Nine More Hours

Currently, I’m only 70% funded which means that instead of working full time at 30 hours a week, I only spend about 21 hours a week on campus.  (Honestly, most weeks I spend extra time between planning and the flexibility of meeting schedules.) I've been stuck at this level for the academic year with limited time to increase partners and a few unexpected losses.  

As the new leaders and I begin preparing for next semester, I’ve been thinking…what would 9 more hours of time on campus each week look like? 

1 hour per week would help further the development of up to 10 sophomore/junior students as leaders and potential leaders in Leadery 201 through biweekly meetings.  The current Leadery students desire another year of more in depth study and training on how to be a Christian leader.

2 hours per week would be dedicated towards a small group for international students reaching other international students

2 hours per week would focus on seniors to help combat the typical trend of disappearing by encouraging them toward the vision in new ways and providing monthly gatherings to discuss topics specifically prevalent in their life. 

1 hour per week would be dedicated to inviting students individually to start something new where they are, ex. in their major, dorm, or team, and providing resources for them.

2 hours per week would be spent enhancing the ministry partnerships with church, volunteers and others through communication and guiding new volunteers on campus

1 hour per week would be spent with faculty and staff members with the plan to begin prayer or bible studies on a regular basis. 

The vision of InterVarsity is to see Students AND Faculty Transformed, the Campus Renewed, and World Changers Developed.  As my first year on campus ends, I invite you to join with us on campus for another year.  Partner with us prayerfully for the events, financially to enable me to reach my full time goal, and with your time as I help develop new ways for volunteers to participate with the activities on campus (in short term and long term ways).  

Travis shares about ST14

Travis's story of the Winter Service Trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmZYnNQ-sPk

Money or Trust

I (Kathryn) teach my church's 8th-12th grade youth group with a few InterVarsity students helping out. This last week the topic was money after watching some of Linsanity and discussing NBA contracts.  It seemed like we all needed to check where we put money on our list of priorities: where we serving it or God?  I used this lesson plan and cut out a few of the verses due to time.

The top of the lesson says to get a bill, the more valuable the better.  My original thought was to get a $50 bill and use that to see how students would spend that money.  Then I finished reading the lesson... which at the end says to rip up the bill.  I decided that a $10 bill would accomplish the purpose without putting too much money at risk (as I'm still not fully funded).  As I went through the lesson, asking the students what they would use the money for and realizing that we held money strongly, I debated internally if I would actually be able to rip up that bill.  But I figured if I did not, then I held money in too high of a regard and that I should know by now that God would provide for me trusting Him.  It was hard for me to rip it and the students flipped out as I tore the bill not just once, but into eighths.
One student tried to tape it back together then took the bill home.  I said and really wanted to continue to trust that God would bless me for ripping it.

The next night in Walmart I ran into his mom who said that he had taken the bill to the bank and they actually gave him a new $10 bill in exchange for all of the pieces.  So he gained $10 from the lesson.  Now it was up to me to really decide if God would bless me for following Him and doing this dramatic lesson.

One more day later, I was at a pot-luck dinner and as the basket went around for people to contribute cash towards the general cost, I realized I only had $1 left in cash in my pocket.  I put that in then the person next to me turned and handed me a $10 bill.  I asked her why and if she wanted me to put that in the basket for her.  She stated that it was for me to keep and that God had told her to give it to me.  After a few times, she's learned to not question God's promptings.  I then explained how $10 was exactly how much I had used of my own money to help try to teach the proper place of money in our lives as Christians.

God wants to be the person that we rely on to take care of our needs.  He uses money to provide for things, but He wants us to listen to Him about when to share the money/possessions He's given us and when we should keep them.  In the end, all things we have are His and we are only responsible for the money for as long as He wants us to have it.  Where is money in your heart?

Remember Matthew 6:24.  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Service Trip Willow Mission

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Sleeping, playing video games, and relaxing with some Netflix may be what most college students did for their last week of break, but not for SUNY Fredonia’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship! I was blessed with the opportunity to be on a Servant team of 20 fellow students whom spent their week serving the communities poor, youth, and elderly. The locations we served at included the WCA Home, Dunkirk Historical Museum, Salvation Army, Saint Columbans, Meals On Wheels, Fredonia Place, Concord Estates, Rural Ministries, Dunkirk First Baptist, and my personal favourite Willow Mission through the Dunkirk First United Methodist Church. For those of you whom don’t know, Willow Mission is a project that was created to house and serve the poor, homeless, underprivileged of Dunkirk. Upon my first day of arriving to the women's house, located next to the church where the guys sleep, I thought to myself ‘Wow. They want to have the first person moved in here in about a week or two?!’ However, that didn’t discourage my friends and I. Our head chief was donating his time the whole week to make sure construction went smoothly and we assisted him in every way we could whether it was painting, waxing floors, electrical work, drywalling or whatever. With 20 students coming 5 hours a day in groups of 6 on 4 different days of the week we put in nearly 130 hours of an individual’s workload. One hundred and thirty hours… Upon the last hour we spent there I went around and prayed for each room and the futures that would soon be made in them. Each room had it’s own colour, furniture, and personality which would soon develop lives that hadn’t had the chance to prosper until now. Meeting with the pastor on my way out of the house she broke down in tears overjoyed in how much work went into this house and how through Christ we were all able to come together to make it happened. The last thing our head chief said to us before he left was “Thank you. For everything. You’ve restored my faith in the youth and a lot of faith in myself alone. I have learned so much from you kids.” I think I stand for all of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that participated in our Winter Service Trip when I say that it would behoove you to ask around to come join us next Winter and “serve the Lord with gladness.” (Psalm 100:2).

Austin's Service Trip

Austin, who became a Christian partially through the ministry of InterVarsity earlier this semester, shared at the first official meeting about his experience during the Winter Service Trip.
Watch the video here

Simple Things = Big Impact

After hearing of the service trip during our Friday night large group announcements, Andrew decided it might be a good idea to come and give back to the community, even though as a freshman he hasn’t lived here long.  The encouragement from the upperclassman and staff helped him desire to go, especially after he missed the fall mini service trip. 

As he reflected on the trip so far, he shared that it’s been a great experience, despite the fact that exhaustion has set in.  “I have seen the impacts at the places where we have gone and it’s been a true blessing.  We go out and serve people, serving the servants who do this every day and giving them a bit of a break.”  For example, at Willow Mission, students have been painting, hanging drywall, and tiling as they work to turn the parsonage into a home for homeless women with children.  Andrew learned he is semi decent at carpentry, at least better than he thought.  The water damage from the pipes that froze and broke last winter had left the staff unsure of how long it would take for them to be able to open the place up.  After three days of workers there, the pastor and other staff were so happy to see the progress over the time. 

Even simple things, such as playing Uno with the elderly or dropping off a hot and cold meal with the normal volunteer from Meals on Wheels, resulted in uplifting smiles.  It was almost like these simple actions helped to light up their worlds. 

Community service is only a part of what happens during the trip, many other memories are built inside of the church building during meals and the evening program.  The morning devotions help to set the mindset for what to think about during the day while the evening program includes time talking in a family group about where we saw God during the day.  Prayer, worship, fun, and fellowship are also included at the church.  Andrew has been one of the regulars on the breakfast cooking crew as he gets pleasure out of making food and it allows him to serve other servants and fellow InterVarsity members.  “It’s a way of saying thank you for what you’re doing in the community and for me.”  Most impactful so far for Andrew was yesterday’s devotional from 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 which was shared during a multiple generation dinner at First Baptist.  Despite the fact that we are all different, each part of the body does have a job to do.  We sat at tables with 3-4 church members, typically 50+, 2-3 college students, and even had three 8^th graders join.  Andrew specifically loved talking to the older members and seeing that God’s love can cross generations as we share the common ground of our faith in Christ.  The conversations were wonderful as we crossed the age gap and enjoyed delicious food as well as a discussion on the diversity of squirrels. 

Overall, the most surprising part of the trip was seeing the impact of such a small thing on someone else.  How all of the small things add up, although Andrew figured people would be appreciative, their appreciation level was so much deeper.  It was wonderful to see people’s passion for serving others and their dedication.  Everyone has worked really hard on the trip and it has opened the door to see how passionate people are about their faith and helping out around the community.  As Andrew returns to the campus to start the semester, he wants to find some way to get more involved in the community and spend time helping out somewhere.  Some places have already been planned for follow-up trips. 

Winter Service Trip 2014...pt 1

          The 6^th annual Winter Service Trip has begun and 18 students moved into a local church to spend their days serving the Fredonia/Dunkirk community.  Evenings are filled with prayer, worship, devotionals, and plenty of time to build the friendship bonds with each other.  Unique this year, we partnered with the International Education Center to invite the new students to join us for games each night.  Our t-shirts, see below, include on the back the word SERVANT printed on it, where STAFF, SECURITY, or our last names usually go.  The goal is to have the shirts be a constant reminder of how our attitude should be, both this week and always for Christ.  

            The first day the students got grounded in scripture, learned the ropes of how to live at the church in an authentic community, spent time praying for God to work this week, and learned how to Cross the Line and get over the Xenophobia.  Xenophobia also set up the verse around the theme of Matthew 25:40 “And the King will reply, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me.”  As I gave that message, I was reminded that we are not called to serve the poor as a prescription for how to be in a right relationship with God, but instead that we should serve the poor to show that we are followers of Jesus.  It’s not that we are reaching the poor, but that God is using us as a channel of blessing for them, and in the meantime we are being changed and blessed. 

            Day two: After serving in six different locations in groups we took time to think about what we had learned, heard, and did during the day.  One student mentioned the importance of finding God in what we were doing.  You see, many of our tasks are not glamorous, but they are necessary.  From painting and cleaning to help out churches and non-profits better accomplish their mission, to playing bingo with elderly.  But if you start singing a hymn while vacuuming, or you put yourself in the mindset of a SERVANT, it can make a difference.  The conversations students have while painting, cleaning, or peeling potatoes are a reminder that others are listening to us and the depth of conversation can draw people closer together.  One gentleman even stated that while eating lunch and chatting that the students helped restore his faith in our generation.  Dinner gave a chance to hear from one of the local pastors about his Acts 2 church, not that he was the speaker for the night, but everyone ended up listening into that conversation as we ate.  Then our faculty advisor reminded us that humility doesn’t come when we classify people, by their attitude, job, or attire.  God loves us regardless of our circumstances and nothing we can do can change that.  So if he doesn’t classify us or judge us, why should we think some people are better than others?

            Day Three: My favorite comment was a story of how one student used her time painting a bedroom to pray for the women and children who would class that room home.  This homeless shelter needed to be prepared before it could open and an extra four people a day helps that goal be achieved.  Another student had her schedule adjusted so she could return to the same nursing home to see one of the residents she had really connected with…her excitement was contagious as she asked the head coordinator for a switch. 

             My favorite parts of the service trip are watching the students step up in leadership to plan and run the trip, to see their comfort zones growing through the new experiences, and also to see the connections being made between the community members and the students.  Yesterday at a potluck dinner hosted by my home church, I was able to listen in on some of the conversations as the students sat with 3-4 church members and with the core of the youth group teens.  These chances for the important parts of my own life to meet each other and share their stories is what the partnership with InterVarsity means.  This trip could not be done without the gracious partners we have in the ministry who financially and prayerfully provide support and who help by providing dinners and other in-kind donations for us. 

Day four is just beginning and students took some time before their service locations to write prison letters, read their morning devotional from Luke 10, and to write in each other’s Appreciation journals. 

Stay tuned for stories from the students.