Jaded by the Church, was the topic of a seminar at Sonburst, the annual InterVarsity Florida fall conference, held in Orlando in October. Area Director Steve Tamayo co-led the session, which was aimed at addressing unresolved issues that some people have with organized religion.
Steve calls spontaneous question-and-answer sessions with students such as this Confessional Apologetics. He desires to honestly address issues that keep young people from the Christian faith.
“I can’t speak for whole church, but I can tell you why someone like me does those sorts of things that might make people question our Christian commitment,” he said. “I talked about hypocrisy in my own life and how I don’t think that people notice when I say one thing and do another thing. I talked about my desire for comfort and how I was at times moved to put my desire for comfort above other people’s desire to hear about Jesus or experience the love of Jesus.”
Brief Description:
Steve Tamayo desires to honestly address issues that keep young people from the Christian faith.
For 19 Latino students from Chicago the 1,900-mile road trip to the LaFe 10 conference and back deepened their faith in God and in each other. At the triennial national conference sponsored by InterVarsity’s LaFe ministry, three of the students dedicated their lives to Christ for the first time. Others made recommitments. At least two students decided to start Bible studies for other Latino students when they got back to campus.
Brief Description:
InterVarsity's Latino ministry gains momentum from its national conference.
The president of El Acceso, InterVarsity’s La Fe chapter at East Los Angeles College (ELAC), arrived at a recent meeting of the InterClub Council (ICC) to discover that the leaders of the 32 clubs on campus were being asked to vote on three categories of organizational awards. Unlike some of the other leaders, Lorenzo Delatorre didn’t come prepared with a Powerpoint presentation or a DVD.
Brief Description:
InterVarsity chapters are recognized for what they add to the campus.
Ministry at urban commuter colleges is always difficult, but California State University Los Angeles has been more challenging than most for InterVarsity staff members. Each of the first three years that Maite Rodriguez began a new ministry year at Cal State L.A. was like starting all over again.
The 2008-2009 school year seemed to start with more promise than previous years. But by the end of the fall quarter the chapter leadership had evaporated: gone for academic issues, or personal reasons, or just gone.
Brief Description:
Ministry at urban commuter colleges is always difficult, but California State University Los Angeles has been more challenging than most for InterVarsity staff members. Each of the first three years that Maite Rodriguez began a new ministry year at Cal State L.A. was like starting all over again.
Elizabeth Villalovos sees more and more Latino students arriving on campus “without finding a place where they can thrive and grow in their walk with God.” Her passion is connecting with those students to let them know how much God loves them.
As a student she was involved in launching the LaFe chapter at the University of Texas at Austin (UT). She had been attending InterVarsity meetings and Bible studies for a year when she seized the opportunity to help start a campus fellowship specifically for Latino students in 2004.
Elizabeth Villalovos sees more and more Latino students arriving on campus "without finding a place where they can thrive and grow in their walk with God." Her passion is connecting with those students to let them know how much God loves them.
Some in society have an unfavorable view of young Latinos. But God has another view of young Latinos. The staff of InterVarsity’s LaFe ministry focuses on helping Latino college students realize the difference between the two, and discover God’s purpose for their lives.
Campus staff member Abner Ramos has been working in East Los Angeles for over six years. “These students have a spiritual burden that’s very distorted, influenced by what society thinks about them,” he said. Through the Bible they gain a new perspective on their culture, and they learn what Jesus did for them on the cross.
Brief Description:
Some in society have an unfavorable view of young Latinos. But God has another view of young Latinos. The staff of InterVarsity's LaFe ministry focuses on helping Latino college students realize the difference between the two, and discover God's purpose for their lives.
Twice as many students are expected at InterVarsity’s LaFe 07 conference as attended InterVarsity’s first LaFe conference three years ago. The larger numbers show that InterVarsity’s LaFe ministry to Latino college students is growing. They also show that the LaFe conference is becoming a key tool in LaFe’s growth.
The conference theme is Arise. It will be held in Los Angeles, December 27-31, 2007.
In August of 2006, Nick Dombrowski arrived at the University of Texas–Pan American (UT-Pan Am), a largely Hispanic campus in Edinburg, Texas. InterVarsity had no chapter there at that time. Nick quickly met two students who indicated an interest in developing a chapter. By the end of the semester thirty students were attending the weekly small group Bible studies.
Nick was prepared for the role in developing this new chapter at a largely Hispanic school with many students coming from a Catholic background in two ways: the experiences that God gave him and his obedience to God’s call.
Brief Description:
Nick Dombrowski stresses the importance of obedience
When God loves a campus, watch out. Carlos, Abbey, and Aaron are three students with an amazing story of how the Lord is doing a new thing on their campus. They just met each other this fall, but God has obviously connected them for a reason. Through their leadership, a new InterVarsity LaFe chapter has started at UT–Pan American.
Carlos Lopez was in the school chapel during the first week of school, praying to find a Christian fellowship on his campus.
