Why Would I Go To DCC?

It's November, which means that there's a rumbling within Cru movements in the Great Plains region. It's about Denver Christmas Conference, a winter conference that Cru holds. By now, you might've seen some confusing video promos and heard a few testimonies from students who have gone before. But, you might still have some concerns. So, I'm gonna hope that I can answer some of them in a round of 10 Questions.

1) The videos they play at the weekly meeting don't tell me much of anything. Can I get a general breakdown of what DCC is all about?

Well, I think a part of the reason they don't tell you all the details in the promo videos is because DCC is what you make it. There's a lot of choice involved, such as what events and talks you choose to attend and what (if any) steps of faith you take. There's a lot you can find out yourself, and that's part of what makes DCC so fun.

2) Okay, so events and talks. Let's start there. What are those like?

If you've been to Fall Getaway, they're similar to those sessions. There's worship, followed by a message, followed by worship. However, the worship is more dynamic. There's about 1000 students around you singing, and you're led by a decently well-known band. The message comes from a more well-known speaker, and they're all valuable. They can also be applied to not only the rest of DCC, but to the upcoming semester on campus.

Those ones, everybody attends. No event is mandatory, but they're what you're paying for. There are smaller seminars where you pick from several choices.

3) Seminars?

Picture a spiritually based topic given from a biblical point of view, without any sense of anybody trying to scam you. On top of that, there are lessons that can be applied to your spiritual life, ways you can get more involved on campus with Cru, and seminars about various summer projects. I'd really recommend checking out the summer projects - you never know where God will lead you.

4) So there's a lot of sitting and listening...?

There is, but there's a great event we do on New Year's Eve that can really impact the city of Denver. We all become part of a giant flash mob on the 16th Street Mall, and then we evangelize for a bit once people wonder what on earth we were all doing.

Oh crap, the "e" word.

Could you, maybe, formulate that into a question?

5) Okay... what if sharing my faith is something I've never done, don't like doing, or suck at?

They'll train you a little bit on how to get a conversation going. It's pretty haphazard, but you can go with somebody more comfortable with sharing their faith. Now, this is one of those steps of faith I'm talking about, and it's one where if you take it, God can work a great deal in your life. The asker of #5 was me (okay, technically they're all me, but you get the idea) two years ago. And, by no means am I great at this now. I promise you, though - it is not as intrusive as I made it sound.

Also, it might be discouraging to get rejected every now and then, which will probably happen in Denver. But, the point of evangelism is not to convert the entire city of Denver right away. Rather, it's to plant seeds with faith. Seeds in your own heart to take steps of faith to evangelize, and seeds in others' hearts to perhaps think about God for the first time in months, or even years. The results are in God's hands. You can trust him with those results.

And, after that, there's a giant dance party that shakes the floor of the hotel we're at.

6) Sharing your faith, 1000 students, and a huge dance party... so DCC is great for extroverts?

...Yes, it is, but I believe in a God who is bigger than the introvert/extrovert characteristic, and God has used DCC in the past for me (I'm somewhat introverted). I've never gone to a single dance party that DCC holds (I'm also somewhat claustrophobic), and I don't feel like I've missed out. That's because I've had relational time with a few other students instead, or I've taken time to write in my journal.

I wouldn't say DCC favors the introvert or the extrovert. It favors anybody who's willing to take a few steps in their walk with the Lord.

7) Does "anybody" include my friend who became a Christian a week ago?

God can do a great deal in anybody's life. One of my friends from the San Diego Summer Project actually gave his life to Christ at the preceding DCC.

Basically, I wouldn't try to wrap my mind around what God can do too much, because it's impossible to fit an infinite God into our finite minds. These six days at DCC are a great way to trust in him and see a tidbit of God's glory for yourself. I only just now noticed that I answered the last three questions with practically the same answer.

8) You've told me a bunch of reasons to go to DCC. Are there any reasons not to go?

I will warn you about this - DCC is pricey. The price of DCC is a pretty good deal for the very nice hotel we're at, but I won't pull any punches - $265 is a lot of money. On top of that, very little food is provided, and there aren't any fridges or microwaves in the hotel rooms. So, you can eat granola bars the whole week, or go out to eat in the 16th Street Mall. I typically do a mix of both. Either way, that's more money for food. On top of that, transportation costs are on the students, too.

Here are a couple of things you can do to lower the cost a bit, though:

• Talk to one of your Cru staff members. They can help you with money - none of them want money to be the reason you don't go. Nobody else has to know.
• Register before November 30 - the cost goes down to $245.
• Take advantage of the "Crupon". The Crupon is a coupon Cru uses (punny, eh?) that lowers the cost of any first-timer's registration to $225, as long as you type on the registration page the name of the person who invited you. The person who invited you gets a $20 discount. Help each other out!

Staff and student leaders never want money to be the reason you don't go. The only reason you shouldn't go is if you're genuinely not interested - and even then, we'd hope you at least reconsider.

9) That's still kind of expensive, but now you're going to say that we can trust God with our money, right?

Okay, fine, steal my thunder, me.

Seriously, though, one more thing I would add - DCC is a one-time expenditure. There's no strings attached to it. And, all the things that God can equip you with if you take a few steps of faith in those six days are arguably worth more than money.

10) So to summarize, DCC is a great way to grow in our walk with God, take a few steps of faith outside of our comfort zone, relate with other students from our campus, be equipped with ways to live out the Gospel for the rest of our lives, learn about how to grow even more for the rest of our lives, and it's good for extroverts and introverts and worth the price?

Ha. Made you read the whole thing when you could've just read that.