What is LateNite?

LateNite is a Christian ministry to college students and young adults at Texas Tech and throughout Lubbock. More than anything else, we want to help students connect with our amazing God and with other students who who have a passion for Him. Having said all that, we're also intently focused on serving people around us - whether that's here in Lubbock, elsewhere in America, or around the world.

If you're looking to be a part of an organization that's dedicated to helping people know God, fostering vital relationships with other students, and serving people in need, consider becoming a part of LateNite. Check out the website, drop by for a visit, or send us an e-mail. Thanks for taking the time to learn a little more about us.

Until all have heard,

Jeff Baker, Westminster College Ministry Coordinator

 

Student Leaders

• Rebecca Beutnagel - Campus Strategy Coordinator
• Jessi Fleming - LateNite Coordinator
• Lauren Foster - Retreats and Trips Coordinator
• Sarah Le - Missions Coordinator
• Mike Whitson - Inreach Coordinator

 

Our Mission

LateNite strives to be a gospel-centered, missional community.

• Gospel-Centered – The Gospel is the hope of the world both for the believer and the non-believer. We strive to make the Gospel of Christ the centerpiece of our meetings, our activities and our very lives.
• Missional – This world is not our home, so much so that even our home culture is foreign to us. As such, we are cross-cultural missionaries to our cities and communities. We also believe that God is Lord of the whole world. He desires worship from every people group. We seek to go, send, pray and mobilize for world missions, especially to the unreached peoples of the world.
• Community – We believe that one of God’s appointed means of grace to finish the Christian life and prove ourselves faithful is the body of Christ. We need each other if we will believe till the end. Through the gifts, the sacraments and the truth, we seek to be a community that encourages and exhorts the body to hope in God till the end.

 

Our Beliefs

• The Bible - We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20,21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12,13)
• The Godhead - We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
• The Person and Work of Christ - We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2). We believe Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5; Romans 14:9; 2 Timothy 4:1).
• The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit - We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18).
• The Total Depravity of Man - We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that through Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26, 27; Romans 3:22, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).
• Salvation - We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
• Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers - We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5). We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh (Romans 13:13, 14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
• The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts - We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believer’s responsibility to attempt to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and is the placing of the believer into the Body of Christ. We also believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7-8). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15). We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:10-11).
• The Church - We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 18:22; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-3; Titus 1:5-11). We recognize baptism and communion as scriptural means of testimony for the church (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
• The Gospel - is the 'good news' of God's redemption of mankind. It's a story that has been unfolding since mankind's rebellious, defiant decision in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve deliberately disobeyed God, and as a result, suffered the consequences. This is what we call 'The Fall.' It was mankind's fall from close communion with God. It was and is a fall into darkness, misery, and ultimately eternal death....The Gospel is the story of God redeeming His creation and His people from ‘The Fall.’ Instead of destroying man and starting over (as He could have justifiably done), God began raising up a people through whom He would execute His saving plan. For hundreds of generations, He was directly involved in the lives of this nation of people who we know as the Israelites or Jews. This nation served not only as a means through which God would solve our dilemma, but also as a microcosm of all mankind. They served as a demonstration of God's love, patience, and justice, and of man's sinfulness and infinite inadequacy. Through this chosen community, it was vividly demonstrated that man is incapable of living up to God's demand of sinless perfection. Apart from God, humankind is completely without hope; completely lost; completely unable and unwilling to establish or maintain a relationship with God....In spite of man's defiant wretchedness, God remained faithful. God sovereignly spoke through Israel's prophets to foretell things to come, the most significant of which was the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The One through whom God would save His people. Jesus is the unblemished Lamb. He is the perfect sacrifice. He is the One who would suffer and die for the punishment which is deservedly ours. He is the One who is the focal point of this long Gospel story. Every story points both forward and backward to Him. God has always required a sacrifice for the remission (acquittal) of sin. He sent His Son to be that sacrifice on our behalf. Jesus died so that we can live, not only when we die, but now, in this life. We can be 'identified' with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection by surrendering to God our will or our 'self.’ That is why Christians are said to be 'born again'; because their old self is dead and they are new creations. This is done through faith. Through trusting that all that Christ has done is enough and trusting Him and His sacrifice alone for forgiveness for sin. Only through Him can we have relationship again with God. Through Him, we can be restored to what we were always meant to be. We can be restored back into relationship with our Creator....Most people at one time or another, have had the feeling that 'something just isn't quite right'; that 'this can't be how it's supposed to be'; that there must be 'more to life than this.' There is a reason for those feelings. Mankind was never meant to be on his own, separated from God, living in sin. One need only look back over the course of human history to see what a mess we've made being on our own. You can even see this by looking back over the course of your own life. But God offers a way out of despair, misery, confusion, meaninglessness and death, and offers a way into hope, joy, truth, purpose and life. This announcement when received with faith produces new life for us....So, there it is the Gospel. The announcement that Jesus lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. He took our place, and through faith comes a great exchange – we receive His atoning sacrifice and perfect record, so much so that when God sees us, it is as if we ourselves lived a perfect life. We are accepted, divine wrath is taken away through trusting in the finished work of Jesus.