By R. York Moore
InterVarsity puts a high value on connecting new believers not just with the Bible and a Christian community, but also with a local church—resources that lead to lifelong discipleship. For over 20 years, I’ve met people all over the country who have said they came to faith through InterVarsity and that their training and discipleship in InterVarsity has made all the difference in their lives, marriages, and careers.
Michelle is just the latest face I can put to this experience. Michelle came to faith in Christ while an undergraduate student at Michigan’s Oakland University. She immediately grew as a believer, getting involved in training and service opportunities, and joining the student leadership team in reaching her campus for Christ.
After her graduation, she married and went to grad school out of state. Upon landing a dream job in a non-profit in the Detroit area, life seemed good. And then she faced the crisis of her life.
Her husband became addicted to prescription drugs and was admitted as a patient in a yearlong program at the very non-profit treatment center Michelle was leading. In sharing her story, Michelle said, “The thing that kept me from divorcing my husband and throwing in the towel during those dark days was my training and discipleship in InterVarsity as a student.”
Michelle went on to share how her conversion and mentoring in InterVarsity had prepared her to succeed at every step of her life. Currently serving at the executive level in a major global secular not-for-profit, Michelle and her team are providing critical resources during times of regional and national catastrophe. Few would know her story is rooted in InterVarsity, but she routinely looks back to her time as an undergrad student as the time that prepared her for what she is doing now.
At the end of another school year, take a moment to pray for all the Michelles in InterVarsity who have come to faith this year by the thousands! And please consider giving a generous end-of-the-year gift to help us continue to make stories like Michelle’s possible.
