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This document is part of a larger cluster of articles about InterVarsity
chapter planting at https://www.intervarsity.org/mx/page/chapterplanting
Greeks at Valparaiso University
by Sue Nathan
The Campus
Valparaiso University is a private, Lutheran-affiliated, residential
campus. There are close to 4,000 students, and about 30 percent are Greek.
The Challenges
Students are involved in many activities, especially the Greek students, so
there is little time for them to get involved in another group.
Ministry Contacts and Opportunities
The main InterVarsity chapter has been on campus for 35 years, so there is
a good relationship established with the administration, faculty, and
campus pastors. There are also many good relationships with local pastors
and churches. Greek IV was started in 2000 at VU, but has declined over the
last few years. In fall 2005 we had just four students. We now have seven
students selected as leaders for next year, and several other students who
attended Greek conference who are interested in participating.
What We Are Doing
Currently we have selected a “Servant Team” (leadership team) that is
meeting to plan for fall 2006. There were sixteen students who went to
Greek Conference in Indianapolis in February, and we had a few follow-up
meetings in February, March and April. There is no other active meeting or
outreach at the present time.
The Vision
Our vision is to involve students from each of the six sororities and nine
fraternities on campus, to provide a large-group meeting to support those
living for Christ in the Greek system and to promote unity among the Greek
organizations. It is also a long-term goal to see a GIG or Bible study
started in each sorority and fraternity. We currently have four sororities
and one fraternity represented on the Servant Team. These seven students
give me hope because they have a desire to see this ministry grow on
campus.
God is Working
God is definitely at work in this situation. Over the past two years I have
often been at a point of thinking this ministry would not be able to
continue, and then God moves in some way to keep us pressing on. This fall
we had only four students (all women) and none of them had the time to
fully commit to getting the group started, so we prayed for people to go to
Greek Conference. One of these four went overseas for the spring semester,
so we were down to three. During Christmas break, Kerri, who had been named
the next president, emailed me and said she had decided to quit two of her
jobs so that she would have time to devote to Greek InterVarsity. She also
wrote a list of things she needed to talk to me about. This was a small
miracle! Her decision to make time and to take initiative in meeting with
me gave me much hope.
Also in December, four students from another sorority (that none of us had
contact with) signed up to attend Greek Conference. Two weeks before the
conference, students finally got serious about recruiting and eleven
sisters from one sorority went together. One of our leaders from this
sorority said she knew it really was God working because she didn’t have to
push them about going; they all just started talking about it and signing
up. Of sixteen women from VU who attended Conference, two became Christians
and eleven rededicated their lives to Christ!
When we began to recruit new leaders, there was initial interest, but
getting students to turn in leadership applications was like pulling teeth!
Again, I began to lose hope. Finally near the end of March we had selected
seven leaders. Then it took another three to four weeks for them to give me
their schedules and find a time to meet together. I was beginning to think
we might not find a time to meet before the end of the semester. We finally
met with five of them at the end of April to begin brainstorming ideas for
next year. The students are very enthusiastic about re-starting this group.
God has been faithful each step of the way. When I was ready to say “Ok,
God, maybe it’s time to give up on this,” God would do something in the
students that encouraged me and gave me a glimmer of hope again. Then I’d
say “Ok, God, I’ll try this and see what happens,” and the ministry has
moved forward. The Servant Team has met three times at the end of spring
semester and they have made some great plans for the fall.
Help Needed
God has been sending the encouragement along at just the right times!
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