Three years ago, InterVarsity staff member Bekah Weisman set up a small information table on the Allan Hancock College campus, a community college in Santa Maria, California. She hoped to meet a handful of students to start an InterVarsity chapter. In a matter of days, she and her staff team connected with 300 interested students, and within the first few weeks, the team began three Bible studies.
“Students really are hungry for community,” said Bekah. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of creating space and making yourself visible on campus.”
From Club Member to Missionary
Bekah had joined InterVarsity as a freshman at her community college. She was so impressed by InterVarsity’s vision to love the campus that instead of transferring to a Christian university, as she had planned, she finished her degree at a public college where she could live as a witness among non-Christians. Upon graduating, her InterVarsity staff member invited her to join staff and start a chapter at Allan Hancock, a college with no Christian ministry presence on campus.
Despite the initial success, students were slow to connect with InterVarsity’s mission. Many of them viewed the new chapter merely as the Christian club on campus. “I used to run up to people and cover their mouths with my hands, saying, ‘don’t say that,’” laughed Bekah. She wanted students to transition from the mindset of joining another club to building a community where students come to know Jesus’ love.
Investing in the Future Campus
Two students caught this vision and began an outreach to high school students in the community, mentoring them and studying the Bible with them. “We talk about reaching out to the campus, but for a commuter college, the community is a big part of campus life since so many students still live at home,” said Bekah.
Many of the high school students they work with are Latino and come from families of migrant farmers with little money to afford college. Gang rates are high, and at one point the city had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. “In some ways, it is a renewal for the campus in the future because these high school students developing relationships with college students are more likely to consider college themselves,” said Bekah.
Last fall brought another significant moment for the chapter. During the first week of the semester, Bekah met Jordan, a student who had recently become a Christian, but didn’t know what step to take next. Bekah invited him to InterVarsity where he began to make friends and grow in his faith.
Then mid-semester, Jordan’s housing situation fell through, and he was homeless. “Our whole community came around him to pray for his situation, help him move, and even house him,” said Bekah. Jordan’s love for God continues to grow, and he eagerly invites classmates and friends to InterVarsity. “Our community has shown Jesus’ love to Jordan, and Jordan is sharing it with others on campus,” said Bekah.
Modeling Student Service
The chapter’s presence has begun to affect Hancock’s campus life as well. When Bekah first arrived, she and her team would bring blankets and hang out on the narrow lawn between campus buildings. They attracted a number of students waiting for their next class, and eventually the school installed picnic tables so students had a place to gather.
Similarly, the Student Government and other organizations have noticed the chapter’s efforts. During the first week of each semester, the InterVarsity chapter welcomes students with baked goods and giveaways. Now other student organizations are setting up tables to welcome students. “God is using our Fellowship to renew the campus atmosphere where even the administration wants to serve students better. Praise God!” said Bekah.
She continues to see God’s faithfulness as a new staff member begins serving students at Hancock and Bekah prepares to leave and plant a chapter at Ventura College, another community college. Six years ago, an InterVarsity staff member raised funds through local churches to bring InterVarsity staff to campus, yet no one has been able to go. Now Bekah and her fiancé Matt Meyer, currently staff at the University of San Diego, will challenge students to lead godly lives at Ventura College. “I can’t wait to do it all over again!” said Bekah.
photo: Bekah and Jordan
