Campus Ministry / en ñ Prepares to Reach 2,500 Campuses by Year 2030 /news/intervarsity-prepares-reach-2500-campuses-year-2030 <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2103" hreflang="en">Press Room</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>ñ Prepares to Reach 2,500 Campuses by Year 2030</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-square-image"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-square-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/300x169/public/news/2030%20Calling%20Wordmark_300.png?itok=8VUmDzSr" width="298" height="169" alt loading="lazy" class="image-style-_00x169"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For Release: August 20, 2018</p> <p>(Madison, WI) – ñ announces today that the campus ministry will focus on establishing Christian fellowships on 2,500 college campuses in the next 12 years. &nbsp;</p> <p>As more than 1,500 ñ campus staff ministers, along with student and faculty leaders, return to campuses this fall, their focus is on the <a href="/intervarsitys-2030-calling?action">2030 Calling</a>, which states: <strong>Longing for revival, we catalyze movements that call every corner of every campus to follow Jesus.</strong></p> <p>“We want to see a witnessing community on all 2,500 US campuses with 1,000 students or more by the year 2030,” says ñ President Tom Lin. “Right now, 53 percent of those 2,500 campuses do not have any known Christian ministry. We have seen that college students are still looking for hope and significance for their lives. In fact, the last 10 years have been among the most fruitful in ñ’s 77-year history.”</p> <p>Of the 20 million students in college right now, nearly one-third have no religious affiliation or identify as atheist, agnostic, or of no religion. To reach more of these students, ñ plans to accelerate the planting of new chapters throughout the country, <a href="/news/developing-partners-campus-ministry" target="_blank">partnering with other campus ministries as well as churches, volunteers, and ñ alumni</a>. In addition, ñ is uniquely positioned to reach faculty members because of the nearly 2,000 faculty on campuses across the country involved with ñ in the 2017–2018 academic year.</p> <p>“The 2030 Calling represents a new shift in how ñ approaches campus ministry," Lin says. "More than ever before, ñ is inviting partners from every part of God’s kingdom to participate in his work among students and faculty. This is not about planting ñ’s flag on every campus; it’s about declaring God’s glory on every campus.”</p> <p>ñ has chapters in all 50 states, on a total of 695 campuses. A recent highlight is the relocation of ñ staff from Los Angeles to <a href="/news/la-la-reviving-campus-ministry-along-gulf-coast">revive campus ministry along the Gulf Coast</a> of Louisiana.</p> <p>“We believe the Lord can use us, in partnership with others, to bring a powerful movement of the Spirit among a new generation of students and faculty,” Lin says. “We truly are longing for revival on campus. And we believe that, in the next 12 years, that’s exactly what God will do through the 2030 Calling.”</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/279334842?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen width="640"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/279334842">Real Hope on Campus</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/ivcf2100">ñ twentyonehundred</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p> <p>ñ is an interdenominational ministry to students and faculty on US college and university campuses, as well as the publisher of award-winning books on the Christian faith through <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/">ñ Press</a>. ñ is a founding member of the <a href="https://ifesworld.org/en">International Fellowship of Evangelical Students</a>, advancing Christian student work in more than 160 countries. ñ is also a charter member of the <a href="http://www.ecfa.org/">Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability</a>.</p> <p>For more information contact:</p> <p><a href="mailto:gordon.govier@intervarsity.org">Gordon Govier</a><br> Media Relations<br> 608/443-3688</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/898" hreflang="en">ñ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2396" hreflang="en">2030 Calling</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/826" hreflang="en">Evangelism</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/815" hreflang="en">Discipleship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2181" hreflang="en">outreach</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 20 Aug 2018 18:04:14 +0000 gordon.govier@intervarsity.org 9026 at Listening, Learning, and Growing at Rutgers /news/listening-learning-and-growing-rutgers <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Listening, Learning, and Growing at Rutgers</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-square-image"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-square-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/300x169/public/news/gloriannewright2.jpg?itok=4vWAqtsX" width="296" height="169" alt loading="lazy" class="image-style-_00x169"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Glorianne Wright was sitting in the back row of the auditorium on the last night of Chapter Camp when she felt her heart beating uncontrollably. Students and staff had spent a week in Bible study, planning programs and working on ideas for the coming school year. Prayers had been prayed to commission people and projects. The camp director was getting ready to close the meeting. All of a sudden Glorianne stood up and yelled, “Wait!”</p> <p>She had just served the first of her two years as president of the ñ chapter at Drew University. All week long at camp she had been talking with newly appointed staff members and had gained a new appreciation of their role.</p> <p>Glorianne ran to the stage, grabbed the microphone, and asked for more time to pray.</p> <p>“I shared what a gift and what a value the staff are to the ministry that we do,” she recalled. “On my campus we didn’t have a staff worker to help us. I said, ‘Staff, we want to honor you, and we want to pray for you and what you need to do this summer so that you stay on campus, loving us the way God has called you to.’”</p> <p>That night Glorianne realized that she might be called to campus ministry herself. Just a few months earlier she had attended <a href="http://urbana.org/past-urbanas/urbana-03">Urbana 03</a>, and discovered that ministry was more than just being a pastor of a church or a missionary in a foreign land.</p> <p>“I remember being at Urbana and hearing so many different stories and seeing so many different images of what being a missionary looks like: missionary in the workplace, missionary at home, missionary abroad, missionary tentmaking,” she said. “I started to realize I could be a missionary where God has placed me, particularly on the college campus, that was very formative for my faith.”</p> <p>Glorianne did join ñ staff and was assigned to Rutgers University, the largest higher education institution in New Jersey. Over the past ten years she has seen steady growth in ñ’s ministry on campus, as well as growth in her faith and in her leadership development. Currently about 200 students are involved in the two Rutgers chapters.</p> <p>One of her most challenging experiences during her ten years on staff has been coming to terms with her identity as a biracial Latina woman. Her Puerto Rican mother had downplayed her ethnicity when Glorianne was growing up, and she had never connected with other Latino students in school. On staff she tended to avoid conversations about ethnicity, at least until she was invited to <a href="http://mem.intervarsity.org/lafe" target="_blank">ñ's LaFe</a> 2010 student conference.</p> <p>“I went with my arms crossed,” she said. “I was quite upset.” But she spent a lot of time talking with fellow staff member Steve Tamayo. Assigned as Steve’s assistant, she was with him almost continuously during the conference. Steve, also a biracial Latino, looks very White but embraces his Cuban heritage. At the end of the week she felt God asking her, “Who do I say that you are?”</p> <p>Realizing that she didn’t have to measure up to other people’s definitions of being a Latino, she found herself freed to accept herself as God had made her.</p> <p>“That became very informative to my faith, to my identity, and to my leadership to my students,” she said. “Now I think about the importance of them understanding who they are and how God made them, in their ethnic and cultural identities as well as in their personalities and their giftings. And once we understand that, we can engage cross-culturally.”</p> <p>Following that experience, Glorianne’s eyes were opened to the 4,000 Latinos on the Rutgers campus, and the fact that none of the 30 ministries operating on campus were reaching them. She began meeting with one student, then a small group formed, and now there are three LaFe small groups on the Rutgers campus.</p> <p>She is one of four ñ staff participating in the LaFe Pilot Project in Evangelism. Two California staff serve as project mentors, and have given Glorianne and the others tools to help small groups become more effective in campus ministry.</p> <p>“We’re learning how we can leverage small groups to be a place of growth and a place of evangelism and outreach, and not just a place of discipleship and care,” she said. “That has been really transformational in how I view my staff work.”</p> <p>Glorianne has been a strong believer in the value of her chapters’ weekly large group meetings, but she’s noticed that the learning style of students is changing. The large group is not as popular as it has been in the past and interest in the more interactive small groups is growing.</p> <p>Along with everything else, Glorianne is adding one more challenge to her weekly schedule: reviving the ñ chapter at her alma mater, Drew University. “It’s been too long for them not to have staff,” she said. “I have never forgotten the place where God called me to learn more about him and learn my vocation and my calling. When this opportunity to replant a chapter at Drew came around it was very obvious I needed to respond.”</p> <p>&nbsp;Glorianne continues to respond to God’s call to campus ministry, and ñ’s campus ministry continues to grow in New Jersey.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1189" hreflang="en">Urbana</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1057" hreflang="en">Rutgers University</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 06 Apr 2015 14:24:28 +0000 gordon.govier@intervarsity.org 8856 at Bible Study Transforms Students’ Lives /news/bible-study-transforms-students%E2%80%99-lives <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Bible Study Transforms Students’ Lives</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-square-image"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-square-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/300x169/public/news/2014.10.28_matt_kirk_330_small.jpg?itok=K0O5sv3l" width="298" height="169" alt loading="lazy" class="image-style-_00x169"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In a campus ministry that started with the World War II generation and continued on through Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and now Millennials, ñ has always prioritized Bible study because Bible study changes lives. New evidence for Bible engagement and transformation has emerged from the survey “Millennials &amp; the Bible,” conducted by the Barna Group on behalf of ñ and the American Bible Society, as well as from an additional survey of ñ students by researchers Terry Linhart and Jen Bradbury.</p> <p>The just-released Barna survey of Millennials (18- to 30-year-olds) reveals some skepticism among non-Christian Millennials, but overall most still have a high regard for the Bible. Almost half believe the Bible is the actual (21 percent) or inspired (27 percent) Word of God. Only about a quarter of them read the Bible on at least a weekly basis. But among ñ respondents, 87 percent read the Bible on at least a weekly basis.</p> <p><a href="http://www.intervarsity.org/sites/default/files/news/bibleandreligiousactivities.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Religious activities" src="/sites/default/files/news/bibleandreligiousactivities300.png" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:7px; width:300px"></a>Bible reading and prayer are the two top spiritual disciplines practiced by ñ respondents. In the week preceding the survey, 98 percent of ñ respondents had engaged in Bible reading outside of a church service. The top reason given for reading the Bible was to seek “guidance and wisdom.”</p> <p>Linhart found that nearly 90 percent of those surveyed participated in a weekly small group Bible study, but only 50 percent had engaged in communal Bible study before their ñ involvement. Their view of the Bible changed “from restrictive to life-giving” as a result of their Bible study.</p> <p>Involvement in ñ also increased daily, personal Bible study (11% before, 40% after). Those surveyed reported that Bible study deepened their faith and that “gaining understanding in Scripture leads to confidence, spiritual excitement, and transformational growth.”</p> <p><a href="http://www.intervarsity.org/sites/default/files/news/biblestudypersonal.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Daily Personal Bible Study" src="/sites/default/files/news/biblestudypersonal300.png" style="float:right; height:300px; margin:7px; width:300px"></a>ñ offers a variety of Bible studies, including GIGs (Groups Investigating God) and manuscript Bible study (using colored pencils to mark and analyze scriptural passages printed without verse and chapter numbers). “Many [respondents] think manuscript Bible study levels the playing field between church kids and non-Christians,” Linhart observed. “They find the participation of non-Christians in ñ Bible studies personally encouraging and unique among Christian organizations.”</p> <p>“Bible study is in our DNA,” said Lindsay Olesberg, ñ’s Scripture Engagement Director and the author of <a href="http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=1049" target="_blank"><em>The Bible Study Handbook</em></a>. “I am excited that we now have clear data from external research to confirm that. This information is so helpful as we empower student leaders to reach out on campus and draw their friends into small groups. This data will help us in both evangelism and discipleship.”</p> <p>More information about ñ Bible studies is available on our <a href="http://www.intervarsity.org/bible-studies" target="_blank">Bible studies resource page</a>.</p> <p>In the minds of many, the Bible remains the bestseller that almost nobody reads. In the case of ñ, the Bible is read and closely studied, resulting in lives that are transformed, campuses that are renewed, and world-changers that are developed.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/951" hreflang="en">Millennials</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/815" hreflang="en">Discipleship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/715" hreflang="en">Bible Study</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 29 Oct 2014 19:02:41 +0000 gordon.govier@intervarsity.org 8826 at The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? /news/most-wonderful-time-year <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-author"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lisa Rieck</div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-square-image"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-square-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/300x169/public/news/2014.06.26_matt_kirk_0118_300.jpg?itok=JGSOtS-V" width="298" height="169" alt loading="lazy" class="image-style-_00x169"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>&nbsp;</p> <p>We can never predict how God will work in a person’s life. Sometimes the student who seems farthest from faith, or the most antagonistic, or the hardest to connect with, ends up being the one God uses to transform a campus in remarkable ways.</p> <p>Last year, 120,000 students and faculty were reached by ñ’s ministry, which is rooted in 40,000 core students and faculty on over 600 campuses. And we saw a record total of 3,517 first-time commitments to Jesus as Lord and Savior.</p> <p>Those numbers make us excited because they represent <em>people</em>—students and faculty who are precious in God’s sight. People who were lost but are now found. People who were living in great darkness and hopelessness who are now living in the light and truth of Jesus Christ.</p> <p>And really, that’s the story of God’s work in all of us. He has drawn us to himself, whether through a Damascus-road experience, a loving parent who led us in prayer when we were five, or an ñ staff member who met with us week after week to answer every single question we had about the Gospel of John.</p> <p>Now we have the enormous privilege of being used by God in the stories he’s writing in others’ lives. That’s what we look forward to as students return to campus and campus staff and student leaders begin the challenging, exhausting, joy-filled work of reaching out to others with the love of Christ.</p> <p>We pray that God would use us in significant ways for his kingdom in this new school year. And we continue to pray for our chapters on California State University (CSU) campuses, in particular, who are finding creative ways to connect with students on campus, even as their status as a student organization is in question. We pray for influence, courage, and boldness. We pray for humility and confidence. And we pray that God, in his matchless strength, will do more than we can ever ask or imagine in this new year.</p> <p>Pray with us for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done on every campus, in every student, for his glory.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 20 Aug 2014 20:10:09 +0000 gordon.govier@intervarsity.org 8808 at Focusing on our Campus Mission /news/focusing-our-campus-mission <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-author"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Gordon Govier</div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Focusing on our Campus Mission</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-square-image"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-square-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/300x169/public/news/sc14-web300x170.jpg?itok=n9WzApp1" width="298" height="169" alt loading="lazy" class="image-style-_00x169"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More than 1400 staff members from across the country gathered January 7-11, 2014 in St. Louis for our triennial National Staff Conference. The focus of the conference was on ñ world changers, taken from ñ’s Vision Statement: <a href="/about-us">“To see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed.”</a></p> <p>As attested by <a href="/get-involved/alumni/alumni-stories">numerous stories on our website</a>, students and faculty whose faith in Jesus Christ is planted and nurtured through the ministry of ñ are called to <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28:16-20">change the world</a>, and they respond. World changer stories were shared by video and by personal testimony, and are<a href="http://2100.intervarsity.org/resources/tags/staff-conference-2014"> posted online by ñ's Twentyonehundred Productions</a>.</p> <p>SC14 is the largest staff conference in ñ history, as ñ has been going through a dynamic period of growth in the past half-decade. ñ has more than 900 chapters on almost 600 campuses and staff working with more than 38,000 “core” students and faculty (those who participate in more than 50 percent of all activities). &nbsp;</p> <p>ñ family and friends were able to follow SC14 on social media via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/intervarsity.usa">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/INTERVARSITYusa">Twitter</a> and experience inspiring reports on campus ministry.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1223" hreflang="en">World changers</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 06 Jan 2014 16:20:47 +0000 gordon.govier@intervarsity.org 8762 at Growth in Witness /news/growth-in-witness <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-author"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Teresa Buschur</div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Growth in Witness</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Three years ago a group of students met for Bible study at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS. Today, forty students gather on campus for ñ large group chapter meetings, small group Bible studies, a worship gathering, and a spiritual conversation group focused on evangelism.</p> <p><strong>Learning to Share</strong><br> Students are eager to share God’s love with their classmates on campus. During the prayer walk at the start of the semester, several new students participated and have since become core members of the chapter. ñ members invited the entire campus to make a community art project by writing or drawing answers to the question, ‘what has God ever done for you?’</p> <p>A member in the evangelism outreach group shared, “I’ve become more open. I used to be uncomfortable around non-Christians and people involved in the party scene on campus, but God is teaching me to love them.”</p> <p><strong>Opportunities to Connect</strong><br> Another way the students have engaged their peers with the gospel is by inviting students in the cafeteria to ‘share a thought, get a brownie.’ Students were encouraged to share their thoughts with chapter members and in return received a brownie.</p> <p>Even an inflatable play structure can be used to spread the gospel, by encouraging students to consider faith from a new perspective. These events on campus welcomed new students into the recently established ñ community.</p> <p>ñ’s mission is to build witnessing communities on campus. As new chapters are established at colleges across the country, more students are hearing the gospel and receiving the hope of Jesus Christ.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0000 webteam@intervarsity.org 7632 at More Than Hugs and Cookies /news/more-than-cookies <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-author"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Gordon Govier</div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>More Than Hugs and Cookies</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A visitor to the home of Gene and Carol Guest once told some friends that her hosts did not “do retirement” very well. “They are so busy it’s ridiculous,” she said.</p> <p>Gene and Carol admit that they are extremely busy as volunteer ñ staff members working on the campus of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (<span class="caps">USMMA</span>) in Kings Point, New York. But they think they are doing retirement very well, since they have found something that they enjoy doing very much.</p> <p>Gene and Carol have been involved in college student ministry through a variety of churches for much of their lives. But as they approached their retirement years, they anticipated that what they had to say would be less and less relevant to young American college students. The Guests considered volunteering for international student ministry, knowing that students from some Asian and African cultures revere elders.</p> <p>However, their son and daughter-in-law were invited by the <span class="caps">USMMA</span> chaplain to start a Bible study in order to develop a stronger sense of community among midshipmen. Gene and Carol helped with the Bible study and took it over when Jonathan and Annalyn moved to Portland State University to work with ñ in International Student Ministry.</p> <p>The invitation made five years ago has worked out so well that Gene and Carol are now known as Mom and Dad Guest to the student body.</p> <p><strong>Cookie Café on Campus</strong><br> Those terms of endearment come especially easily every Thursday when Gene and Carol serve milk and cookies to all comers in Land Hall (the campus activities center). Cookie Café started as an afterthought to kill some time one day in 2007, and has now become a campus institution.</p> <p>“I brought ingredients to make one batch of cookies and a gallon of milk,” Carol recalled. “After I finished baking, I tiptoed around to where everybody was studying or sleeping and just left some for them. They all said, ‘This is delicious. Are you going to be here next week?’”</p> <p>Now regional parent organizations are responsible for baking and shipping the cookies — 100 dozen per week for a total of a quarter million cookies during the 2008-2009 academic year. The Guests work with a volunteer parent to coordinate each week’s distribution. <a href="http://www.kpcookiecafe.com/">The Cookie Café</a> has become such a campus institution that when school officials cancelled classes and activities recently following the sudden death of a student, they kept the Cookie Café open so that people had a place to go to talk to each other.</p> <p><strong>More than Hugs and Cookies</strong><br> But the Guests are more than just parental surrogates. They want to see midshipmen prepared for the challenges of life and career, anchored in a Christian faith that transforms lives. “Today there’s a lot of talk about worship, but it’s just singing; there’s talk about feeling close to God, but it’s just an emotional thing,” Carol said. “We think the mind has to be trained, to give an answer for their faith, to be prepared for any questions that might come up in class, and to face the life challenges beyond.”</p> <p>Gene has two seminary degrees and a PhD in the philosophy of religion. “Midshipmen can leave Kings Point with a pretty strong biblical foundation,” he said. Gene’s experience as a <span class="caps">USMMA</span> midshipman, then later as a faculty member and an employee of a <span class="caps">USMMA</span> contractor, has also help the Guests know how to develop relevant teaching and programs for the midshipmen.</p> <p>“We know the culture; we know what the students face and what’s ahead for them. That gives us a platform and insight that makes the ministry unique,” Carol said.</p> <p><strong>Retired to Serve</strong><br> Through leading the Sunday morning Bible study, coordinating a special class for women midshipmen called Band of Sisters, working with the leaders of the Monday evening Christian Fellowship Club, offering their home to midshipmen on weekends, and other creative activities that they have initiated, Gene and Carol have the opportunity to see God at work in the lives of hundreds of young men and women. In that respect they are no different than most ñ campus staff members.</p> <p>However their retirement status, which they thought would be a drawback, gives them an extra advantage. “We’re finding our ages to be a real asset, and we weren’t expecting that,” Carol said.</p> <p>A year ago when the Guests celebrated their 42-year wedding anniversary, some midshipmen were eager to celebrate with them. “You don’t understand,” one told them. “You give us hope. We see you guys still love each other. You still hold hands. You are still best friends.”</p> <p>The Guests say that they have worked with two very supportive chaplains, who are assigned to the <span class="caps">USMMA</span> by the Navy. Another change is coming up this summer, and they hope to continue to have a positive relationship with the new chaplain.</p> <p>And they are certain that the original invitation for bringing them on campus has achieved the anticipated goal. “We’re developing community and the whole school knows it,” Carol said.</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/kingspointdiversity#p/a/u/1/NCAA13hmzws">Kings Point Spotlight interview with Gene Guest, part one</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/kingspointdiversity#p/a/u/2/MywJd2x2hy0">Kings Point Spotlight interview with Gene Guest, part two</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/kingspointdiversity#p/a/u/0/9cFSst1nfFg">Kings Point Spotlight on the Cookie Cafe</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0000 webteam@intervarsity.org 7635 at Renewing the Campus /news/renewing-the-campus <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Renewing the Campus</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The president of El Acceso, ñ’s La Fe chapter at East Los Angeles College (<span class="caps">ELAC</span>), arrived at a recent meeting of the InterClub Council (<span class="caps">ICC</span>) to discover that the leaders of the 32 clubs on campus were being asked to vote on three categories of organizational awards. Unlike some of the other leaders, Lorenzo Delatorre didn’t come prepared with a Powerpoint presentation or a <span class="caps">DVD</span>. But he did happen to have some brochures printed for El Acceso’s <em>From Death to Life</em> outreach, featuring a coffin that was brought on campus.</p> <p><strong>Most Engaged</strong><br> When the votes were tallied, El Acceso was recognized as club of the year in the category of student and campus engagement. “I know everyone had seen the coffin on campus,” Lorenzo said. “But this was totally from God and totally unexpected.”</p> <p>He described the recognition as a blessing from God at the end of a successful semester. El Acceso has grown from 16 students at the beginning of the semester to 30 at the end. Twenty-two students attended the spring retreat at ñ’s Campus by the Sea on Catalina Island.</p> <p><span class="caps">ELAC</span> is a commuter campus with an enrollment of about 20,000. On the other side of the country Baruch College is also a commuter campus, drawing its 16,000 students from around the New York City area.</p> <p><strong>Most Active</strong><br> The student government at Baruch College has recognized the ñ chapter for being the most active club on campus for three years in a row. To stand out among almost 200 student-run clubs, in the midst of one of the most diverse student bodies in the United States, is a major achievement.</p> <p>Almost 100 Baruch students are actively involved in the ñ chapter. Every year they plan and produce <a href="http://www.intervarsity.org/news/million-dollar-event-at-baruch-college"><em>Baruch Live</em></a>, an evangelistic outreach. Last year Baruch Live received the Lexington Award from the student government for the best event of the year.</p> <p>ñ’s vision is to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed. On some campuses, ñ’s renewing presence is recognized through these year-end awards.</p> <p>You can make a direct financial donation to support ñ’s work at <span class="caps">ELAC</span> by <a href="/donate/to/9408">following this link</a>, and Baruch College by <a href="/donate/to/3782">following this link</a>.</p> <p><strong>Additional recognition</strong> – Graduating seniors involved in ñ have also been recognized:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.thefridayflyer.com/FF-2010-6-11/FFS-14628.htm">Katy Ness,</a> a leader in Greek ñ at the University of San Diego, was valedictorian at <span class="caps">USD</span>’s School of Business Administration graduation.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.knox.edu/News-and-Events/News-Archive/White-House-Official-to-Speak-at-Knox-College-Commencement.html">Maurice McDavid,</a> elementary education and Spanish major, and football co-captain, gave the senior address at the Knox College commencement.</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.intervarsity.org/news/organization-of-year--campus-of-year">Last year’s recognition round-up</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/927" hreflang="en">LaFe</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 27 May 2010 05:00:00 +0000 webteam@intervarsity.org 7636 at A Dark and Stormy Night /news/a-dark-and-stormy-night <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-author"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jennifer Weinman</div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>A Dark and Stormy Night</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>I was still at home trying to finish cooking dinner before heading to the Grinnell College campus for our weekly Community Worship (CW), when we lost power at about 6:00 pm. This came after a late afternoon hail storm, combined with 70 mph wind and lots of rain.</p> <p><strong>Powerless Campus</strong><br> Students started calling me. Should we still meet? How will we do worship without Powerpoint? And sound? Some students ran over to the chapel and grabbed a bunch of hymnals. I collected as many flashlights and candles as I could and headed to the South Forum, where we usually meet.</p> <p>As I walked towards the Forum, there was an exodus from the library because the building had closed for the day. The students were discussing what they should do now that they were “powerless” — I had to laugh. My first thought was, “Come join us for CW. You can’t really do much else in the dark, but you can pray and worship.”</p> <p><strong>Resourceful Students</strong><br> Upon arriving at the South Forum, I found students with flashlights arranging chairs into a circle. We pushed a piano closer and practiced a few hymns. Not even a power outage could keep us from gathering to fellowship and worship together.</p> <p>I sent several students to the student center and to their dorms to invite people to join us. Everything else on campus was canceled. I figured that if Jesus can minister to the disciples in a storm at sea, we can go out into a rain storm and gather some friends for worship</p> <p>Around 8:00 pm, as students arrived at the Forum to begin CW, we received a tornado warning via text message. A tornado had been spotted close by, and we were instructed to seek shelter immediately.</p> <p>So we gathered hymnals, flashlights, and a djembe drum, and all 20 of us scurried downstairs to the ladies bathroom, which is the lowest point in the Forum. Here we had worship together. We sang songs, prayed, and met with the Lord. It was beautiful.</p> <p><strong>Powerful God</strong><br> When the warning expired we went back upstairs to finish CW with a time of prayer and testimonies. I saw the Lord powerfully at work during this time.</p> <p>Students were confronted with their own inability to control circumstances. Many of them were concerned about assignments or readings they wouldn’t be able to finish by morning. But several student testimonies about God’s powerful work in their lives over spring break challenged us to pray and give over our burdens to the Lord. I’ve never heard students confess and pray in such a way before.</p> <p>I’m so grateful for this night. Even though it was stressful and scary, the Lord was powerfully at work to meet students at Grinnell in the middle of a tornado threat. He may thwart our own plans, but God is good and knows exactly what we need.</p> <p><sup>Jennifer Weinman is an ñ campus staff member at Grinnell College. You can make a direct financial donation to support ñ’s work at Grinnell by <a href="/donate/to/989">following this link</a>.</sup></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 20 May 2010 05:00:00 +0000 webteam@intervarsity.org 7637 at Offering an Invitation /news/offering-an-invitation <div class="layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--33-67"> <div class="layout__region layout__region--first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="-menu" class="_none block block-menu navigation menu--about-us-menu"> <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="-menu">About Us Menu</h2> <ul class="clearfix nav"> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/what-we-believe" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-what-we-believe" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9386">What We Believe</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/our-purpose" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-our-purpose" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6927">Our Purpose</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/financial-info" title="Financial Info" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-financial-info" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6926">Financial Info</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/2022-2023-annual-report" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-2022-2023-annual-report" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4976">2022-2023 Annual Report</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/leadership" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-leadership" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6928">Leadership</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/intervarsity-and-ifes-history" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-intervarsity-and-ifes-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6925">ñ and IFES History</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/about-us/news" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-news" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6929">News</a> </li> <li class="nav-item menu-item--collapsed"> <a href="/about-us/press-room" class="nav-link nav-link--about-us-press-room" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/6931">Press Room</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/contact" class="nav-link nav-link--contact" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/9383">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div class="layout__region layout__region--second"> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-type"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2104" hreflang="en">News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-author"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Gordon Govier</div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewstitle"> <div class="content"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Offering an Invitation</h1></span> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsbody"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>ñ campus staff member Ben Emerson stood outside McNary Hall dormitory on the Oregon State University campus. The text message he read on his Blackberry brought a smile to his face.</p> <p>A half hour earlier Ben had led a dialogue about Christian values and sexuality in the dorm lounge, an event billed as Sexy Pizza. “It’s a provocative title that’s meant to raise questions,” Ben said.</p> <p>Ben gave three invitations at the end of the talk. He invited Christians who were present to rededicate their lives to Christ. Non-Christians were invited to consider becoming followers of Christ. And non-Christians were also given the option of joining a <span class="caps">GIG</span> (Group Investigating God, a short-term Bible study).</p> <p>“No one responded at the actual time I made the invitation but a couple of people said something to me afterwards, or something to their friends,” he said. “It got the ball rolling for more personal evangelism for students.”</p> <p>But then his phone buzzed with the text message from one of the students in the ñ chapter. The student, who had brought his roommate, was writing to say that his roommate liked the meeting and now was asking a lot of questions about Jesus.</p> <p>“This is a guy the student had prayed for. Now he is taking some steps toward faith because he is curious about Jesus,” Ben said.</p> <p><strong>Delayed Reaction</strong><br> Ben acknowledged that it was not unusual after an invitation like this, for responses to come dribbling in over a period of days or even weeks. He also acknowledged that this was the first time he had given an invitation like this after Sexy Pizza, even though he had given the presentation a half dozen times before.</p> <p>ñ staff in Oregon and Washington have committed themselves to offering students more opportunities to commit to following Jesus Christ, despite the Pacific Northwest’s reputation as one of the most unchurched areas of the country.</p> <p>At a staff retreat a year ago, staff members confronted the insecurity that they felt because of the Northwest’s reputation. They concluded that there was more spiritual fruit ready to be harvested, because God was at work on campus and in the lives of students.</p> <p><strong>Making a New Start</strong><br> Last summer staff members on each campus in the region prepared their annual fall semester welcome events for new students on campus with a new sense of expectation, anticipating that God was ready to act.</p> <p>The first school to welcome students in August was Willamette University. Campus staff member Daniel Esqueda gave the same three invitations to follow Jesus. Every student in the room but one stood in response to one of the invitations, and that student was a visitor who was already a Christian.</p> <p>Similar successes were reported in following weeks from almost every campus in the region.</p> <p>“For five weeks I was regularly forwarding reports of these happenings,” recalled regional director Kim Porter. “Typically our region averages about a dozen conversions each fall, all <span class="caps">GIG</span> related. Last fall we had over 28 conversions from public invitations.”</p> <p><strong>Harvest Time on Campus</strong><br> Jason Jensen, a national field director who oversees the northwest, called this harvest focus a huge change which involved some risk for the staff. But it is bearing fruit. And the timing seems to be right.</p> <p>“I don’t know if there’s ever been a bad time to be in university ministry but this is a fantastic time to be working with students on campus,” he said. “God is powerfully at work.”</p> <p>Jason Jensen talked about developments in the Pacific Northwest in a chapel service at ñ’s National Service Center. <a href="https://intervarsity.blob.core.windows.net/digital-services/media/mp3/2010-4-7-JasonJensen.mp3">Click here</a> to listen to his talk.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="_none block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenewsfield-news-keywords"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-field-news-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News Keywords</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/826" hreflang="en">Evangelism</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/757" hreflang="en">Campus Ministry</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 13 May 2010 05:00:00 +0000 webteam@intervarsity.org 8519 at