“When students encounter Jesus, that encounter with God transforms everything”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Ottawa students and staff from Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) rang in the New Year in Montreal, at their annual Rise Up conference. Organizers say 800 students attended the closing mass and banquet, including 32 from Carleton University.

“This year’s theme was ‘made for greatness,’” says Annie Flaherty, a campus missionary at Carleton University. “The aim of the conference is for our students to encounter the living God in a new way. Students from all across Canada come to be renewed in their faith.”

Among the conference’s speakers were Andrew Bennett, Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom, and Leah Darrow, a former contestant on “America’s Next Top Model” who now teaches on modesty, chastity, and human dignity.

Flaherty says their vision is for students “to develop the necessary tools to proclaim the Gospel clearly” and be revival leaders in the world.

Based in Ottawa, CCO is one of the city’s largest campus outreach ministries. CCO president Jeff Lockert says the organization’s primary focus is always campus evangelism and training leaders.

“Our heart is to be a multiplying movement—to help students grow in leadership so they can raise up others as leaders,” Lockert says. “Ultimately, the long-term vision is to help these students, who are our future lawyers, doctors, and leaders of society, to be leaders who bring a consciousness of faith to their communities. The most rewarding part of the work is absolutely seeing people’s lives changed.”

Society largely portrays students as apathetic, even hostile, to faith and spirituality, but Lockert disputes that notion. He says students have a deep interest in spirituality and expressions of faith.

“When we make space for them to think about these things, there is a great desire and a longing to explore why we are here,” he says. “When they encounter Jesus, that encounter with God radically transforms everything about their lives.”

Flaherty moved from Saskatoon to Ottawa this summer to serve at Carleton. Despite the number of ministries working in Ottawa, she says there is still a large population here who have not been effectively reached with the gospel.

“I’m on a campus of 20,000 students, one that is not particularly known as being a Christian university. It’s exciting to be able to bring the Good News here and invest in the students. They are really searching for purpose and direction in their lives.”

Like Lockert, Flaherty loves seeing the impact when a student becomes a Christian.

“When young people come to know Jesus, it radically affects our world, because their perspective on everything changes. Their personality changes. They have more joy and visible peace. It’s a very profound thing to be able to see first-hand the transformation that happens in our students.