The primary purpose of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is to reach out to non-Christian students with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Students and staff demonstrate the love of Christ to others through encouraging students to be involved in InterVarsity’s activities. Diana Collymore, InterVarsity staff at Hofstra University-Hempstead, NY joined the Hofsta Gospel Ensemble to raise students’ involvement with InterVarsity.
Diana serves as Spiritual Advisor to the Gospel Ensemble, which attracts both Christian and non-Christian students. She has started a time of prayer after every Ensemble meeting. “It’s been an opportunity to challenge students to seek God for who He is and not what He does or how He can make them feel,” Diana says.
Diana also coordinates “Talk” time: an opportunity to share about Christ, to encourage others in living as Christians, and to tell both Christian and non-Christian students the Gospel. This discussion time allows the non-Christian students to ask questions and explore the Christian faith.
A question that comes up when putting together discussion groups is whether being a group leader will allow enough time to reach out to and encourage non-Christians with the Gospel. One small group at the University of Maryland-College Park found a unique way to interest non-Christians in the Gospel. Laura, a sophomore, and Alyson, a junior, at the University of Maryland, decided to use Bible studies in their small group that they could also use in their GIG (Groups Investigating God), a Bible study for non-Christian students. The Christian students can further encourage the non-Christians in their group by being available to answer questions and explain Bible passages students find confusing.
The encouragement from the small group has inspired five students to lead their own GIGs this semester. Most of the students attending this small group are Freshman, and their impression of a small group community is now a community that witnesses to Jesus.
