Veritas 2015

Veritas exists to "engage students and faculty in discussions about life's hardest questions and the modern relevance of Jesus Christ." Campuses invite a speaker to present on a topic that will interest students, staff and faculty from a variety of spiritual backgrounds in order to bring Christian scholarship into the fray of academic discourse. On the Palouse, almost a dozen campus ministries come together to promote event and host speaker.

This year, we invited Mary Poplin who speaks on worldviews. She recently released a book with InterVarsity Press called, "Is Reality Secular?" which covers similar themes. If you're interested, I recommend watching her talk from Reed College two years ago which is similar to the one she presented in Moscow and Pullman.

In preparation for the forums (April 7th at WSU and April 8th at Idaho) InterVarsity hosted interactive displays to ask students about debt and hope. We started conversations by asking about personal debt and how much hope students had of paying those off. Then, we moved to telling stories of individuals freed from slavery through International Justice Ministry's work and asked how can we hope to change systems like human trafficking. Finally, if students were interested, we shared the hope we believe Jesus brings to change us and the world. 

At Idaho, three different campus ministries came together to host the display. Staff and student leaders lead 20 people through all the questions including sharing how Jesus is hope for the world. Idaho staff Tyler commented that, "the whole group [of student leaders were] pumped about how easy it was to share the gospel. Everyone left really excited." 

At WSU, staff John met a student who wanted to learn more about Jesus and how He is hope for the world. John and this student now meet regularly to study scripture.

We're thankful for all the resources we get to use to see students transformed, campuses renewed and world changers developed.

Vision for LaFe (Latino specific ministry)

"Hey northwest region lets do this! #encuentro15 #northwestlafeconference #lafe" John Paradis, 2.7.15

How do you help students see what's possible? How do you make an idea more than just words coming out of your mouth? One answer within InterVarsity: take them to a place it's already happening.

WSU staff worker John Paradis drive 6 Latina students from the NW over 16 hours to go to such a place: Encuentro. 350 Latino students and staff gathered to ask what it means to be Latino in Christ and how they can reach out to their communities.   John showed the women what God can do in gathering Latino college students.

In response:
- One decided to follow Jesus.
- One committed to starting a new Latino specific small group on her campus
- One grew in her understanding of the power of community asking how her current small group could reach out to Latino students across campus.

For John, these responses made the hours of driving (a few in a torrential downpour) worth every second.  Continue to pray for these students that the vision they saw at Encuentro will be imprinted upon their hearts so that they can pursue God and His kingdom back on campus.

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.

Students' reflection on Tacoma Summit

Facebook status updates upon returning home

To study the economics of inequality and to browse through the numbers and literature is one thing, but to experience first hand the poverty and need that is hidden away under the facade that we are the richest nation in the world is truly a unique and eye opening experience. Summit 2014 was worth every moment.           

What an incredible two week experience at Summit 2014 in Tacoma. These experiences with InterVarsity and Jesus continue to grow me in ways I never thought I could. Met amazing people and lived in community, learned to live simply, and really grew in understanding God's love for the poor. Beautiful. Excited to see how this will change my life. Want to hear about it? ASK ME! I'd love to share.                                

I didn't wake up in the two story furniture-less house in Tacoma surrounded by 25 other people whom over the last weeks grew with me in search for God in people different from us. We grew into family after day two of being strangers. It was a blessing to work, eat, and pray with my brothers and sisters from all around the Pacific Northwest. May God bless them wherever they are from this day on.           

I loved being on summit.. I learned a lot with these wonderful friends about how to live out simplicity of life, community in life and God's heart for the poor - with Jesus being Lord over it all. Now time to head home and try putting some newly learned things into practice.

                           

From project evaluations: How are the things you learned at Summit going to change your life as you leave?

Listen to God’s voice always.  Have faith. Learn to live simply.

                           

I hope to judge less, feel for and with others more, and actually act on what I feel God is prompting me to do instead of being concerned about what others think of me.  I want to keep learning more about Jesus’ heart.  At some point, I’d like to move to a community like Tacoma and work with kids in the area.

                           

I will definitely try to build more of a community at my school by engaging in bible study and everything else I’m involved in. I will try and talk to my parents about the experience and the ways we could potentially change our lifestyle and rethink what we buy, what we need vs. what we want.

                           

Idaho students decide to follow Jesus at Winter Conference

(written by Tyler Wickstrom, campus staff at Idaho)

A few months ago Beth* dedicated her life to Jesus in a quiet conversation on a sunny day. In learning about God’s purposes for her life she has gone from running down the hall yelling “who wants chocolate?” to inviting her friends to an event to hear her testimony. In mid-February we hosted a family-style dinner where she could share (see below), and out of the 18 students who came, 13 were new, 7 indicated wanting to join God’s family, and one of them was ready to give his life to Jesus. This is when I met Parker*.

Parker grew up with a difficult home, and he had been seeking God for a while. He came to the dinner to support Beth, but in a prayer exercise Jesus surprised him. His grandmother had a purple room that brought her joy, and in prayer he found that “Jesus wants to give me my own purple room!” When I met with him to interpret and discuss what this meant he was excited to see Jesus restore and redeem his own story. He accepted Jesus into his life joyfully.

Beth had another chance to share her story a couple weeks ago in front of 400+ students at Winter Conference. We brought 8 UI students, and that night God was pursuing Seth*.

A few months ago Seth heard Beth running down the hall yelling “Who wants chocolate?” and at the time this simple gift brought him to tears. He began discovering who Jesus was in our Bible studies (as someone raised in the church but long adrift), and that Saturday evening at Winter Conference he felt God was calling him back into His family. When we processed this invitation he made a decision to follow Jesus while excitedly telling Jesus “Thank you!"

Thank you so much for your continuing support and generosity. For these three students at UI, your prayer and partnership helped them encounter Jesus in ways they’d never imagined. You have made all this possible.

Mark Camp 2014

I (Donan) had the great privilege of leading 5 students through the first half of the gospel of Mark.  Students discovered Jesus in new ways and more of what it means to be disciples.  Instead of trying to summarize the week in my own words, here are theirs:

1)      What have you been learning about yourself as we studied Mark?

-      I learned the preliminaries of finding rest in God.  I learned about needing to listen to go where God wants.  I learned some of what it means to be a disciple.  I learned about what my community could like if it was the kingdom of God.  I learned what the kingdom of God was for me.  I learned what it really means to make Jesus bigger than my problems, and I finally learned [about] quiet time.  I finally understood about the loaves.

      

-        I have been learning to be able to ask to understand things and contemplate them over time without being frustrated.  Mark has helped me to be able to understand the nature of being receptive of what God’s trying to teach me.

-        I’ve learned a lot about myself that has been sort of independent of Mark, but not independent of God.  Mark has brought up some important questions I have about God and my relationships to Him but I’ve ultimately realized that my understanding of God at any given moment doesn’t change who God is.  So I can have faith that even when I’m sitting in tension or don’t quite understand an aspect of God or scripture, God is still God.  He is good and cares for me just the same.  So my love for Him shouldn’t change just because I’m in tension with something.

2)      What have you been learning about studying scripture?

-        How to ask good questions, how to look for clues, how to accept unexpected answers, how to let go of dead-ends, and how to be good soil.

-        I’ve been learning how to make connections between sections of the text.  Before I always like it was a stretch to make multi-page connections but since Mark wrote us a book with intention, it makes sense to make connections.

            It’s so good!  I loved studying Mark manuscript-style.  As much as it frustrated me that [Donan] and Brandi wouldn’t reveal understanding to us, I realized we’re just like the disciples in that way.  Jesus didn’t give them direct answers either.  So, studying scripture is similar to the disciples and live with encountering Jesus.

Indianapolis Greek Conference

This is what happens when you get 775 Greeks together to connect with God, learn to lead and change the world.   And, God shows up in big ways.  Over 20 students made first time decisions to follow Jesus.  Over 200 students made re-commitments to following Jesus.  Another 200+ students said yes to leading small group bible studies in their houses.  I love seeing students find new life in Jesus and be eager to share this new life with their friends.

On a personal note, I love serving in General Session.  I feel like a production assistant to the best event of the season.  My jobs included: blowing up 45 balloons, devising distribution strategy for 100 tennis balls, cleaning Cheeto dust from a drop cloth, smearing peanut butter on plexiglass and preparing to send almost $5000 donation to IFES work in India.

Join me in thanking Jesus for His faithfulness and the work He is going to do through this students to love their brothers and sisters.