Empowered for the future

Celebrating and remembering the past is very important as it empowers us for the future!

I wish to take this time to welcome you. Some of you will be members of the "Alpha and Omega" Christian Student Society, others will be family and still others may be businessmen, government officials, directors of schools, teachers, pastors, students and friends from far and near, whoever you are welcome to this site.

The Alpha and Omega Christian Student Society is a group of people, predominately students who have gathered together to learn about the greatest book in the World and its author. Not only have they come together to learn more about this book and its author but once they start to believe they also want to tell others. The book is “THE BIBLE”, the Word of God and the author is “THE TRIUNE GOD”, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore, the purpose of the Alpha and Omega Christian Student Society is: To know and make known God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The author Cynthia Pearl Maus while compiling an anthology of some of the greatest pictures, poetry, music and stories about Jesus wrote:

“More poems have been written, more stories told, more pictures painted, and
more songs sung about Christ than any other person in human history.”

The famous Russian poet, Yevgeniy Yevtushenko wrote:

“I have never known any priests in the world,
however if the soul does not exist then tell me
what is causing my pain?”

The students of Alpha and Omega know that each person has a soul and is created by God. They also know that God who is the almighty creator of the heavens and earth is to be honored and loved. Why? Because He loves us! Yes, each person on this earth God loves. To show us His love He sent Jesus Christ, God in flesh, to be born on this earth and to be for us the way to heaven. Jesus Christ came to this earth and died for mankind’s wrong doings (sin). We receive this forgiveness of sin by believing in this act, by believing in Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus we acknowledge God’s love for us and we receive His forgiveness. Once we are forgiven we are made right with God and our lives change as we understand that fact. Through that forgiveness (grace) received by faith through God’s Word, we have eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our past wrong doings are forgiven and we are given hope and empowered for the future.

Jesus Christ calls Himself the “Alpha and Omega”. “Alpha” is the name given to the first letter of the Greek Alphabet and “Omega” is the name given to the last letter of the Greek Alphabet. Jesus is called the Alpha and Omega because he is the First and the Last. We have called our society: The Alpha and Omega Christian Student Society because we believe that Jesus Christ is most important in our lives and we want to know and make Him known.

We are a society and not a church. We believe that once students have learned about God and He has opened their eyes and given them faith they then should chose a church. There are many churches in the city for them to choose from and we pray they find a church where the Word of God is proclaimed.

As we look back over the last 10 years we see God’s hand and His work. It is through Him that we are linked with other believers around the world. God has given us friends in: Canada, England, The United States, Germany, Holland, Austria, China, Argentina, France, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. Many of these friends have visited the student center and they keep us in their prayers. We have grown from a group of 4 students to over 300 students with an outreach to about 1,000 people each month. We have had the opportunity to travel to: Austria, Israel, and England with others visiting Canada and the United States. We have been involved in humanitarian aid by helping people in the city with clothing, and orphans with food, we have worked in invalid orphanages to bring hope, we have been able to help hospitals with equipment, we have provided an alternative for youth so that they may learn about God’s love for them.

We have tried hard to work amongst the youth of the city to help them know that there is an alternative to alcoholism, drugs, illicit sex and poor health because of smoking. We understand that morals and values cannot be dictated or forced but they come from a change that happens within. We know that God loves us and through faith in Jesus Christ He changes us from the inside.

That Love is for you too. It is the only thing that can change lives. Just ask any of the 300 students whose lives have been changed because of Jesus. It does not mean we are perfect but it does mean we are forgiven. It does not mean that we are better but that we understand our sinfulness and believe in Jesus. It does not mean that we won’t make mistakes but it does mean that God always calls us to himself to correct and discipline and Love and forgive and He always gives us hope to go on to make a better future in Him.

So when we look back over the last 10 years we celebrate what God has done. We celebrate the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end in Jesus Christ and only Him. He does wonderful things and He continues to help us grow. It is exciting to look to the future when we see what He has done in the past. We know that God, through the person of Jesus Christ, empowers us for the future. We don’t know what the future holds but we do know who holds the future! So it is a pleasure to introduce this newspaper to you as through it you will learn a little more about “Alpha and Omega” and about the student society too.

With love, laughter, thanksgiving and joy from Jesus and me.. roland syens