At the end of every spring semester, college students across the nation gather for weeklong InterVarsity training conferences called Chapter Focus Weeks. And this year at my area’s chapter camp, I had the honor of team-teaching the second half of the book of Mark. For thirty hours during the week, thirty-two students and my coleader and I joined Jesus and his disciples in the struggle to understand the nature of discipleship and follow Jesus to his cross.
I didn’t expect Jesus to show up in a bar that evening. No, it wasn’t a hipster dude with a big beard. It was at my high school reunion where I reconnected with Chris—a formerly awkward and quiet student who now sported snazzy glasses, stylishly gelled hair, and an identity as an openly gay man.
I love community colleges. When I tell people I work at a community college, most seem surprised or perplexed.
I don’t know if everyone can say that they work with people who are changing the world. I can. I work with students who partner with God in bringing the truth of the gospel to their dorm communities, their apartment complexes, their classes, their intramural teams, their friends—to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and to campuses around the globe.
“. . . and well, God is in my life now,” Sam said with a smile, as she hopped out of her chair and ran around the room, holding out her hands to receive high-fives from our chapter.
Driving down Main Street in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, InterVarsity students from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) were amazed to see two homes that had been pushed off of their foundations by the recent floods.
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot recently. I’m a junior living in the dorms. That doesn’t make sense. At least that’s what people tell me.
You have heard the many appeals about why you should go Greek. Leadership positions, lasting friendships, community service events, worthwhile philanthropies, high academic standards, energetic social life, and professional networking opportunities are all reasons to join, and the list goes on.
Named the country’s most dangerous city in 2011 for its violent crime, Flint, Michgan is also home to 30,000 college students.
