By Kristine Whitnable

God Loves Them

 

Emily arrived on campus thinking that Greek life in a sorority was for students who wanted to party, get drunk, and be in a silly club. She decided not to go through Rush, the initial process for joining a sorority or fraternity. She moved into a dorm and made friends with women in her residence hall. Emily had become a Christian in high school and desired to grow in her Christian faith: She went to InterVarsity’s large group meetings; she became involved in a small group Bible study in her residence hall; and in the spring of her freshman year, she attended an InterVarsity conference where she was challenged to share her faith more on campus.

 

During her second semester, God began showing Emily people who needed to hear the Gospel—and they were the to-be-avoided Greeks. Some of her friends had pledged the Tri Delta sorority and invited her to activities at the sorority house. Emily got to know some of the women at Tri-Delta. “I did not feel uncomfortable spending time there,” said Emily. Soon she received a bid to become a member of Tri Delta, and she accepted! In the end Emily saw her pledge to the sorority as a great opportunity to share the message of Jesus’ love. “I could feel how much God loved the women in Tri Delta, and I wanted to share that love with them,” she said.

 

 

As Emily lived among the sorority women, she came to realize that the stereotypes she held about sororities did not tell the whole story. In some ways the women in her sorority were no different than other students on campus. “Most of the women that go into the Greek system want to fill a need in their lives. They want to feel accepted and important and loved,” observed Emily.

 

 

Emily pointed out that in the dorms she knew maybe five women on her hall, but at Tri Delta she now knows sixty women personally and they know her. “We feel like a family. Since some of my sorority sisters emotional needs seem to be filled so well by living together, many of them do not consider the need for a relationship with God.

 

 

“Most of the women do not want to make time to find out who God is. Often, I’ll have a great spiritual conversation with someone, then that is as far as it goes. There is this huge fear of commitment. I think mostly it is because Greek life is always so busy. People don’t want to add anything else to their schedules.”

 

 

At times Emily became disheartened that her sorority sisters were not excited about studying the Bible. “I would be prepared and excited about leading the passage for the Bible study, and no one would show up. By the end of the semester, I was feeling discouraged.”

 

 

But God has continued to reassure her. “One night at Urbana, [InterVarsity’s triennial Student Mission Convention] God showed me the smiles of my sisters in Tri Delta. I was overwhelmed by how much he loves them, and by how much I love them. I was once again encouraged and motivated to keep trying to show them this love.”

 

 

God has taught Emily to love her sorority sisters, even though she originally thought she did not even want to know them. He has given her his love for the members of Tri-Delta and encourages her as she continues to show these women how much God cares for them.