Synergy Connect helps equip students for gospel-sharing in any location   

By Sam Sofio

Synergy Connect is not meant for a select few students; all Cedarville students are called to GO. 

Launched September 23rd, 2024, Cedarville’s student-led Synergy Connect organization offers all students an incredible opportunity to shine the light of the Gospel in the most unreached places in the United States and around the world.

“Our mission is to mobilize trained disciples to multiply healthy churches together,” said senior History major and Vice President of Synergy Connect William Galkin. 

To accomplish this mission, Synergy Connect helps students in small groups cultivate deep, Christ-centered friendships so that after graduation, students can strategically go to Gospel-needy cities together. As a team, these students work together to fulfill the Great Commission as they strengthen and multiply healthy churches. 

Students who have decided to go and live with their groups in gospel-needy cities – Salt Lake City, Boston, Pittsburg, Syracuse and Denver meet bi-weekly in city-specific or international groups. Undecided students who continue to seek the Lord’s direction meet in general groups. 

In these small groups, students ask God to intervene in Gospel-barren cities as they learn how to be disciples and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

“We are working towards DNA change,” Galkin said. “The question is not, are you going to go to a Gospel needy place, but where are you going to go? We want everybody to ask that question.”

Many times, students neglect to ask this question, causing well-known cities to live in the dark without knowing the name of Jesus.

“Salt Lake City, Utah is 2% evangelical,” Galkin said. “Boston and Syracuse are in the same boat. That means for every 100 people who walk down the street, two people might be Christian. We send people to the unreached, but that’s Salt Lake, that’s Boston, that’s Syracuse.”

Sadly, Galkin sees students graduate college and quickly return to what is familiar. Most often they ask questions like, Where are their friends? Where are their families?here will their jobs and finances lead them? Where can they have fun? 

“We’re trying to change the narrative so that when students view leaving college and going on mission they’re not immediately asking those five questions,” Galkin said. “Instead, they are asking intentionally, ‘Where does the Lord want me to go strategically for the sake of the Gospel?’ We want people to go to the nations, but that’s not possible for everybody. There is so much need in the United States.”

Synergy Connect exists to help students overcome the temptation to give up the opportunity to share the gospel for the familiar. 

“Let’s[Synergy Connect] get you connected with a family of churches that is ready to catch and support you,” Galkin said. “Which will connect you with a group of possible friends, a new family and the body of Christ, which can support you as you transition into adulthood. The Christian life isn’t going to be easy, but we can try to smooth the pathway as much as possible.” 

In addition, Synergy Connect is developing a new partnership with Career Services, called Synergy Career. Through this program, students and their teams are provided with connections to jobs in Gospel needy cities. 

Synergy Connect has proven that it’s not merely theoretical. One of Synergy Connect’s general small groups decided to share Jesus in Old North Dayton. After waiting in the cold for some time, students started to become discouraged. They continued to pray and pray and pray as they hoped in God. Afterward, God brought a gentleman right to them who asked them what they were doing. After they found out he had already been asking questions about Jesus, they shared the Gospel with Him, and he believed. The students then got him connected with both a Bible study and a church. 

“Here at Cedarville, we have four thousand students who profess Christ, who are taking Bible classes, who are seeking to disciple and be discipled,” Galkin said. “We have an incredible resource of the knowledge of God and the ability to be a disciple-maker. We now have a responsibility to steward. Let’s go intentionally together for the Gospel.”

“Why do we care about going? Why do we care that other people hear the Gospel? Because of the Gospel and because Christ is beautiful.” Galkin said. 

Galkin read Luke 9:61-62:

 “Another also said, ‘I will follow You, Lord, but first permit me to say farewell to those back home.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

There are a million distractions that keep Christianss paralyzed in life. The love of the world and the treasures in it fight to capture students’ affections. It is all too easy to get stuck looking behind and forget about the greater treasure in front of us.

“I think what reorients us is when we are captured by a vision of the beauty of God,” Galkin said. “When we see God for who He is and savor Him, all we can do is tell others about Him. The love of Christ compels us. It can only compel you if you see it.” 

Sam Sofio is a sophomore Professional Writing and Information Design major. He enjoys conversations about the love of Christ and aspires to write for a Christian organization.

Photos provided by Will Galkin