Gordon Woolard has been serving the Lord since he was a college student in the 1970s—proving the strength of InterVarsity’s four/forty principle of investing four years in students’ lives in hopes of seeing them serve the Lord for at least the next forty years.

After the president of the InterVarsity chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison shared the gospel with Gordon, he became a Christian. Later, he and his wife Marilyn were challenged to serve international students through the ministry of the InterVarsity chapter and Urbana 70. They gained experience as servant-leaders when they served in the chapter together.

After college, Gordon and Marilyn spent eight years in Belgium, working with InterVarsity’s parent organization— the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). They learned French to help train Belgium IFES staff workers to share the love of Christ with international students.

After the staff were trained, Gordon and Marilyn returned to the United States and settled into a pastorate in Blacksburg, Virginia, where they continued their ministry to international students at Virginia Tech. Over the years they welcomed students from all over the world to their home and their church, showing them the truth of the gospel through word and deed.

This past year, the Woolards moved from the pastorate back to full-time, overseas missions. They are using their fluency in French to train French-speaking pastors in the Caribbean and Africa. Recently Gordon spent two weeks in Africa, where he traveled to the Ivory Coast, Uganda, and Kenya. He worked with Daniel Bourdanne, the IFES regional secretary for French-speaking Africa, helping local pastors and Christian workers hone their preaching skills.

Years ago, their InterVarsity experience showed Marilyn and Gordon God’s love for the world. They have shared that love with people in Europe, the United States, and Africa, where lives have been changed as people come to know the saving grace of Jesus.

If you’re interested in learning more about serving cross-culturally in the IFES, visit InterVarsity Link