Take a look in your e-mail inbox and there’s a good chance you’ll find an invitation of sorts.
“Marcus has invited you to view his latest photos.”
“You have been invited to “Post NYE Euchre Tournament” on Facebook.”
We are inundated with invitations to the point that one can easily take for granted the power of a personal invitation. A personal invitation from a close friend stands out from the host of passive invitations that mark our digital society. We take notice when someone makes the time for an increasingly rare handwritten invitation.
Fraternities and sororities have their share of traditions that should be retired, but when it comes to invitations they are close to the gold standard. Of the many invitations found in the Greek system, the bid card is at the top of the heap.
Anyone who has ever joined a Greek letter organization made their entry by first receiving and accepting a personalized, handwritten bid card often accompanied by a face-to-face invitation to join the fellowship.
Accepting or rejecting this bid has an undeniable impact on a student’s campus experience and in many cases the rest of their personal and professional lives. The inordinate number of Greeks in leadership roles within business and politics has been well-documented – in the most recent elections seven governors, ten senators, and fifty state representatives won their races. It is clear that the invitation has implications well beyond what parties they’ll be attending over the next few weekends.
Through similar means over the last 15 years, hundreds of fraternity and sorority students from campuses across the country have been invited to attend an InterVarsity weekend conference for Greeks at the request of a close friend and have had the course of their lives altered by accepting a second invitation. Students who would never step foot in a campus fellowship meeting have become committed followers of Jesus Christ because of the invitation of a brother or sister who took a chance.
Chapters Changed
A typical fraternity chapter meeting is often filled with stories recounting the misadventures of the past weekend, featuring content that is mostly unprintable. One February in the Alpha Tau Omega chapter at Purdue University, John stood in front of his chapter and, amidst the tales of hook-ups and binges, offered the following:
“I found God this weekend. Please help me change my life.”
John would have been regarded by most as the typical “frat guy” wanting nothing to do with Christianity, but he received an invitation to an atypical conference from his fraternity brother, Cam. Through a fund organized by a group of alumni who had been impacted by Greek Conference, Cam was able to offer scholarships to his brothers. When Cam asked the alumni group how many students he should invite, they replied, “As many as you can get.”
He got 31.
Six of them became Christians that year. John was just one of them.
What is Greek Conference?
What happens when you take 400 fraternity and sorority members and put them in a hotel for a weekend?
It sounds like the premise for countless crude teen comedies.
It sounds like the manager for that hotel would need to check their insurance policies.
It sounds like it is going to be a non-stop blowout of a party that those in attendance will never forget.
For over 15 years, Greek Conference has brought together hundreds of Greeks at locations across the country for a weekend that defies stereotypes, ignites change in the lives of students, and still manages to live up to the expectations of a non-stop party.
Through training sessions, students are equipped to lead ministry in their chapters in a variety of ways. Those with questions about Christianity are offered seminars that allow them to wrestle with their doubts alongside other Greeks. No matter where a student is with regard to their faith, there is a place designed specifically for them at Greek Conference. All who attend are presented with the Gospel and given a clear opportunity to respond and, in turn, invite their brothers and sisters to come and see.
And while the weekend does defy many stereotypes, the dance party remains a staple of the weekend, but not for the reasons one might think. Many come to the conference feeling that they are the only Christian in the Greek system or that giving up the typical Greek lifestyle will lead to nothing but boredom and loneliness. A few minutes on the dance floor with hundreds of Greeks is often all they need to see that life at the intersection of Greek and Christian is not only possible, but worth inviting their whole house to.
Go here for more information on Greek Conference 2011.
