Central College

"I Want to Be Involved"

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:52:48 +0000

Amy Hauptman

"I Want to Be Involved"

“On the first day of school, when I saw ��ñ��’s Proxe Station What Do You Want to Accomplish This Semester? I walked right up to the students running the station and said, ‘I want to be involved,’” recalled Lindsay Young.

Even before Lindsay came to college, she had heard about ��ñ�� from her childhood friend Stephani, who was five years older and was involved in ��ñ�� at Central College in Pella, Iowa.

“Stephani was so passionate about ��ñ�� and the Urban Plunge that she had been a part of,” said Lindsay, “that by the time I got to Central College, I knew that I wanted to get involved in ��ñ�� too.”

Kelsey Welcomes Lindsay

At the Proxe Station, Lindsay met another ��ñ�� student, Kelsey. Kelsey was a warm and welcoming student, and incredibly cheerful. So when it was announced at ��ñ��’s Large Group meeting that Kelsey was leading a small group Bible study for first-year females, Lindsay knew she wanted to join.

“The first week, there were over 20 first-year women in Kelsey’s little dorm room, and she loved it!” said Lindsay. “But the next week that we got together, Kelsey and her coleader explained that they really wanted closer relationships with us—so they decided to split their 20-person small group Bible study into two smaller groups. It showed me that Kelsey and her co-leader really did want to have relationships with us, not just to teach us.”

Every week, Kelsey prioritized asking the women in her small group about their lives and would let the group share about their weeks before they focused on studying Scripture.

“Through that Bible study, Kelsey made us feel so comfortable on campus,” said Lindsay. “We shared life together, we were vulnerable together, and we learned about Jesus’ love for us and all people. Kelsey was and is an amazing mentor.”

Share Your Story Week

This last year—her third year—Lindsay continued growing in her own faith when she attended Urbana 12. She also was invited to serve as her chapter’s Special Event Coordinator. She and a team of students planned an outreach event—a weeklong, campus-wide event called Share Your Story Week—aimed at helping people tell personal stories about disbelief, mental health, body image issues, and other tough topics.

“As we planned for this event, there was a lot of stress and frustration, and at times I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it,” said Lindsay. “But when the event finally happened, I remember talking to people I never would have dreamed of talking to and being vulnerable by sharing my story with them. This experience really required me to step out in faith.”

During Share Your Story Week, Christians and non-Christians gathered together, and people were invited to get up before an open microphone and simply share their stories.

“I was amazed by students’ responses during the week,” said Lindsay. “Many shared stories of abuse, bullying, hope, and love—people were so vulnerable and everyone involved in this event felt so close by the end of the week.”

Every night, ��ñ�� students offered prayer to anyone who wanted it, and on the last night of sharing, ��ñ�� students shared their stories and shared about the hope and love that Jesus offers the world. Then students were invited to start following Jesus if that was something they wanted. Lindsay was amazed to see one of her friends accept this invitation.

A Spiritual Shepherd Sent Into the World

Over the past few years, Lindsay has learned about the importance of stepping out and inviting others to follow Jesus—and inviting people to grow in their own relationship with Jesus. This summer Lindsay is going on a Global Project with ��ñ�� where she will build relationships with college students and learn to share the gospel cross-culturally.

“I was very reluctant to go on this trip,” said Lindsay. “When my staff worker asked if I would consider going, I said no; I was scared to be away for that long in an unfamiliar place.”

But she decided to take a risk and sign up anyway because of how she sensed God leading her through prayer.

“I hope that through this trip, God will show me his provision and also teach me more about his love for all people,” said Lindsay. “I am already praying that I will be stretched in ways that I’ve never dreamed of. I know that I will truly need to trust Christ to take care of me while I am overseas.”

As Lindsay continues to follow Jesus overseas this summer, she will take with her the things that she has learned through ��ñ��—like being missional wherever she is, even in another country.

News Keywords

Proxe Stations

Global Projects

Central College

The Church is the Change

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:20:45 +0000

News

Abi Christian

The Church is the Change

In the middle of another busy semester, most students have forgotten there ever was a spring break. But for Lydia Kosbau, the lessons she learned on her spring break trip last year continue to benefit her hometown and campus.

Last spring, Lydia traveled with her ��ñ�� chapter at Central College—Pella, Iowa, to serve with City Lights in St. Louis, one of ��ñ��’s urban projects. Her team was placed in a tutoring center for refugee children; but since it was spring break, the children also had a week off from school. Lydia spent the week alphabetizing the library and cleaning up the tutor center. “When we got our daily job placements, I was a little disappointed,” said Lydia. “I didn’t realize then that God had something else he wanted to teach me.”

Cleaning gave her plenty of time to get to know the woman in charge of the tutoring center and hear her story. Ten years ago, the woman had moved her family to the center’s neighborhood to minister to and build community with the students’ families, even though the neighborhood was poor and had a reputation for being “rough.” “It was amazing to hear stories of how God had opened doors for many families through their children being part of the tutoring program,” said Lydia.

Seeing how the tutoring center and other local ministries cared for the community also challenged the ideas she studied in class. “In sociology classes, the teachers always say that the change has to come from the government, but as Christians we know that the Church needs to be the change. As a future social worker, it gave me hope to see the Church in St. Louis living that out,” said Lydia.

Change Spreads to Marshalltown

The stories from the tutoring center made Lydia think about how her church in Marshalltown, Iowa, where her dad was a senior pastor, could reach out to the community in similar ways.

Her family’s house had been on the market for over a year with few prospects, and her parents had been looking for another house. “My mom would find one in the paper, and Dad would want to know where it was located. They said no to a lot of houses because they were in ‘rough neighborhoods,’” said Lydia. “As I told my parents about how God was working in St. Louis, they began to have a change of heart,” said Lydia.

Her parents started looking for houses in neighborhoods they had refused to look at before. It didn’t take long for them to find a house in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, where their church puts on an after school program.

“My parents felt like it was perfect because we already knew some of the families through the after school program,” said Lydia. Two days after putting an offer down on a house, their own house received several requests for showings, and one couple bought it.

“My dad would tell you that he has never sensed the Lord’s leading that strongly in his life. God has continued to affirm that this is where he wants us,” said Lydia. Since they moved, Lydia’s parents have befriended neighborhood kids, helped clean up after a damaging storm, and invited their new neighbors to church. “It felt like, as soon as we aligned ourselves with God’s plan, there was no stopping what he was going to do!” said Lydia.

Change of Perspective

On campus, Lydia had a similar desire to change how she approached the community she lived in, particularly her non-Christian friends. “I tend to get frustrated when my friends aren’t showing much interest in God, and I start to give up on them,” said Lydia. “Coming back from St. Louis, I was really struck by how making them love God is not my job. My job is to love them and walk alongside of them. ‘Hold their hands and walk them to Jesus’ is the way one of the speakers from City Lights put it.”

From starting a Bible study with an international student to being available to a hurting friend, Lydia hopes that Jesus is evident in her words and actions. ��ñ�� students and faculty desire to reach out to the whole campus, including their neighbors in dorms, sororities and fraternities, classes, and sports teams.

News Keywords

City Lights

Central College