Rhema Boyo, a college student at the University of Pittsburgh, missed his opportunity to share the gospel with several friends who died unexpectedly. Never wanting to face that disappointment again, Boyo joined the Change Collegian Network, a campus organization formed to teach young Christians how to share their faith.

"Because I joined CCN and learned Biblical evangelism, I will never have to go through that again," he said. "I now know the gospel not only for myself but how to share in an effective way that people can truly understand."

Tiffany Gelpi began CCN in 2004, as an evangelism class at her church in New Jersey. As the class grew, Gelpi's pastor encouraged her to go to area colleges and recruit students.

Gelpi discovered the students were hungry for evangelism training, something not always emphasized at other campus ministries.

Tory Lepera, another student at the University of Pittsburgh, joined CCN and completed its School of Leadership within the last year. Being able to share the gospel is an amazing privilege, he said.

"Being properly equipped is especially comforting because I know how to present the Gospel biblically and therefore confidently… Having God use us is a humbling experience but an exciting one at the same time," he said.

CCN starts its training with crash courses at local churches. Its leaders also host campus Bible studies focused on training young Christians to teach others about their faith. The organization's goal is to prepare students for one-to-one encounters and open-air preaching.

Although students often are afraid to witness their first time out, thinking about it is a lot scarier than actually doing it, Gelpi said. When the students go as a group to evangelize, they sing, praise dance, preach and even rap to show other students that they are worshipping God, Gelpi said.

Onlookers might think the group is a little strange, but they rarely are hostile. Because of the usually tolerant reception, members of CCN often can take curious students aside to talk with them individually about Christ and the plan for salvation.

CCN now has chapters at eight schools in seven states with plans to continue expanding. In August, CCN members took a short mission trip to New York City, evangelizing in Times Square and the underground tunnels of the subway system. In March, the group plans to take its evangelism tour to four campuses in the northeast.

"It's so awesome to be able to see hearts changed on a regular basis through the gospel," Boyo said. "There is nothing more rewarding than that."