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20th Anniversary – CSM Impact
Brian Burris from Real Life Church (Springfield, IL) began serving with CSM a few years back. Their youth group is active and their yearly calendar full, but “no experience can change lives like CSM,” says Brian. They come to Chicago every year to roll up their sleeves and serve the Lord in the city.
Being situated so close to one of the nation’s largest and most influential cities, Brian realized he had a great opportunity right in front of him. Most of his students had been “tourists” to Chicago, but they had never seen what life is really like in the “Windy City”.
Students from Real Life Church serving.
After years of serving with CSM and returning home to Springfield, Brian and his team noticed how many of their students began asking “What do we do now?” They took that question as a challenge and decided to incorporate an opportunity for their students to serve right in their hometown immediately after their time in Chicago with CSM. They returned from their CSM trip a day early and served at a soup kitchen in the heart of Springfield. Many students’ eyes were opened to the need that was in their very own backyard.
If you’ve ever served with CSM, you know that your trip begins with a “Prayer Tour” of the city you have come to serve. It involves a few hours driving around the city with the goal to show our serving groups the needs of the city, along with the ways God is using some amazing people to meet those needs. We stop and pray for specific places and then invite the groups to be a part of the amazing work God’s doing right there. It’s an intense time of learning and intercession.
Brian and his team decided it was time to do the same in Springfield. They were able to partner with different local ministries, one of whom had already put together a similar “Prayer Tour” of Springfield! But they didn’t stop there—Brian and his team were able to put together a “CSM Springfield” experience mainly for younger students that weren’t able to join the group as they serve in Chicago. Read an article about it!
Brian’s been blessed to have seen change in his students that comes directly from serving in the urban center. He’s seen students wanting to pursue mission work, a student now studying Elementary Education so he can serve in an urban context and he can’t help wonder, “Who’s next?” It’s for that reason, Real Life Church will continue to serve in Chicago every year and will now begin to serve in Springfield on a yearly basis as well.
Brian has some sage advice—especially for any leader wondering what’s the next step after a CSM trip.
- Be obedient to what He calls you to do!
- Start making calls to local ministries—get out there!
- Let yourself be amazed by the new things you will learn about your very own community.
We thank God for Brian, for his faithful service and adventurous spirit as he follows the Lord’s calling on him and his youth ministry.
To learn more about serving with CSM in Chicago!
