INN Dinners

“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:11-12.)

 

Sometimes leading a campus ministry is like the disciples huddled in a room at the beginning of Acts wrestling with the call to go and make disciples yet feeling so small and incapable. What if the college campus is a petri dish for Pentecost-like experiences? Like the birth of the church, the campus is in an environment with different languages, ethnicities and cultures. Most are eager and open to hear the wonders of God, provided it is presented in an accessible way.

InterVarsity/the INN have stumbled upon this Pentecost-like opportunity this school year. We have centered the Tuesday night Inn meetings around food. But we haven’t been ordering pizzas. Instead, students have spent hours of their time (and some of their own finances) preparing food that reminds them of home. Tacos, homemade salsa, macaroni and cheese, and delicious cheesecakes. Food is language. Food helps to welcome people in; not into a foreign or a generic setting, but into a home away from home. Or as a WSU freshman put it: “I really enjoy being able to meet new people and learning their perspectives on the questions we discuss. I also like having a home cooked meal, it's like a home away from home”.

We average about 25-30 people for our monthly dinners. The vast majority of the food is prepared by students. There are really two events: the dinner at 7 and the party in the kitchen around 5.

It has been a privilege to watch God at work through these dinners. There was a point last semester InterVarsity/the INN wondered what to do next. Students were attending small group bible studies around campus but not our weekly worship. We began to ask the question what students on campus needed. Students leaders answered this question with words like ‘home’, ‘belonging’ and hospitality. The decision to switch from weekly worship, to meal and spiritual conversations around tables was an attempt to try something new. It has been new and beautiful.

As one returning INN student put it, “I think the Inn dinners are a perfect place to get together to meet new people while have fun and building a community in Christ. The Inn is a place where you can meet people from all different walks of life and learn about different viewpoints. Basically it's exactly what it should be an should've always been.”

As we look ahead to 2015-2016 school year, we are excited to continue with the dinners and see how God might use this new structure at WSU.