Loving Your Neighbor: Imari's Story

It was a busy day on campus for Imari, a student at the University of Michigan–Flint. She had just a two-hour block in her schedule to fill before her evening meetings started. 

Scrolling through the list of campus events, looking for something to fill her time, she was shocked to see there was a Bible study on campus. 

Growing up, Imari attended church occasionally. However, she had recently decided to make faith her own in college. 

“Many times, we just follow what our parents do and how they live their life,” she said. 

It was important to Imari to understand why she should have a relationship with God herself. She also wanted to know how to live out that relationship with God daily and carry it into different spaces of her life. 

She immediately decided to attend that InterVarsity Bible study that night…and she loved it! 

Since then, Imari’s involvement with InterVarsity continued to grow. From becoming a small group leader to getting her chapter to engage with what God was doing in the local community, she’s learned how to make her passion of caring for others into a concrete expression of showing the love of Jesus with her neighbors.    

A Natural Desire to Help

Imari moved to Flint when she was in high school, after the water crisis occurred. She may not have been there for it herself, but she noticed the effects of it. 

“Flint has been looked down upon for many reasons. The water crisis, crime, just negative narratives,” she said. 

However, Imari loved her community and where she grew up, always feeling purpose and finding joy in serving people around her. 

“All I've ever wanted to do was help others,” she said. 

Imari was influenced to live this way because of her mother. She was inspired by her resilience, how she overcame issues in her own life, and how she successfully handled being a single mother who put others above herself. 

“She has always supported [my siblings and I]. She's been working throughout our entire lives, showing up for us,” Imari said. This taught Imari to be there for others too. 

Making Her Faith Her Own

When Imari entered college, things began to change. After seeing multiple people around her beginning to take God seriously and even noticing posts about Jesus on social media, she gained a desire to take steps toward her own faith journey. 

“I’m not just going to play around and treat it as just something to fall back on,” she said.

On her own, she started praying and wondering what it would look like to be obedient and follow God. 

That’s when she found InterVarsity on that random day when she happened to have a break on campus. Through the ministry, Imari was able to explore her curiosities and develop practices to make her walk with Christ consistent. 

Pretty soon after joining InterVarsity, Imari was given opportunities to lead. Her passions for caring for her city, her campus, and her community soon became acts of living out her faith and showing others the love of Jesus. 

Serving Like Jesus

Imari serves in a variety of ways on and off campus. She’s involved in student government, which gives her the chance to host student discussions on mental health and to participate in an alternative spring break program put on by UM-Flint. Through the program, students learn more about issues such as poverty and hunger in the city and then do community service. 

“I want to be an active member of my community,” she said. “I don't just want to live here and say I'm from Flint and not know what's going on."

But the ways Imari serves are more than just one-off activities. She also volunteers with Carriage Town Ministries, a local organization providing shelter, food, and more to the unhoused population near campus. She spearheads inviting other InterVarsity students to get involved and volunteer with her, recognizing the gift it is to offer her fellowship a practical way to love their neighbors. 

“Christ didn’t just serve himself. He served others as well,” she said.

As Imari poured out the love of Jesus on others, she’s been able to offer help when other InterVarsity students need it, whether it’s helping with homework, giving advice on big decisions, or just providing a space to talk. She’s also continuing to grow in her faith as she too has been supported by her InterVarsity community in return. 

Providing Space

Now Imari is taking on yet another step in serving by starting an InterVarsity Black Student Ministries (BCM) Bible study. 

“Having spaces such as BCM on our campus supports students so they’re comfortable to share their experiences within their racial identity, within their upbringing, free of judgment,” she said. 

While only in the beginning stages of starting up this community, she’s already seeing fruit. Students have been eager to join in and dig into Scripture, consistently texting Imari to find out when the next gathering is happening, offering to help plan, and being excited to invite friends into the community so they can learn more about Jesus. Even UM-Flint faculty and staff have been interested in joining the Bible study. 

“God sees UM-Flint as an emerging space for people to not only focus on their academics, but also to focus on their relationship with him,” Imari said. “InterVarsity offers that space.” 

Just like Imari, college students across the country are learning how to live out their faith in ways that bring healing, not only to their campuses but also to their cities and beyond. Connect with InterVarsity on your campus or support this ministry here.

Learn more about Imari and how God is using her in Flint by watching the video below.