During winter quarter of 2005, Steve Tengan, campus staff member at University of California–Irvine (UC–Irvine), went to campus prepared to meet students and engage them in conversations about God’s good news. Steve soon found himself talking with David, who described himself as “non-religious, but very spiritual.” At the close of the conversation, Steve invited David to come with the InterVarsity chapter on a spring break trip to Mexico. David accepted the invitation.
While in Mexico, David experienced the truth of Scripture as the group studied together in the evening and the reality of Christian community as he worked alongside the InterVarsity students to serve the needs of the poor. When he returned to campus, David was invited to a GIG (Group Investigating God, a Bible study for non-Christians) which he attended spring semester. There he learned more about Jesus and enjoyed the Christian community. David then decided that he wanted to explore Jesus further by going to Campus by the Sea (an InterVarsity training facility on Catalina Island) for a week with other InterVarsity students from UC Irvine.
One evening at camp, the chapter leaders were evaluating the work of the InterVarsity chapter from the previous school year. Though he was not a member of the leadership team, David was invited. In the midst of a discussion on the quality of the chapter’s evangelism effort, David told them that he was living proof their obedience to God’s call to share the gospel. David reminded the leaders that they had invited him to the Mexico trip, where he heard the gospel, and then to Bible studies, where he learned more about Jesus.
With this encouragement, the chapter leaders committed to making evangelism the chapter’s core value during the up-coming year. Meanwhile, David continued attending summer Bible studies.
