“Been there-done that” could be what these young adults told the students at Impact. They represent a growing number of former Impact University students who are returning as staff members. Kayla Herfel, from Southern Hills in Sioux City, spoke of her motivation to become an Impact staffer saying, “I saw how my parents led our family to Christ and I thought how cool would it be to share Christ with other teenagers.” Kayla states, “Impact is a great place for students to connect with God for the first time and a place for new believers to grow.” Furthermore, she adds, “Teenagers need this camp to have the opportunity to meet Christ and to meet Christian friends because God is all over this place.”
Christy Gallagher expressed that “she wants to be a positive role model that students can follow as she follows Christ.” Impact has been a place where she is able to further her relationship with Christ and to grow during her experiences at Impact. She notes: “Impact is like a spiritual hospital where students experience healing through a connection with God and with other students and staff.”
Bre Fuller has spent four years as a student and two years as a staff member. “I came because leaders spoke into my life what God wanted to say to me through the classes I took and through chapel. I wanted to do for others what others had done for me in helping me grow in Christ.” Bre has served as a “family leader,” ministering to eight students in her small group. She encourages the BCI church family to continue to support Impact because “God changes lives here and something like this can make an eternal difference in a student’s life.”
David Livingston was a student for seven years at Impact and has been on staff for the last two. He states, “I really enjoyed the love and comfort I received as a student. My desire is to help reach students for God’s kingdom and help them become disciples of Christ.” David has been a family leader and a ministry class leader. He particularly enjoys equipping young men to become the man God has called them to be in Christ. David says, “I have seen personally how year after year students are reaching for Christ and refocusing their lives toward Him because of Impact. This camp is a great investment in the spiritual future and eternal destination of students all around this state and throughout the Midwest.”
Lastly, Allison Kraayenbrink, another former student turned staffer says, “Impact is a place to reconnect with fellow believers and refocus our lives on Christ. We are training the next generation of disciples and passing on a legacy of faith.”
It is clear that although Impact University takes place in the “here and now” its “impact” lasts for eternity.