lvron@saturn.lerc.nasa.gov (Ronald E. Graham) (12/11/90)
[And a cheerful g'dae, Mr. Moderator. Long time, no discuss. Looking forward to participation again.] I am helping to develop a conference session for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) in my area. I am looking for folks in this newsgroup to assist me in locating portions of Scripture relevant to the conference subject, so I can consider them during my own quiet time. Let me explain: IVCF is a fellowship of college students, with chapters on many campuses in North America (a related group, IFES - International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, can be found on campuses elsewhere), whose groups' day-to-day functions are run by student members, under the guidance of full-time staff workers. (Do I need to explain all this?) The three of us working on this conference session have determined that a difficulty with IVCF, at least in this region, has been that it has not prepared students sufficiently for contributing to the life of the Church after graduation. It's not too tough to find conferences and seminars related to the subject of being a Christian in the "marketplace" (e.g. business and industry), and IVCF has already addressed this issue for its seniors. What is not addressed is the other-way-around: professional skills and training applied to God's service. We want to address this issue for our alumni. The session's key passage is found in the last half-dozen-or-so verses of Acts 2, describing the formation and functions of the early Church. For further references, I have started with the first half-dozen-or-so verses of Acts 6, describing the selection of the seven guys full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, who were to assume the day-to-day responsibilities of the Church so the leaders were freed up to pursue the ministry of the Word and prayer. I am also looking at passages in Acts whose chief characters are the Ethiopean eunuch and Cornelius, the centurion in the Italian band; and I will be considering the advice given to Moses by Jethro, his father-in- law, regarding delegation of responsibility. I need more to consider. If anybody has a contribution, I would be beholden if you could e-mail it to me. I will review and comment, and I would gladly summarize for the group's behalf if anybody responds. RG If I do good, give the credit to God. If I screw up, I'll take the blame. [You might also consider trying to involve your members in local churches while they are in school. It's always bothered me slightly to see local churches, chaplaincy programs of various denominations, and "parachurch" groups such as Intervarsity functioning with little contact. It's hard to know exactly what to suggest, as it depends a lot upon your local situation. When I was a grad student at CMU, a lot of the Intervarsity members were active in a local Presbyterian church (one that had a rather evangelical orientation). But our Intervarsity group had a somewhat broader scope than I believe the national staff were quite comfortable with. (Technically I shouldn't have been allowed as a member, as I don't believe in inerrancy.) --clh]
lvron@saturn.lerc.nasa.gov (Ronald E. Graham) (12/13/90)
In article <Dec.11.01.22.04.1990.7858@athos.rutgers.edu>, I wrote... [Description of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship deleted...] >>The three of us working on this conference session have determined that a >>difficulty with IVCF, at least in this region, has been that it has not >>prepared students sufficiently for contributing to the life of the Church >>after graduation. [...] Anyway, the Moderator responds... >You might also consider trying to involve your members in local >churches while they are in school. Hold on, Mr. Moderator. This assumption does not hold here. I did not say, "IVCF fails to encourage church involvement." I said, "IVCF has not adequately prepared its members for contribution to the life of the Church." IVCF does, in fact, have local church involvement as one of its bases of faith. The problem (which may not have been clearly stated, I'll admit) is, student work does not always adequately translate into church service. >It's always bothered me slightly >to see local churches, chaplaincy programs of various denominations, >and "parachurch" groups such as Intervarsity functioning with little >contact. Contact with...each other? >It's hard to know exactly what to suggest, as it depends a >lot upon your local situation. When I was a grad student at CMU, a >lot of the Intervarsity members were active in a local Presbyterian >church (one that had a rather evangelical orientation). But our >Intervarsity group had a somewhat broader scope than I believe the >national staff were quite comfortable with. I don't see, based on what you have written, any reason for IVCF staff to be uncomfortable with activity in this particular church. But, like you said, this is a function of the local situation. >(Technically I shouldn't >have been allowed as a member, as I don't believe in inerrancy.) Yeah, but that's a separate thread, and doesn't belong in this one. With all due respect. Since this conversation was just between you and me, feel free to respond via e-mail and not to post. And a suggestion: if you have a question about a particular posting, why not ask before allowing it to be posted? Naw, better not ask a dumb question like that, given the volume of stuff you have to deal with. But it bothers me that you can get "the last word" on things you don't like, without making certain you understand what's being written. Not that I'd do things any differently, I guess. RG "...wine maketh merry, but money answereth all things." (Eccles. 10:19)
geoff@pmafire.inel.gov (Geoff Allen) (12/13/90)
lvron@saturn.lerc.nasa.gov (Ronald E. Graham) writes asking for advice on a conference on teaching college students about involvement in local churches. >The three of us working on this conference session have determined that a >difficulty with IVCF, at least in this region, has been that it has not >prepared students sufficiently for contributing to the life of the Church >after graduation. I don't think it's local to your area. I have known students who were heavily involved in Campus Crusade for Christ (the main ministry on our campus) who shipwrecked their faith after leaving college. Sad to see. >I need more to consider. If anybody has a contribution, I would be beholden >if you could e-mail it to me. I will also e-mail. My reason for following up here is to discuss the basic problem of getting students plugged into churches. >[You might also consider trying to involve your members in local >churches while they are in school. Absolutely! There's no substitute for practice. :^) That's tough to give in a conference, but you can at least *strongly* encourage it in a conference. When my wife and I were in college (we were dating then), we taught Sunday School, and I sang in the choir and led worship on Sunday mornings. I think it's important for everyone to have a ministry opportunity, whether a college student or a ``real world'' adult. Check out the book ``Unleasing Your Potential'' by <I forget the author's name, but can look it up if anyone's interested>. The book addresses this issue quite clearly and effectively. >It's hard to know exactly what to suggest, as it depends a >lot upon your local situation. When I was a grad student at CMU, a >lot of the Intervarsity members were active in a local Presbyterian >church (one that had a rather evangelical orientation). In Pocatello, Idaho, we've had an incredible opportunity. A little over a year ago, a group formed a church on the campus of Idaho State University (right across the street from the library!). The congregation is at least half college students. We have students involved in various ministries of the church. In fact, the children's Christmas program this year was entirely written, rehearsed, and organized by college students. It's great to see them involved, and will help with the transition when they graduate to the ``real world.'' -- Geoff Allen \ Since we live by the Spirit, uunet!pmafire!geoff \ let us keep in step with the Spirit. geoff@pmafire.inel.gov \ -- Gal. 5:25 (NIV)