Stories from Campus

In November of her freshman year, Sam had a conversation with an InterVarsity student leader that she would vividly remember a whole year later. 

The leader told Sam that if he lost everything –– his family, his belongings, everything and everyone –– he would still be okay, because he has Jesus.

As a new Christian just getting to know Jesus for herself, Sam was skeptical. “Really?” she remembers asking. “That’s a bold claim to make! You can say that, but is that how you would genuinely perceive it?”

“All you really need is Christ,” he insisted. “Nothing else.”

Neil, now an alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin, encountered InterVarsity not through an invitation, a roommate, or a table, but from a humble flyer. 

As a freshman, Neil already had a stack of flyers clutched in his hand as he navigated his way past the student organizations vying for his attention on the way to class. When he was approached by yet another student offering him a flyer, Neil accepted it, only concerned with making it to his class on time. It remained unread for two weeks.

At The University of Texas at Austin in the early 2000s, a group of South Asian students noticed that their corner of campus was overlooked. No campus ministries or churches sought to evangelize to or create Christian community for the growing population of Indian students on campus. The South Asian community on campus embodied a variety of cultural identities — children of immigrants, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and nominal Christians — yet none were being reached by existing ministries.