From New Life to More Life

Tyler, a freshman at Queens College in New York, expected college to be his fresh start, a way to escape his hometown, and a place to find himself.

Most students enter college with this same mindset, with a burning desire to discover who they are and what their life should look like. When you support InterVarsity, you help students like Tyler find the deeper life in Jesus they’re truly longing for.

An Invitation to New Life

Tyler thought college would be what he needed to give him fulfillment. But instead, his first semester was lonely. He had trouble making friends and connecting deeply with anyone on campus.

One day while he was rushing to catch a bus on campus, a stranger from InterVarsity approached Tyler with a survey.

“I saw the word ‘God,’ and it sparked my interest,” Tyler said. So, he filled it out, added his contact information, and handed it back.

Soon, that stranger, Anthony, asked Tyler if he’d like to meet up for Bible study. Wanting to investigate God more, Tyler said yes.

When he arrived, he was surprised at how small the group was—it was just him, Anthony, and another student. The InterVarsity ministry at Queens College was small and was just getting started. But for Tyler, that meeting was huge; it was the first time he felt connected to other people on campus.

“Those were my first real friends at Queens College,” he said.

The Joy of New Life

After that first meeting, Tyler plugged into the community quickly. More and more, he grew eager to experience Jesus.

“I would come home each day and tell my dad all about [InterVarsity],” he said. “I was always excited for the next thing.”

Through InterVarsity, Tyler found people he could lean on and share his life with. He also started seeing the Bible differently, realizing that Scripture could be relevant to his life today.

At an end of the school year retreat, students were invited to stand if they wanted to give their lives to Christ. Tyler stood up, without hesitation. And, as he put it, “the rest was history.”

More Life on Campus

Now, Tyler reaches other students like him on campus—sometimes having ten or more people in one day respond to his welcoming and bold invitations to explore Jesus.

He’s also being trained as a leader to continue establishing the InterVarsity ministry at Queens College, and so that many more can experience new life in Jesus.