Justice

Praying for God’s Justice

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Sat, 09 Jul 2016 11:34:45 +0000

Tom Lin and Jim Lundgren

Praying for God’s Justice

It’s been a heavy week.

We are both lamenting the death of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and the death of Philando Castile in Minnesota, both killed at the hands of law enforcement.

We are both also lamenting the deaths of Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarippa, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, and Lorne Ahrens, the five police officers killed by a sniper in Dallas while they were protecting protestors.

And we are lamenting again the longstanding existence of racial conflict in the U.S.—the sinful physical, emotional, and mental abuse African Americans, in particular, have suffered under since our nation began; the often volatile relationships between law enforcement officers and communities of color, and the fear that exists on both sides; and the frequent silence of the church on issues of systemic racial injustice.

But there are no simple analyses or solutions, both because of the long history of racial conflict and because of its many layers. Violence, we know, will never be part of the solution. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem; it merely creates new and more complicated ones.” The solution we long for is God’s justice—true, lasting justice, of which violence has no part.

The problem resists our desire for black and white clarity, however. It demands both/and thinking, rather than either-or thinking, and reflects the human paradox: we are all God’s image bearers and sinful humans simultaneously. We have sinned in what we’ve done, and in what we’ve left undone. And it will take God bringing both personal transformation of hearts and major transformation of systems and structures for lasting change to come.

Yet, in the midst of all the answers we don’t know, here’s what we do know. As the current president and president-elect of ��ñ��, we care deeply about the gospel and the increasingly diverse college and university world. ��ñ��’s ministry reflects that diversity: over 54 percent of our students are non-White Americans, and we have had consistent growth in the number of Black staff and students. Last week the two of us welcomed 19 new Black staff members into ��ñ�� at our annual Orientation for New Staff in Madison, Wisconsin. They join 94 Black staff members and over 5,300 African American students involved in ��ñ�� chapters all over the U.S. And we know, as we’ve listened to staff and student stories, that any of these bright, eager, gifted young men and women could have been the ones killed this week.

That’s why we’re committed to standing with our Black brothers and sisters and co-laborers in the gospel—listening to them, learning from them, and lamenting with them over the structures and systems that keep them living in fear for their lives, both on campus and off.

We’re also committed to continuing to develop students and faculty who understand what it is to be God’s image bearers in a fractured, violent world—to be bearers of his dignity, grace, peace, truth, and justice in their relationships and vocations. Our Black Campus Ministries staff model this so well for students; we’re often amazed at the ways they are able to shepherd and disciple hurting students while they themselves are also in deep grief.

Our vice president and director of Multiethnic Ministries, Paula Fuller, says, “One of our greatest challenges in times like these is the ability to hold on to hope. As I interact with our Black staff and students, I see the level of pain and trauma they’ve experienced. I also see their capacity to grapple with the brokenness of society while holding onto the power of the gospel. As we enter a new season for Black Campus Ministries, and the appointment of Charlene Brown as our new director, I see a generation of leaders who can help ��ñ�� envision a path that moves us beyond engaging racial tension to challenging racial injustice. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.’”

The presence of justice is not a Black and White issue. In addition to African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos have also experienced suffering at the hands of unjust structures. It will take all of us—people of all ethnicities and denominations—praying and taking action as God leads to see his kingdom come and his will be done in relationships and systems in the United States.

If you’re new to the journey, here are a few voices you might start your listening and learning with:

��ñ�� staff member Brunel Bienvenu’s reflections on being from a law enforcement family and being a victim of racism at the hands of police
professor and pastor Ed Stetzer’s parable of the Hellenist widows from Acts 6
pastor and ��ñ�� Press author Thabiti Anyabwile’s call to the church to speak out on matters of injustice.

As the two of us lament and continue to learn from others, we’re praying big prayers too, asking God to bring his mercy and justice—quickly. Will you join us in that prayer? And then, as God leads, in partnering to see and work for his answer?

Lord, may your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

News Keywords

Racial Reconciliation

Justice

��ñ�� and BlackLivesMatter

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 03:19:02 +0000

Press Room

��ñ�� and BlackLivesMatter

(St. Louis, MO) --- ��ñ�� has a 75-year dedication to the gospel, orthodox doctrine, and missions while also sharing the message in a way that resonates with the current student generation. Scripture and the gospel are non-negotiables for us. Some of our chapters have been denied access to campuses because of our dedication to core, orthodox Christian doctrines.

We chose to address #BlackLivesMatter at Urbana 15, ��ñ��’s Student Missions Conference, because it is a language and experience of many college students. Many Black ��ñ�� staff and students report that they are physically and emotionally at risk in their communities and on campus. About one-half of those at Urbana 15 are people of color, including more than 1,200 Black participants. ��ñ�� chose to participate in this conversation because we believe that Christians have something distinctive to contribute in order to advance the gospel.

��ñ�� does not endorse everything attributed to #BlackLivesMatter. For instance, we reject any call to attack or dehumanize police. But – using the language of Francis Schaeffer and Chuck Colson – we are co-belligerents with a movement with which we sometimes disagree because we believe it is important to affirm that God created our Black brothers and sisters. They bear his image. They deserve safety, dignity and respect. ��ñ�� believes all lives are sacred – born and unborn. Interim president Jim Lundgren says, “Scripture is clear about the sanctity of life. That is why I’m both pro-life and committed to the dignity of my Black brothers and sisters.”

We see racial reconciliation as an expression of the gospel (e.g., Ephesians 2:14-18), and as an important practice in preparation for global missions. The need for reconciliation is obvious in the Middle East and other global mission fields. It is just as obvious in the United States. ��ñ�� has been involved in this conversation for decades. We believe it is important to stand alongside our Black brothers and sisters.

News Keywords

Racial Reconciliation

Justice

BlackLivesMatter

National Lament Strikes Home

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 19:52:48 +0000

News

Alec Hill, president of ��ñ�� Christian Fellowship

National Lament Strikes Home

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking on the same platform with former Madison Chief of Police Noble Wray. A strong African American leader with a thoughtful and kind demeanor, he was asked if there had ever been a police shooting of an unarmed Black man in Madison. As far as he knew, there hadn’t been.

The next week, I spent four days at ��ñ��’s Multiethnic Staff Conference in Orlando, meeting with 320 staff members of all ethnicities and hearing stories of reconciliation from campus. Together, we experienced apologies and forgiveness, listening and lament, celebration and hope.

As I was flying from Orlando back to Madison—still processing the conference’s content—a young Black man, Tony Robinson, was shot and killed in my home town.

The juxtaposition of these three events stunned me. The death of another college-aged Black man moved my soul back into a state of sadness. Akin to a night of lament I had experienced in Orlando, I was mournful and confused.

As such, I can barely imagine the depths of pain that my African American brothers and sisters have experienced this week. A contemporaneous incident at the University of Oklahoma—racist slurs being chanted by students on a bus—only compounds the sorrow. The life—and dignity—of every Black staff member and college student matters deeply to the Lord and to our ��ñ�� community.

Liberal Madison prides itself on its enlightened racial practices. Yet, as former ��ñ�� trustee and local pastor Alex Gee has reminded us, Madison lags behind the state of Wisconsin and the nation on nearly every indicator of Black well-being. This includes unemployment, incarceration, healthcare, and high-school graduation rates.

This week, I have been diligently praying for Alex as he has served as civic leader, pastored his congregation and others, advised local police, and appeared on numerous media outlets. At a vigil for Tony Robinson, he reminded a gathered crowd, “We have to pray.” It is an honor to know someone who models prophetic-like resolve balanced with grace. Alex possesses a remarkable blend of truth, peace, and integrity.

The prophet Jeremiah is another exemplar in times of pain. Labelled “the weeping prophet,” he lamented while listening for the word of the Lord. He wept even as he warned the Israelites to return to the Lord and practice the justice God’s law demands.

And so, we act even as we lament. Our office staff in Madison spent our weekly chapel time walking in our neighborhood. As we moved out in pairs, we prayed for the Robinson family, for Madison police officers, for our Black staff and students around the country, for our churches, and for peace internationally.

Weeks ago, current Madison Chief of Police, Mike Koval, was invited to speak to our local office staff as part of our ongoing efforts to engage in issues of multiethnicity and racial reconciliation in our community. Little did we know of the tragic events that would intervene. Yesterday, more than fifty staff gathered to engage with and pray for him.

On campus, our 150 students at the University of Wisconsin are raising awareness of the need for reconciliation. At the University of Oklahoma, ��ñ�� students are hosting conversations about Jesus and race. And students and staff in the St. Louis area continue to engage campuses and churches in the shadow of Ferguson.

So, while deeply saddened, I am encouraged by young leaders who are rising around the country—leaders who, like Jeremiah, are wise beyond their years and willing to be voices of hope and healing.

Tomorrow, my wife Mary and I will join many others in attending Tony Robinson’s memorial service here in Madison. Echoing the words of the psalmist, we will keep hope even as we mourn: “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

News Keywords

A Campus Ministry Response to Ferguson

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 18:27:15 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

A Campus Ministry Response to Ferguson

The issues in Ferguson, Missouri, resonate with many students on college campuses across the country: racial tensions, discrimination, abuse of power, and historical patterns of oppression. And these same issues affect many across the country. So as the grand jury looking into the Michael Brown shooting prepared to announce its findings, ��ñ�� staff and students sought a response that constructively connected with our biblical concerns for ethnic reconciliation and justice.

For ��ñ��’s campus ministry, as well as for the Ferguson area institutions, this is a significant moment. “The events in Ferguson, and the broader social discourse, serve as a test for our core value of ethnic reconciliation and justice,” said Paula Fuller, ��ñ��’s Vice President and Director of Multiethnic Ministries. “As a ministry committed to establishing and advancing witnessing communities on our university and college campuses that are growing in love for people of every ethnicity and culture, how we attend to the events unfolding in the public square will either lend credence to our commitment or cause our words to have a hollow ring.”

��ñ�� staff have assembled a package of resources designed to help college students engage with their campus communities in a proactive manner, with approaches that range from a prayer gathering on campus, to a student survey, to an artistic display that probes the issue of police brutality. Some ��ñ�� staff are working closely with church and community leaders in Ferguson as agents of reconciliation and advocating more broadly for awareness and understanding.

��ñ�� alumni are also active in planning constructive response to the events in Ferguson. Several serve on the Ferguson Commission, appointed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to study the issues underlying the Ferguson incidents and issue recommendations. Members of the Commission include T.R. Carr, Professor of Public Administration at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and former mayor of Hazelwood MO. He is an ��ñ�� alumnus and longtime ��ñ�� volunteer. Also on the Commission, Brittney Packnett, Executive Director of Teach For America and alumna of ��ñ��'s Harambee Christian Ministries chapter at Washington University.

We lament the death of Michael Brown, and the wasted lives of all who suffer under racist structures that sap their potential. We confess that we have not worked hard enough to change those institutions which perpetuate some of the sins that began centuries ago in the days of legalized slavery. We are called to work to reform unjust systems and pursue racial reconciliation.

^{Image: Flickr}

News Keywords

multiethnicity

Justice

The Price of Life in Michigan

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:26:39 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

The Price of Life in Michigan

UPDATE: The preliminary report indicates 254 students became new followers of Jesus during the University of Michigan Price of Life Invitational. A total of 419 students and volunteers were trained in evangelism. For more information, check this report by David Ruark.

The University of Michigan’s Price of Life Invitational asked the question, “What if U of M’s iconic football stadium, The Big House, was filled with trafficked children?” The capacity of The Big House, the largest stadium in the U.S., is almost 110,000. That number is comparable to the number of children currently enslaved in the U.S.

The week of October 19-24, 2014, the Price of Life Invitational was held on the University of Michigan campus to draw attention to the issue of human trafficking, and to mobilize a response towards the goal of eliminating it. In other words, the goal was to empty The Big House. More than 70 organizations partnered with ��ñ�� to sponsor over 30 events throughout the week.

“��ñ�� developed this model of justice and gospel oriented campus saturation outreaches and sponsors the Price of Life Invitational to help people explore what God might have to do with injustice and how faith could empower the search for justice,” said Dave Paladino, the Price of Life director. “Our goals are to engage 5,000 people in and around U of M’s campus in significant conversations about human trafficking and raise awareness about human trafficking to 30,000 people in the state of Michigan and see 200 commit their lives to Jesus.”

��ñ�� has been involved in more than a dozen Price of Life Invitationals over the last decade, last year most prominently in New York City. Participants include lawmakers from both political parties who are interested in enacting tougher laws to fight human trafficking. Additional organizations involved include other campus ministries, local Ann Arbor churches, and international humanitarian organizations.

The kick-off rally was held Sunday afternoon at the central campus bell tower, featuring trafficking survivor Danielle Douglass and ��ñ��'s National Evangelist York Moore. As she spoke, Danielle said, “It wasn’t until I got connected to ��ñ�� and the Price of Life that I connected my survival as a trafficking victim to God and I’m so excited to be following Jesus.” Danielle had become a follower of Jesus at York's invitation at a meeting just before the rally started.

Other Price of Life Invitational speakers include professor Bridgette Carr, director of the Human Trafficking Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School; Kelly Carter, Michigan Assistant Attorney General; E. Christopher Johnson, CEO and co-founder of the Center for Justice Rights and Dignity; Ron Soodalter, author of The Slave Next Door; Greta Uehling, a lecturer on international studies at the University of Michigan and hundreds of trained and dedicated students and ��ñ�� staff.

The final event of the week on Friday evening at the Michigan Theater included a celebration with musical artists and rappers Tedashii, KB, and NF; a testimony from a survivor of human trafficking; and a gospel proclamation and invitation by ��ñ�� staff member and Urbana 12 speaker Ram Sridharan. During the week hundreds of ��ñ�� students and other students engaged the campus community with interactive displays that connect justice and the gospel, and invited them to respond to Jesus.

“We hope to saturate the campus with this issue for Jesus' sake,” said ��ñ�� Regional Director Fred Bailey. “While combating modern slavery, we are also explicitly connecting the gospel of Jesus and justice, helping people explore and respond to what God says and does regarding injustice, and how God’s heart and our faith drive the search for justice.”

Original Price of Life promotional video:

For more information:

the U of M Price of Life Invitational website

News coverage:

Michigan Law newsroom

News Keywords

The Price of Life at OSU

webteam@intervarsity.org — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0000

News

The Price of Life at OSU

How do you get a whole campus, one of the largest campuses in the U.S., to pay attention to God? That was the goal as ��ñ�� brought The Price of Life Invitational to Ohio State University (OSU). (Video summary and news coverage links have been added to the end of this story.)

��ñ�� partnered with other campus Christian organizations, local churches, and anti-trafficking organizations, to raise awareness about the evils of human trafficking and 21st century slavery. During The Price of Life Invitational information about modern day slavery and about what God says concerning injustice was shared in a variety of formats. Students and community members were challenged to consider how God may be calling them to respond and bring justice to those who are suffering through their increased awareness, financial donations to organizations fighting trafficking, and volunteerism.

In addition, The Price of Life Invitational offered students a unique lens to consider the relevancy of Jesus Christ, and offer them the opportunity to hear God’s call to commit their lives to follow Him. More than 300 students committed their lives to follow Christ during this week’s events.

Events of The Price of Life Invitational included:

Parade of Tears, during which students and community members retraced the route of the historic Underground Railroad in protest against the current child prostitution industry.
In-class presentations by representatives from World Vision, International Justice Mission, and the Not For Sale Campaign.
The Price of Life interactive game show which contrasted everyday commodities with the value placed on human life in the contemporary slave trade.
Proxe Stations, interactive art displays around campus which addressed the issue of child prostitution from the standpoint of the gospel.
Town Hall meetings which discussed new laws to fight human trafficking, featuring Ohio congressional representatives and a state senator.

Participants in The Price of Life Invitational included:

US Congressman Patrick Tiberi (R-12th), Keynote Speaker
U. S. Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy (D-15th)
State Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo)
Holly J. Burkhalter, Vice President for Government Relations, International Justice Mission
Theresa Flores, Director of Awareness and Training, Gracehaven
David Batstone, President and Founder of the Not for Sale Campaign
Steve Reynolds, World Vision
Jane Tafel, President of Hagar International USA

OSU Price of Life Invitational from ��ñ��-twentyonehundred on Vimeo.

News Coverage:
April 19 – OSU Lantern
April 19 – Columbus Dispatch
April 18 – WCMH/NBC4
April 18 – Columbus Dispatch
February 11 – CBS News

News Keywords

Justice

Evangelism

Learning to Serve

webteam@intervarsity.org — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

News

Jonathan Rice

Learning to Serve

When Michelle Kao began the engineering program at Johns Hopkins University, she had plans for a lucrative career. But as an ��ñ�� student, she became increasingly passionate about serving people in desperate need. So she changed her major.

A Change of Heart
Michelle changed her major to Public Health and found through ��ñ��’s campus witnessing community the training she needed to integrate her Christian worldview with a vocation that would minister to people in desperate circumstances.

After graduation in 2003, she moved to Los Angeles to work with Servant Partners, a non-profit ministry to the urban poor. Then a few years later she joined a missions team in Bangkok, where today she not only brings God’s love and hope to residents of a slum but is herself growing as a Christian. “It’s been so sweet to see God work in people’s lives,” said Michelle. “And I’ve learned to love God a lot more too.” Michelle is an example of the many students that ��ñ�� prepares for service in the world.

Learning Servant Leadership
Jesus taught his disciples to proclaim the gospel and express God’s love through service to people. ��ñ�� teaches students and faculty how to invite people into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and how to show every person God’s love through acts of service. Such service includes personal care to nurture another person’s life and community participation to advance social justice.

During the school year just past almost 600 ��ñ�� students have participated in 37 urban projects in cities across the U.S. This summer 400 students are traveling abroad to participate in global projects in every region of the world.

��ñ�� enables students to become servant leaders by offering Christ-centered campus fellowships welcome to all, programs for biblical study in small groups, experiential learning projects in campus evangelism, and domestic and international missions opportunities.

Learning Service through Fellowship
Our campus fellowships are not private Christian clubs, catering to the desires of Christian students, but are welcoming witnessing communities that reach out to everyone on campus. Within our witnessing communities, Christians and non-Christians alike are encouraged to draw closer to God, grow together as friends, learn about the gospel, follow Jesus Christ, and serve people in need. ��ñ�� students model their fellowship with one another and their servant leadership in other campus communities on the biblical principles they learn through weekly small group Bible studies.

Learning Service through Bible Study
Since establishing our first chapter on the campus of the University of Michigan in 1941, ��ñ�� has held that regular Bible study is essential for a maturing Christian life. ��ñ�� staff, students, and faculty hold that the Bible is God’s Word to humankind and as such carries a divine authority.

Through regular study of the Scriptures during their college years, and through insights provided by the biblical commentaries and scholarly books published by ��ñ�� Press, many an ��ñ�� alumni has gained sound biblical footing for their vocational journeys, whether such journeys proceeded through seminary to pastoral ministry or to missions in faraway lands or to marketplace ministries in a corporate business or a suburban neighborhood.

Through regular Bible studies, ��ñ�� students draw close to God. And within a caring community they pray to see other students and faculty transformed by Jesus Christ, and they make Christ known on their campus in hopes of seeing their campus spiritually renewed.

Learning Service through Evangelism
Reaching out to people with the gospel is a core value for ��ñ��’s campus witnessing communities. “And making Christ known is a hallmark of our ministry,” said ��ñ��’s president Alec Hill.

Some of the ways our staff, students, and faculty make Christ known on campus have included book tables that feature the latest publications from ��ñ�� Press, interactive displays that spark conversations about morality, invitations to ��ñ�� outreach events—such as dinners, weekend retreats, and lectures by renowned Christian scholars—and, always essential, the building of friendships through acts of genuine caring.

��ñ�� students learn to evangelize their campus by participating in the daily life of the student community and building relationships with their classmates. Through their participation in the campus community our students discover that God uses them to bring classmates into a relationship with God. And seeing how God transforms the lives of their friends inspires many ��ñ�� students to integrate evangelism into their daily lives

Learning Service through Missions
��ñ�� teaches students that all Christians are called to advance the kingdom of God, so we encourage all students to look for ways that they may be of service to God’s global mission. Still, we recognize that some students, when they sense that God may be calling them to life-long vocations in Christian ministry, need a resource to confirm such a vocation. So ��ñ�� offers students short-term mission projects, from one week to a month, within the United States and in many foreign countries, and we sponsor missions conferences, most notably our triennial Urbana Student Missions Conference, where students from around the world come to learn about missions, connect with working missionaries and missions agencies, and respond to God’s call in their lives.

This year’s week-long Urbana 09 conference begins on December 27th in St. Louis, Missouri, and will offer participants inspiring speakers during the two-a-day plenary sessions. Daily Seminars and week-long Instructional Tracks of interest to students with visions for cross-cultural missions abroad or with passions for social justice among the urban poor, and Tracks of interest to experienced church workers desiring to enhance their practice of ministry among congregations with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, will also be offered at Urbana 09.

Conference participants will also have opportunities to worship with thousands of other people of different ethnicities in the Edward Jones Dome and America’s Center and make new friends in small group Bible studies that meet in their hotels. Thus far, over 6,300 people have registered for this year’s Urbana 09, which promises to teach, inspire, and transform students’ lives.

Sara Stephens is an example of someone whose life was transformed by an Urbana Student Missions Conference. “I went to Urbana 2003,” said Sara, “kind of asking God what he might have me do. I was able to talk with some missionaries and hear from people’s experience on the field. I started seeing myself as somebody who could actually do something like that, rather than seeing missionaries as people who are just super spiritual or seemed called to missions since their birth. I think after that Urbana I really felt like God was saying, ‘You know, I’ll make it possible for you to do this.’”

And God did make it possible for Sara to serve: Today she is working among the poor in Bangkok, Thailand, through the missions agency Servant Partners.

��ñ�� students are learning servant leadership. Through our campus fellowships, Bible studies, Evangelism activities, and missions opportunities, ��ñ�� students are learning to serve people in the name of Jesus Christ.

^{Photo: Michelle, second from left, and Sara, far right, are shown with their Servant Partners colleagues in Bangkok. ��ñ�� Photo by Matt Kirk.}

^{Michelle and Sara are featured in a video on the Urbana 09 website.}

News Keywords

Goats on Campus

webteam@intervarsity.org — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

Goats on Campus

Students walking across Stanford University’s White Plaza on May 21, 2009, were surprised to see four goats and a yak grazing on the grass. Many stopped to pet the goats and have their pictures taken with them, which is just what the members of ��ñ�� Graduate Christian Fellowship were hoping they would do.

“It was fun watching people,” said Nate Chambers, a computer science PhD candidate who initiated the goat project. “You’d see their eyes kind of open up and then they’d hit the brakes and come over. Eventually they’d pay five dollars to pet the goat, or ten dollars for a photo.”

Nate was the leader of a Bible study group that had been discussing ways that Christians could respond to social issues, such as hunger and poverty. The group decided one very practical way to have a lasting impact on a needy population was to donate some dairy goats through World Vision.

Engaging the Entire Campus
“I thought rather than doing something privately, it would be nice if we could get our ��ñ�� chapter to do something, and then maybe even engage the entire Stanford community,” Nate said. “We had a desire to engage the campus on an issue that we feel God cares about.”

Abiding by Stanford’s rules for non-profit organizations, which require ticket sales for fund-raising events, the group decided to go interactive and find some living, bleating, examples of what the project was all about. It turns out that goats are easy to find, and borrow for a day, in the Bay Area. The goats’ owner threw in a yak for good measure.

To provide one goat to a needy family through World Vision costs $75. “Our original goal was to be able to buy 80 goats,” Nate said. “Then we set a lower goal of 60, because we weren’t sure we could meet that.”

Response Exceeds Expectations
The project met and surpassed both goals. Many people bought multiple tickets. Someone in the Physics Department collected enough money from colleagues to fund three goats. The total funds raised will buy over 90 goats. “I think God is teaching us a lesson, not to be surprised by what He can do,” Nate said.

��ñ�� campus staff member Pete Sommer said he laughed out loud when the group first told him about their plan. “I had no idea it would catch on like this,” he said. But the chapter members got behind the project, planned and executed it well, and were thankful that it turned out even better than they had hoped.

The project was reported not only by local media, and the campus newspaper but also by the official Stanford News Service. Afterward, two other Stanford-affiliated organizations expressed a desire to work together with the ��ñ�� Graduate Christian Fellowship on similar projects in the future.

“They’re not Christian groups but they’re unfazed about associating with a Christian group,” Nate said. “I think that is a big win on a liberal university campus that can oftentimes show skepticism toward religious organizations. We had such a good time, I really don’t see any reason why we would not do it again.” But next time he’ll borrow twice as many goats.

News Keywords

Justice

Campus Ministry

Teaching for America

webteam@intervarsity.org — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

Teaching for America

It was a watermelon picnic where Katie Rigby connected with ��ñ�� as a new freshman at Wake Forest University. And it was a small group ��ñ�� Bible study that she led as a sophomore that awakened her passion for social justice. After her sophomore year she joined her ��ñ�� staff leaders on a mission trip to New York City. “That’s where I really started learning about peoples’ experiences and what was working and what wasn’t,” she said.

Katie served as the chapter’s service coordinator her senior year. She helped connect chapter members with local service opportunities and organized the spring break service mission. As she prepared to graduate, she knew she was looking for a job that offered more than a paycheck.

“I was looking for something that was social justice oriented, connecting what I had done in college with a real life job, working to eradicate injustices I had seen taking place,” she said. “The mission of Teach For America seemed to fit with what I wanted to do, so I applied.”

ONLY THE BEST
In the tradition of the Peace Corps and Americorps, Teach For America is mobilizing thousands of college graduates to personally invest two years of their lives to help eradicate the educational achievement gap in low income community schools and then, as alumni, commit their lives to expanding educational opportunity. Many ��ñ�� students like Katie have accepted the Teach For America’s challenge.

Founded just 18 years ago, Teach For America recruits top college graduates and professionals of all academic majors and career backgrounds. They teach in urban and rural districts where students are at risk because of systemic inequities. Teach For America is founded on the belief that educational inequity is America’s most serious social justice issue. Not just anyone can be a Teach For America recruit. They must have an average 2.5 GPA plus a record of achievement, leadership, and perseverance.

A little over a year ago Teach For America completed a study of incoming corps members, as their teachers are called. “Nearly 50 percent of the teachers identified themselves as people of faith, and were involved in faith-based organizations or attended a place of worship,” said Brooke Flowers, who now holds the position of Director of Faith Based Outreach. “Of those, 80 percent said that they joined Teach For America specifically because it gave them an opportunity to live out their faith.” She added that almost 100 of the members of that corps class were ��ñ�� alumni.

A NATURAL CONNECTION
“This seems a wonderful indicator of how our alumni are moving into challenging places, combining their faith and their education in order to bring about change,” said Scott Bessenecker, ��ñ��’s director of Global Projects. “Teach For America is a secular organization. That they should see 100 ��ñ�� alumni join their organization this last year speaks loudly to the power of our ministry to propel students into places that most people work very hard to avoid, and recognizes the importance of our historic commitments to multi-ethnicity and to urban projects.”

This summer another 65 students with ��ñ�� connections are training with Teach For America and preparing for the start of classes in the fall. Even though Teach For America is not a religious organization, it’s focusing more and more of its outreach towards the faith community and faith-based organizations such as ��ñ��. “We’re looking for outstanding leaders, and we’re finding those leaders in the faith community,” Brooke said.

A recent story in U.S. News and World Report said that Teach For America “has assumed the allure of the Rhodes Scholarship program, in essence becoming the postgraduate program of choice for the elite of America’s top universities.” Thomas Friedman also gave kudos to Teach For America in a New York Times column. The Urban Institute released a study which found that Teach For America teachers are generally more effective teachers than more experienced colleagues and a recent Business Week article also praised the organization for its success.

A PLACE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
As Brooke Flowers talks with ��ñ�� students, and others for whom faith is a priority, she tells them that she grew more in her faith while she taught as a second grade teacher in Atlanta than she would have grown attending divinity school, as she had planned.

“I thought that I had to go to divinity school to grow in my faith but God did not call me there,” she said. “Instead I learned that I could be the hands and feet of God through service in these communities. God revealed himself to me between the hours of seven p.m. and five p.m. every day, in ways that I wouldn’t believe.”

After Katie Rigby was accepted by Teach For America she ended up teaching Earth Science at Eastway Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was not an easy job, but she believed strongly that God wanted her there because the students deserved committed teachers. “If I didn’t have the biblical basis to be there, then I would have been long gone,” she said. “There were some days when that was all I had to hold on to, that first year was pretty rough.”

After her Teach For America service was over Katie joined the teaching staff at KIPP WAYS Academy in Atlanta. KIPP WAYS stands for Knowledge Is Power Program, West Atlanta Young Scholars. The academy is part of a network of charter schools operating in low-income rural and urban communities. She says the school is a good fit for her, just as Teach For America was, doing the kind of work she envisioned when she was an ��ñ�� student learning about God’s passion for justice.

___

Read more: Chad Riley joined Teach for America after graduation from DePauw University in 2005. He was interviewed on ��ñ��’s website for students, StudentSoul.org.

^{Photo: Katie Rigby with students}

News Keywords

Justice

Urban Ministry

Lessons at the Well

webteam@intervarsity.org — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:00:00 +0000

News

Lessons at the Well

A Credible Witness: Reflections on Power, Evangelism and Race by Brenda Salter McNeil

“The good news brings us to God,” writes Brenda Salter McNeil, in her new book, “and it also brings life and healing to a broken, dying and divided world. Anything less is not the gospel.”

In A Credible Witness, McNeil presents an adaptation and elaboration of her popular sermon “My Friend Sam.” Sam is the Samaritan woman at the well and, in McNeil’s vision, her interaction with Jesus is a sterling image of gospel reconciliation.

Using the narrative of John 4, McNeil explains why our evangelism can’t just introduce people to Jesus and hope they hit it off. It has to be a force that can overcome barriers of gender, race and social status. These themes should be central to evangelism today, she argues, not the secure-a-better-afterlife themes of yesterday.

You can order A Credible Witness or get more information at www.ivpress.com. Brenda Salter McNeil’s dynamic address at ��ñ��’s Urbana 06 Student Missions Convention can be viewed at www.urbana.org.

News Keywords

Justice

Praying for God’s Justice

Praying for God’s Justice

��ñ���� and BlackLivesMatter

��ñ���� and BlackLivesMatter

National Lament Strikes Home

National Lament Strikes Home

A Campus Ministry Response to Ferguson

A Campus Ministry Response to Ferguson

The Price of Life in Michigan

The Price of Life in Michigan

The Price of Life at OSU

The Price of Life at OSU

Learning to Serve

Learning to Serve

Goats on Campus

Goats on Campus

Teaching for America

Teaching for America

Lessons at the Well

Lessons at the Well

��ñ�� and BlackLivesMatter

��ñ�� and BlackLivesMatter