Questions to Ask When Reaching Out to Black Students on Campus - Ministry Exchange (MX)

Questions to Consider When Attempting to Help your Chapter Become a More
Welcoming Place to Black Students By Fred M. Williams, Regional Coordinator for Black Campus Ministries, Blue Ridge Region Fred and be reached via e-mail at fred_williams@ivstaff.org

(While visiting the Black Student Lounge at Urbana 2006, I met several black students who had a burden to help their majority white chapters become more welcoming to black students. After listening to one student’s concerns, I drew up this list of questions for them to consider. I later talked through this list with them on the phone. The list is drawn from my experiences and observation while working with my fellow staff and students here in my region. A majority culture InterVarsity group needs to do some soul searching and ask several questions as it considers how to reach out more effectively to black students on campus. Evaluate the status quo: 1-What things about this chapter can you already celebrate regarding multiethnic ministry or racial reconciliation? 2-What minority groups are already represented in the current IV group? -Are they comfortable with the status quo? If not, what changes would they like to see? Do they feel that they are being heard? 3-Who in your group has a heart to see the IV become a more welcoming place for more black students.? Assessment: 1-What are the felt needs of the black students on campus? 2-What are the groups that are already meeting any of those felt needs. ie the need for an accepting community, churches where they feel comfortable, gospel choirs, fraternities or sorrorities that feel like home. Groups where they can safely vent their needs and frustrations. 3-What white students and administrators “get it” in terms of the issues that black students are dealing with on campus. 3—Are there any black organizations, Christian students, administrators or faculty that InterVarsity can build a partnership with as you ascertain the needs of black students and as you seek to build bridges into the black community. 4-Are there any issues of justice that black students on campus are struggling with. (Can InterVarsity become a genuine ally with these students as they deal with this issue. (For example, at one school, the climate on campus feels hostile to black students. Members of the InterVarsity group joined forces with another campus group to confront the admministration with this concern. Result: The black students feel loved and cared for by these InterVarsity students and are getting involved in events. Consider the Costs: 1-As an InterVarsity group, how deeply do we care about meeting the needs of Black students at your school? Do we just want to increase our black student numbers or are we really concerned about meeting the spiritual and felt needs of black students. 2-Are there several people in the InterVarsity group who are willing to pray that God would help make InterVarsity a more welcoming community? 3-Is InterVarsity willing to make the changes necessary to become a more welcoming place? -Is InterVarsity willing to face the possibility that they might lose white members if the group changes significantly in order to accomodate black students? -Is the group willing to listen to the real needs and concerns and complaints of the black students regarding InterVarsity in particular and your school in general. -Is the group willing to work to make InterVarsity a “safe place” for black students to minister, be ministered to and thrive? -Is InterVarsity willing to start a bible study in order to serve black students, even if they never come to large group? Resources: 1-Who are the black, white and other Christian “bridge people” on campus who flow easily between the black and white communities. More specifically, the InterVarsity and black community? 2-Is the InterVarsity chapter growing and being discipled in the area of multiethnic issues. One chapter established a Multiethnic Coordinator who took on the task of helping the chapter be more sensitive to ME issues. 3-Is this issue being emphasized in small groups, large group, book recommendations and discipleship. 4-What resources do you have on your campus and in your community which can help the chapter to become more sensitive to issues of multiethnicity. Taking Risks: Is InterVarsity willing to take a risk and step out on faith and try something new. -Reach out to a potential bridge person as mentioned above -Challenge each other on issues of racial and cultural insensitivity when they arise. -Learn new songs even if it’s challenging at first. -Try again when they have tried and failed. Expect Miracles of God’s Grace: What we are finding here in the Blue Ridge is that God is a prayer answering God. As our white staff and students have reached out to black students in genuine humility, we have seen black students and administrators meet us half way with miraculous results! In other cases their have been disappointments. But we see the hand of God at work! On one campus, one staff member was told, “I know that InterVarsity is the one predominantly white organization on campus that genuinely cares about black students. Expect Struggles and Victories and Conflicts and Joys. -Expect it not to be easy-don’t give up as many others have -Celebrate the small and large victories when they come -Determine to talk and pray through conflicts with an attitude of non defensiveness, truth, grace and humility -Expect to see glimpses of heaven when multiethnic groups are caught up in worship, with each part of the community reflecting various aspects of God’s Glory and image. Continuing to Pray and Trust God All of the small victories we are seeing in our region are victories of God’s grace. Some can from several years of deliberate prayer, work, planning and strategic changes to time honored traditions. Others were miracles of God’s grace which we had nothing to do with. Still others came as a direct result of prayer and at times, victory came when we just pushed gently on a door and it flew wide open on welcome hinges. In closing, most of the chapters in the region are still predominantly white, but as our staff and students work and pray through some of the issues above, we are finding that several of our groups feel less “hostile” to black students and are becoming a place where they can feel more loved and cared for.