MIT

The Cost, and the Reward, of Obedience

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 13:32:32 +0000

Gordon Govier

The Cost, and the Reward, of Obedience

Four years after graduating from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Derek Wu was on the fast track to become a vice president for a private equity firm, directing a team that managed $150 million in assets. He was also in a quandary, however, because he was finding ministry as an ��ñ�� staff volunteer more fulfilling than the financial markets.

For two years he struggled with God’s call to become a full-time campus minister.

“When I finally said yes to Jesus, to coming on staff, it was in part out of obedience but also because I realized I wanted more hours to spend on campus,” he said. “I couldn't do it with the ten hours a week that I was giving, I wanted to do it full-time.” But coming on staff meant not only financial sacrifices, it also meant sacrificing his family.

Derek grew up in southern California, the son of Taiwanese immigrants. When he came to MIT as a freshman, he wore a cross around his neck, given to him by a friend. He met some ��ñ�� students, who helped him settle into campus housing. They invited him to attend chapter meetings of the Asian Christian Fellowship (ACF), which he did sporadically. He was indifferent towards Christianity.

The following year his fraternity big brother called him on his indifference. ACF became his community on campus, and he began to seriously consider the Christian faith. He was particularly intrigued by the mention of hope in Jesus because he didn’t see much hope in his life. Due to a difficult childhood, Derek was dogged by feelings of worthlessness.

He recognized that a university education offers a kind of hope that results in stability and comfort if good grades in the right classes lead to a successful career. But that was not the kind of hope that attracted Derek. “At MIT the hope was in technology,” he said. “The great hope of humanity is education but it doesn’t touch the soul.”

His junior year he went to ACF’s fall conference at Toah Nipi, ��ñ��'s retreat and training center in New Hampshire. That weekend he heard the story of Jacob, who was called a deceiver in the book of Genesis, and was dogged by that identity for much of his life, until God renamed him Israel. “There was something about the idea that God could give me a new identity in that story that would set me on a new path,” he recalled.

Derek’s yes in response to God’s call to a new identity in Jesus Christ unfolded slowly, as he continued to attend large group meetings and Bible studies in his fraternity for the rest of his time at MIT. He graduated with a degree in Finance and began the career he had prepared for.

That was 2005, the year that Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. When ��ñ��’s New England chapters began sending teams to Louisiana to help clean up, his best friend, still a student, invited him along. Derek returned to Boston after the trip with a sense that God wanted to give him an opportunity to do something that wasn’t for himself. So when he was asked by an ��ñ�� staff minister to disciple a couple of ��ñ�� students, he said yes.

That meant that Derek’s first ��ñ�� leadership experience came after his student days were over. “Those volunteer years were actually very formative,” he said. His mentoring role continued to grow over the next three years and he invested considerable time helping the MIT chapter improve its outreach programming so that it could better connect with students who were indifferent, as he had been.

And then he realized that God was calling him to join ��ñ�� staff fulltime. He resisted, praying, “Lord, you know my heart; let this pass.” But he sensed God say, “This is not about optimizing and stewardship. Are you going to steward your life for me or are you going to say yes?”

When he finally said yes, he had to tell his parents, who had moved back to Taiwan. “The conversation I had with my parents was one of the most terrifying conversations I’ve had in my life,” he said. While he called them, a small group of his friends interceded in prayer in the next room.

“Why are you doing this to us?” his parents responded. “You are shaming us.” He was disowned. The friends who had prayed for him in the next room became his only family.

Derek understood that parents who have sacrificed to send their child to college can find it hard to accept that their son or daughter plans to work for a non-profit ministry that asks its staff to raise their salaries through donations from family, friends, and other contacts. He hoped that his parents would eventually accept his decision.

As his ministry on the MIT campus thrived, Derek carried a heavy burden. For five long years he prayed for God to restore his relationship with his parents. They wouldn’t take his calls; there was no sign that they would relent. There appeared to be no chance that they would open their hearts to God’s mercy.

Then, around Christmas in 2014, Derek called his parents to tell them he was getting married. They listened. And then they talked. The family bond was restored. Last year Derek and his wife visited his family in Taiwan. His father told them that they were considering moving back to California, and his mother was even considering going to church.

“I was stunned,” Derek said. “Nothing I could have done could have controlled that situation. God is the one who is in control; all he asks of us is to say yes. The Lord is the one who works in hearts.”

New England has a reputation of being spiritually cold, more so than other regions. But as Derek—��ñ��’s Boston Divisional Director—leads ministry in the region, he sees God at work in the lives of more and more students, just as in his own life. “I think ��ñ��, God willing, is releasing a new generation of leaders that can help prepare the church for revival,” he said.

Derek is seeing it happen; the seeds of revival are taking root on New England college campuses.

News Keywords

Environmental Justice in Detroit

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 09 May 2014 20:23:34 +0000

Alumni Profile

News

Kathryn Brill

Environmental Justice in Detroit

Our Christian life is never just about us as individuals—it takes place in a specific context, among specific people. When Jesus calls us to follow him, he means for us to live out our faith within these specific environments. Rather than ignoring what’s going on around us, we need to intentionally bring God’s love to the neighborhoods, workplaces, and cities we inhabit.

Sandra Yu, an ��ñ�� alumna from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is committed to helping bring God’s renewal to the city of Detroit. She works for Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, whose mission is to make Detroit a healthier and more environmentally friendly place to live. She is also a Detroit Revitalization Fellow, joining others to complete projects such as cleaning and restoring city parks.

But Sandra isn’t just dedicated to renewing Detroit in her work life. She also intentionally participates in the life of her neighborhood by hanging out on her front porch and building community with those around her. Sandra is a member of Mack Avenue Community Church as well, which is focused on being a good neighbor in its location.

By joining herself to the community in these ways, Sandra is able to connect the work she does for the whole of Detroit to the individuals she knows personally. And she’s able to live out God’s call to love those around her in specific and tangible ways. Watch the video to learn more about how Sandra is making a difference in Detroit.

For more reading:

-“Making Neighborhoods Whole” by Wayne Gordon and John Perkins

-From the blog: “Wisdom for Graduates: Take Heart, World Changers”

News Keywords

Urban Ministry

MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

��ñ�� alumni

��ñ�� alumni - Todd Rider

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:44:21 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

��ñ�� alumni - Todd Rider

A “bewildering number of Christian groups” confronted Todd Rider when he arrived at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from Arkansas in 1986 to begin his collegiate career. Fortunately, he was already aware of ��ñ��.

That summer he had read and been challenged by the ��ñ�� Press book The Fight – A Practical Handbook for Christian Living by John White. It was given to him by a relative who recommended he look up ��ñ�� when he got to MIT. In addition, several of his new friends in the dorm were involved in ��ñ��.

The attraction of ��ñ��

He liked the broad interdenominationalism of the ��ñ�� chapter, which included Baptists like himself, as well as Charismatics, and Catholics, and those of other Christian traditions, united by a passion for following Christ. He also liked ��ñ��’s emphasis on student leadership. “That forced all the members—including me—to take more responsibility, develop better organizational and people skills, and mature in our faith,” he said.

Todd particularly appreciated ��ñ��’s “intellectually rigorous” approach to Christianity. He had spent the summer before college reading not only John White’s book, but much of C.S. Lewis’s writings, as well as other books about the Christian faith.

“By the end of that summer I concluded that Christianity did make sense and would remain a good foundation for my life,” he said. “I have continued to investigate, question, and learn over the years since, delving rather deeply into comparative religion, biblical archaeology, canon formation, and other areas, yet my conclusions have ultimately remained the same.”

Todd held several leadership positions in the ��ñ�� chapter and attended a number of regional conferences. But he also embraced the intellectual stimulation of MIT and its neighbor, Harvard, like a kid in a candy shop, because Todd is a self-confessed “science nerd.”

The attraction of science

He had honed his skills in high school science fairs, eventually winning the grand prize at the International Science and Engineering Fair. At the same time he tutored younger students at the local Boys Club and discovered a knack for explaining complicated topics simply. He feels God has created him to use science to help people.

Todd’s faith in God has given him a purpose and a calling. He recognized that his science skills and interests could open the way to improve the lives of people in many ways, through scientific research as well as through improving science education. At MIT there was so much that he wanted to learn.

“I studied as many fields as I could fit in and absorbed all the classes and books like a sponge,” he said. “I continued to create and pursue my own original research projects in various fields. And I moved from tutoring students to teaching daily classes as a volunteer in the Cambridge schools. Through all of that, ��ñ�� and the close friends I had made were there to offer perspective and support, and to keep me from losing touch with humanity while I was trying to help humanity.”

Todd remained involved in ��ñ�� through his undergraduate and graduate studies at MIT, from 1986 to 1995. After graduation Todd was hired at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he is now a senior scientist. His work has focused on developing improved methods of detecting and treating infections.

The Cure for the Common Cold

One of his first breakthroughs is called CANARY, “a sensor that uses genetically engineered white blood cells that glow within seconds if they detect particular bacteria or viruses.” A more recent and exciting invention is PANACEA, a family of disease treatments. The first member of the family is called DRACO, which is designed to cure virtually all known viruses.

“We have demonstrated that DRACO is nontoxic and effective in human and animal cells against all 15 viruses we have tested thus far, including everything from the common cold virus to dengue hemorrhagic fever,” Todd said. “Of course, much more testing will be required in order to fully demonstrate and perfect the therapeutics, but we hope they might be available for human use within a decade or so.”

Today Todd and his family are active in a local church. He occasionally teaches classes on science and faith, and other subjects. He said, “My faith in God provides both a great sense of purpose for why I have devoted my life to doing what I am doing, and also a tremendous comfort when that path is difficult or stressful.”

��ñ�� is called to helping students like Todd develop as followers of Jesus during their college years, and to become servant leaders in their communities.

News Keywords

MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

��ñ�� alumni

MIT

The Cost, and the Reward, of Obedience

The Cost, and the Reward, of Obedience

Environmental Justice in Detroit

Environmental Justice in Detroit

��ñ���� alumni - Todd Rider

��ñ���� alumni - Todd Rider

��ñ�� alumni - Todd Rider

��ñ�� alumni - Todd Rider