If the two students across the hall from her dorm room hadn’t invited Ann Beyerlein to an InterVarsity meeting, she would never have considered attending. But she went and discovered college students who had a grown-up Christian faith. “That’s when I learned what it means to be a follower of Jesus,” she said. “That was my upgrade to an adult decision.”
Ann was actively involved with InterVarsity throughout her four years at Western Michigan University and became a leader in the chapter. After graduation she taught high school English. She returned to school for a Master’s Degree and then considered a variety of career options. That was when she decided to join InterVarsity staff.
After building chapters for a number of years in Texas and Illinois, Ann returned to her home state of Michigan. She is currently Area Director for Metro Detroit-Flint and ministers on several campuses, including both four-year and commuter campuses.
Ministry on Commuter Campuses
On commuter campuses it’s difficult to find a time when everyone can meet, so the emphasis is on small group Bible discussion at a variety of times and places. “We try to make it as convenient as we can for commuter students,” Ann said. “Students want friends, so we encourage our students to invite people they know and are meeting around campus. Our small groups include Christians and not-yet Christians, and the number of small groups is growing.”
Because the social life of dormitories is lacking on commuter campuses, retreats and conferences take on increased significance. “Commuter students love to get away and spend the night because then they bond with other chapter members,” she said. “Any kind of overnight event can help us.”
Ann said that college administrators generally look favorably on InterVarsity. They want to see students groups flourish, and usually InterVarsity is one of the largest and most active groups on campus.
Promoting Dialogue
One of Ann’s ministry priorities is fostering friendship between Black and White students. The cities of Detroit and Flint and their suburbs are among the most racially polarized urban regions in the country.
“Students who have grown up in one area often have little contact with students who have grown up in another area until college,” Ann said. “Our chapter at the University of Michigan-Flint has become quite multiethnic and our staffworker is taking a very diverse group, including international students, on a spring break project to work with IFES students in Belize.”
New Initiatives
Other ministry developments that Ann is excited about are faculty prayer meetings at Oakland Community College and Wayne State University, plus the first small groups at Henry Ford Community College.
“Ann is a tremendously dedicated friend of her students, staff, family and neighbors,” said Ann’s supervisor, Regional Director Fred Bailey. “She’ll stay up much of the night with them in the hospital or preparing for the training they need.”
Among InterVarsity staff, Ann is known for her precision and her efficiency. “She keeps working through things in her heart and mind until she comes to conviction about what needs to be done — and then she is dogged in seeing that it consistently is taken care of,” Fred said.
Ann has come full circle. She never dreamed she would be doing spring break projects in Detroit and living next to Oakland University, a school many of her high school friends attended. One invitation her freshman year changed her life and eventually brought her back to do student ministry on her home turf.
Photo: Ann (right) and fellow staff member Christy Patterson.
