The question “Who Will You Be?” is being asked at campuses across the country this month. InterVarsity staff and students are posing the question through attention-getting displays called Proxe stations, set up in high traffic areas of campus.
While college students have changed in many ways over the decades, research shows that they still want to discover their identity. The UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute’s Spiritual Life of College Students survey found 75 percent of college students surveyed expect their college education to help them find meaning and purpose in life.
At the Who Will You Be? Proxe station, students are presented with some celebrity identities, asked what they want to be known for, and are then invited to consider a relationship with Jesus Christ as a true source of fulfillment. They are also invited to investigate Jesus’ words further through a small group Bible study, and to attend a large group meeting where the story of the Prodigal Son is told as an example of one person’s search for identity.
Students are responding to this gospel presentation:
- At the weekly Large Group meeting at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, students who wanted to commit themselves to follow Jesus were invited to write their names on a sticker and stick it on a poster. Twenty students added their names to the poster.
- At the Large Group meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, five students made first time commitments to follow Jesus.
- At San Francisco State University, where most students do not live on campus, an unexpectedly large number of students stayed on campus late enough to attend the Large Group meeting. Many students raised their hands to recommit to following Christ and two students made a first time decision to follow Jesus.
- At Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, two students committed to following Christ during conversations at the Who Will You Be display. Four others joined the Small Group Bible Study.
- At the University of Colorado—Boulder, 85 students heard a gospel presentation at the display, and at least one so far has committed to following Christ. InterVarsity students were excited about the ease of sharing the gospel with the Who Will You Be display and new Christians on campus were attracted to InterVarsity for the attractiveness of the presentation.
- At Shasta College in California, one student shared the Proxe station with a true prodigal who had just returned home. He totally related to the story and was invited to discuss it further at a Bible study.
Who Will You Be has also appeared at South Dakota State University, New Mexico Tech, Bryant University, Cleveland State University, Ohio State University, University of Montana, University of California-Davis, Pasadena City College and the University of Southern California. Thank you USC Trojan Christian Fellowship for the above video.
In the weeks ahead, students at more campuses will be invited to consider, “Who Will You Be?”
