Rachel Suzuki always asks God to use her as she mentors students and leads worship at Bethany Inner City Church in Fresno, California. Continuing to testify to God’s love in her local community, just as she did as a student active in InterVarsity at the University of California—Davis, Rachel now serves with International Teams.
Rachel’s passion for sharing the gospel of Christ with non-Christians comes from being a non-Christian before college. “InterVarsity led me to God’s Word and gave me a desire to study it,” Rachel said.
Rachel Suzuki always asks God to use her as she mentors students and leads worship at Bethany Inner City Church in Fresno, California. Continuing to testify to God’s love in her local community, just as she did as a student active in InterVarsity at the University of California—Davis, Rachel now serves with International Teams.
Rachel’s passion for sharing the gospel of Christ with non-Christians comes from being a non-Christian before college. “InterVarsity led me to God’s Word and gave me a desire to study it,” Rachel said. Through diverse InterVarsity events and experiences, Rachel learned of God’s love for her and accepted him into her heart as Savior and Lord. “InterVarsity was my first experience in Christian community. Friends and chapter members supported and helped shape me,” she said.
Rachel’s ministry with International Teams allows her to focus on reaching out to non-Christians. While a student, she helped to create The Outlet on campus, various events where InterVarsity students proclaimed the gospel. The team hoped these activities would lead to discussions about Christ and allow interested students to study God’s Word through GIGs, (Groups Investigating God, Bible studies for non-Christians).
“God and his Word transformed me,” Rachel said of her desire to share the love of Christ with those in her community. She hopes to influence the students she mentors and their families by testifying to God’s love for them and serving them in tangible ways. Working with students coming from different backgrounds than her own— some from broken homes; some dealing with gang violence or substance abuse— allows Rachel to share the hope we have in Christ as she serves people in practical ways.
“A living testimony of the work of God is an older man I’m mentoring who went from prison, accepted freedom in Christ, and is now training to lead worship in our church,” Rachel said about her work with International Teams. “Anything good is not because of what I’ve done, its what God’s doing. I hope God uses me to encourage people and live the gospel holistically to people on the margins of society,” Rachel said. Today, she continues to share Christ’s love within her community of Fresno.
