Arizona Southern Baptist Convention

Spanish Portraits, February, 2008.

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The weekend of Feb. 8-10, the Arizona's Christian Challenge: Baptist Collegiate Ministries hosted a collegiate weekend called AZ Fuzion. This is the second year that Arizona college students have had the opportunity to experience this event.

Fuzion is a weekend geared to enable college students to experience servant leadership and catch the passion for and connect to Arizona's vision for God's Kingdom. Students from the Christian Challenge ministries across the state and the college ministries of First Southern, Second Mile, and Tucson Chinese, in Tucson; and Village Meadows, Sierra Vista, gathered this weekend to partner with two new church plants in the Valley.

Students met Pastor Dave Cowan with Elevation Church, which is in partnership with Estrella and Valley Rim Associations and meets at the Tempe Market Place. They also met Pastor Matt Celoria of City Church, which is in partnership with Central Association and will soon be meeting at Westgate in Glendale.

Each of these new ministries held block parties on the Saturday of AZ Fuzion to help introduce themselves to their respective communities. Elevation's party was set on the Arizona State University campus, and City Church met in a local neighborhood park.

Each event was unique and successful. Elevation was praying to meet college students, a few of whom attended the Sunday service the next day, and City Church prayed to meet the many families surrounding the Westgate complex.

During the weekend, 72 students and 63 leaders attending Fuzion enjoyed musical worship with Dave Robson, worship through directed prayer for these new ministries, and hearing the hearts of Pastor Dave Cowan and Pastor Matt Celoria.

Students were also given the opportunity to put servant leadership into practice by helping set up, tear down, cook and serve lunch, and play games with the children and college students who came to these block parties.

Fuzion 2008 provided a firsthand experience in church planting for Arizona college students.

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