Lives Transformed at RIT
Across the country, InterVarsity campus staff members are marking the end of another year of ministry. For some it’s been a challenging year. For most it’s been a year filled with both trials and triumphs. What’s it like to come to the end of such a year? Mark Weber, who is assigned to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), recently reviewed how God has been at work in his chapter.
Large Group starts on Friday night each week at 7:00p.m. I am one of the emcees this week, so I get there at 6:00p.m. to help set up and meet with my co-emcee, Tanya. As I approach the Large Group meeting room, Melony, our welcome coordinator, welcomes me. A few years ago, Melony was trapped in an abusive relationship and didn’t know Jesus. Now she’s following Christ, serving both in her church and in our chapter. She’s also in a relationship with a great Christian guy who is a leader in our chapter.
As I enter the meeting room, I see Brian working diligently on his laptop to put together some administrative things for our chapter. When Brian started coming to our chapter meetings last spring, he probably would’ve described himself as a follower of an eastern religion. At our fall conference, Expedition, God grabbed Brian, and he has been following God diligently ever since. Next year, Brian will be serving on our leadership team.
I also see Ted. Ted describes himself as a militant Christian his freshmen year. When he would present the gospel to his roommates and peers, he was prone to alienate them rather than bring them closer to the faith. That spring, Ted went to our end-of-the-year conference, Basileia, and something sparked. Since then God has been after Ted helping him heal from his anger and transforming him into the man God intended him to be. Ted leads “Fight Club” a weekly prayer meeting for men in our chapter.
I sit down in my seat waiting for Tanya to arrive. As I wait, I watch the sound team prepare the equipment for tonight’s talk. Nick, one of the guys on the team, became a Christian two springs ago. In November, Nick felt convicted about not telling his Jewish parents about his newfound faith. When Nick finally talked to his parents over spring break, they told him that InterVarsity must be a cult and threatened to take him out of RIT. In his conversation with his parents, Nick did a great job of balancing obedience to his family and to the lordship to Christ. Thankfully, his parents let him return to RIT and we’ve continued to see his faith grow and grow.
As the worship team starts practicing, I notice Drew tune up his bass. Drew came to RIT believing in Christ, but he got lazy about following Christ the first couple years. This past summer Drew made a decision that he needed to take his faith more seriously. The first week of school this year he came to InterVarsity looking for fellowship. Noticing our bass-less worship band, he asked if he could help out. Drew has been on the worship team ever since and is now helping lead a small group. He claims that he is a “completely different person than last summer and its thanks to InterVarsity.” Praise God that he has used us to work in Drew this way.
My co-emcee Tanya, arrives a few moments later. When Tanya started coming to InterVarsity last spring, she clearly proclaimed that she was not following God. Although Tanya grew up a Christian, her relationship with God wasn’t real to her. This past December, God revealed himself to Tanya in powerful ways, and she has been following him fully ever since. As Tanya and I prepare for our emcee responsibilities, I am struck by Tanya’s deep desire to make sure that every person who didn’t follow Jesus is welcomed as they were. I remember wanting the same for her last spring.
At 7:00p.m. we go up to start the meeting. As I stand in the front of the room to welcome everyone, I look around at face after face of students God has been transforming. I see students who are being saved from broken pasts now serving a God that truly loves them. I see students who came from a Sunday-only Christian background to developing a deep everyday faith. I see students who came to college as kids who are now turning not only into mature adults, but leaders among their peers. I see people God will one day use to change the world. I wonder what God is going to do tonight.