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• Put prayer with fellow believers at the top of your priority list. Ask God for creative ideas specific to your school.

• Bring faculty and staff into the life of the chapter. Such support bridges the lean times when student leaders transition in or out of school, and is valuable when you need to know the administrative workings of the college.

• Break the mold in terms of ideas and publicity. Start thinking beyond the standard flyer. Any commuter will be asking the question, "What is the payoff for coming or getting involved in this event?" You need to answer that question first: it can help drive your creative process. What actually draws students? What would get them back to campus at night? Investigate what other activities on campus seem to draw students. Something free, like food? Why not a drawing for free books for the semester? Or free gas or a bus pass?

• Piggy back on events that are likely to draw students anyway: registration, a rock concert, a major intramural tournament.

• Translate the great ideas you read about in SLJ onto a commuter campus: taking out the trash in dorms might not work, but how about washing or vacuuming cars in the lot while students are in class? They could drop off their keys at a table or booth while entering the building. Brainstorm together, and remember: don't kill anyone's idea until you really think about it.

• Check out other commuter chapter web sites and e-mail the leaders of community college chapters. A place to start is www.ivcf.org/campus/ivcfind.html.

Remember that a commuter campus is more like a shifting city than a tight, stable community. You'll mostly know the people who intersect your world. Focus on training fellowship members to influence the people in their worlds: whom do they see all the time in the computer lab? In the snack bar? Working out? In that corner lounge on Tuesdays at 10:30? Christian influence will be mainly through each person's life network. No Christian student at a commuter campus can remain anonymous and still contribute to an effective witness. The responsibilities and opportunities for outreach are equal for everyone. (That's a relief to chapter leaders, but an awesome calling to the group as a whole!)

Please let us know your stories, ideas and tips from your experiences.