that you are serious about spiritual growth and serving God. We feel
confident the expectations mentioned here are in line with what you would want in your own
right anyway.
Remember to raise your questions as mentioned above, and enjoy
your education!
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