Global Projects

Experiencing God Through Community

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 21:30:13 +0000

Amy Hauptman

Experiencing God Through Community

“Often, following Jesus can be very discouraging, especially in an atmosphere such as college,” said Isaac Redinger. “During my freshman year, I often felt ostracized because I didn’t want to take part in the unhealthy lifestyles that were around me in the dorms.”

Before coming to college, Isaac had grown up in a Christian family, where his parents encouraged his spiritual growth. Isaac remembers beginning a personal relationship with Jesus when he was very young. He and his family attended church in Madison, Wisconsin, and his family took trips to Inter-Varsity Canada’s Ontario Pioneer Camp every summer.

“While participating in those summer camps, I started to identify my leadership skills through training, and I recognized the importance of being in an atmosphere that would grow my faith,” said Isaac. “It was during my middle school years, I remember, that my relationship with God hit a turning point, and [since then] I’ve been growing to know him more and more each day.”

Following in His Sister’s Footsteps

When Isaac was a senior in high school, his sister was a student at the University of Wisconsin—Madison (UW) and was involved in ��ñ��. After seeing the fellowship that his sister experienced through ��ñ��, Isaac knew that he wanted to join when he was a freshman at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

“As I got involved in ��ñ��, I was thankful for the ways that God was surrounding me with genuine friends who were living for God,” said Isaac. “Over the years, ��ñ�� has showed me the importance of living in community with others—it not only strengthens my faith, but this community encourages me to reach out to others, to learn more about who God is through Bible study, and also to have fun!”

Growing in Faith

One of Isaac’s most memorable times with ��ñ�� came at the beginning of his sophomore year. He and his roommate felt led to host a weekly Bible study out of their dorm room, even though they only knew of one friend from another floor who might be interested.

Through the first weeks of the semester, Isaac saw God bring 12 male students who wanted to learn more about Jesus to their Bible study.

“Not only were these guys committed, but the friendships that developed from this study were awesome,” said Isaac. “I was amazed the most after realizing that much of that Bible study formed as a result of prayer—it was very humbling to realize that it was not us who were bringing people together, but it was God moving in the lives of our friends.”

Isaac not only became more confident in his faith; he also began to recognize the ways that God was answering prayer and demonstrating his love through this small group of male students.

After leading the Bible study this past year, Isaac sensed God inviting him to take another step of faith by going on an ��ñ�� Global Project over the summer, which he just completed. "I saw God open up doors on our trip that I didn't think would be possible!" he said.

Ready for Anything

Returning to campus for his third year of studies, Isaac is “excited to see what God has in store.”

“Through ��ñ�� I have grown a lot as a leader,” said Isaac. “Not only have I learned so many amazing things through manuscript Bible study, but I’ve realized that leading a Bible study has strengthened my reliance on God.”

As Isaac and countless other ��ñ�� student leaders return to campus, we trust that God will bless and guide each of them as they share the good news of Jesus Christ with friends.

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

Global Projects

Praying for Peace in Ukraine

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 21:40:50 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

Praying for Peace in Ukraine

The images from street demonstrations in Ukraine are striking, particularly the images of Orthodox priests carrying crosses and standing between the demonstrators and police. One image in particular caught the attention of Bob Grahmann, now Director of ��ñ��’s Link program, and formerly a resident of Kiev, Ukraine for nine years.

The photo shows ministry colleague Denis Gorenkov, in an orange jacket and holding a Bible, standing with Orthodox priests and several women on a street strewn with rocks which had been flung at police by demonstrators. Gorenkov is general secretary of CCX, ��ñ��’s sister student movement in Ukraine through the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES).

"It's incredible to see them standing shoulder to shoulder, with their icons and a Bible,” Bob said. “It's a miracle that they would allow him to stand with them because in most Orthodox countries the Protestants are looked down upon as heretics. In any other country the Orthodox would not allow it.”

A Reason for Hope

Bob and his wife Patricia are watching with deeply mixed emotions the unfolding of events in Kiev. "I'm worried politically, because this is just a repeat of what's been happening in Ukraine over the last 400 years,” he said. “But I'm hopeful because of the spiritual depth and vision of the IFES movement in Ukraine and the effect that they can have on the country."

CCX is one of the strongest movements in IFES. The Grahmanns attribute that in part to many ��ñ�� staff members who, like them, have invested years of work in Ukraine through ��ñ��’s Link program and Global Projects, along with staff from other IFES member countries who also spent time in Ukraine.

Twenty-five years ago an unlikely friendship developed between former ��ñ�� Missions Director Dan Harrison and Margarita Petrovna Dvorzhetskaya, the formerly atheistic Vice Rector of the Kiev Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. ��ñ�� began sending groups of students on cultural exchanges to Kiev, the beginning of ��ñ��’s Global Projects. The Grahmanns’ nine year tenure, helping train Eurasian staff, was one outgrowth of that relationship. They saw Margarita frequently in Sunday morning church services.

Developing a Broader Vision

For the past ten years Denis Gorenkov has been engaged in reaching out to improve relations with the Orthodox church and developing a broader vision of Christian engagement for the Christian students he works with in Ukraine. Earlier this month he organized a meeting of evangelical leaders to discuss the current political crisis. They issued an appeal to the evangelical churches of Ukraine to take a stronger stand for peace, truth, and justice in Ukraine.

“What gives us the most joy is that as we helped to train and mentor them we also tried to help them see ��ñ��'s vision for engaging the culture,” Bob said. The idea of engaging the culture conflicts with the separatist attitude that is more common in communist countries. Protestant churches could expose themselves to unwanted government attention by taking political positions.

"The character of the Ukrainian says don't make waves, don't make trouble, things will always be bad, get used to it," Patricia said. “So you know it's a big problem when 250,000 people show up to protest something the government is doing and get beat up by police."

“Hope is not a part of their culture,” Bob added. “It only comes from the gospel. The hope of the gospel has transformed them." The conflict continues in Kiev. The Grahmanns, and millions of others, are hoping and praying for peaceful resolution.

UPDATE - JANUARY 28, 2014

In a letter sent today, Denis Gorenkov appealed for prayers for Ukraine:

Please, pray that the government would cancel the new “totalitarian laws” as they negotiate with the opposition right now. Pray that those who are missing would be found. Pray for the police to listen to their conscience more than to the illegal orders. Pray that the bloodshed would be stopped.

^{Photo: courtesy of CCX.}

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"I Want to Be Involved"

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

News

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