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SWING IN URBANA

Following NSO outreach at the University of Illinois–Urbana, the chapter always had a square dance to help gather new contacts and reach out to non-Christian friends. Two years ago, they changed the format to a swing dance for the first time. More than 800 people showed up, and so they did it again this last fall. Staff worker John Roeckeman says, “It’s helpful to have a couple of InterVarsity signs and to have some tables with literature for interested people. Choose a student to give a three minute welcome and explanation of I-V after the first break, with an encouragement to sign a card if they’d like to be connected with I-V. You might want to designate some ‘matchers,’ people to help students find a dance partner.”

PRAYER WALK COVERS CAMPUS

Right before New Student Outreach last fall, IVCF staff worker Diane Schouten took a prayer walk around the campus of Stanford University (CA). Near the Art Museum, she prayed for those studying the humanities. She asked God to give students open minds and hearts to the wonder of the One who has inspired artists, musicians, historians and others for thousands of years. In the Science and Engineering section of campus, she prayed that those who study the intricacies of creation would have increased interest and questions about the One who has created everything. Near the housing units, Diane prayed that Jesus would help Christians living there to treat one another and their roommates with grace and kindness, assisting them to live lives that please God in the big and small things of daily life.

FOUR YEARS AFTER NSO

When Audra moved into her freshman dorm at Pacific Lutheran University (WA), the first people she met were InterVarsity student leaders. First they helped her move in, then they helped her become a Christian. During the next four years, Audra grew in her faith and stepped into her fears with courage. She graduated last spring. Once daunted with the prospect of meeting new people, she is now working in one of the toughest neighborhoods in northern California, leading Bible clubs for kids and teaching school in East Palo Alto, CA.

Erika was another freshman who first met helpful InterVarsity students, then met Jesus. She moved into the dorms at the same time as Audra. After she became a Christian, she had the energy of a whirlwind, but lacked focus. As she faithfully led Bible studies in her dorm, Jesus transformed her energy into a passion for loving people. When she graduated last June, she planned to join a Servant Partners community and use her energy to love the people in her Los Angeles neighborhood. And when new people move into her neighborhood, she tries to be there to help.

FRESHMAN SURVIVAL KITS

When new students at The College of New Jersey moved in to their dorms, they not only got help from InterVarsity students, but many received a Freshman Welcome Packet as well. Each packet included a highlighter (donated by a local business), a pack of Lifesavers^®, a flyer of upcoming I-V activities with how to contact chapter leaders, and a copy of Jesus With Dirty Feet, by InterVarsity Press^®.

The chapter set up a table out in front of the dorm with free water, flyers, and the welcome kits. A couple of people stood behind the table answering questions and handing out welcome kits while the rest of the I-V volunteers helped people move in.

They decided that handing out the packets right there would be a great complement to providing the practical assistance of helping new students move in.

It was one of the small-group leaders who thought of the idea of distributing packets. Students contacted local businesses for donated items, and then put together the kits. IVCF staff worker Laura Vellenga says, “We assembled the packets at a small-group leaders’ meeting during the summer. With a lot of helpers, it took no time at all.”

This was the first time the chapter had done this, and they didn’t make up nearly enough packets. They tried to limit them to students who were actually interested in Christian fellowship on campus. Even so, they ran out very quickly and could have given out hundreds more if they’d had them available.

Laura thinks it’s definitely worth doing again, with a few modifications. First, they’d make a lot more kits (several hundred at least), and also include a few more helpful things, like regular ballpoint pens, maybe some Post-It® notes, and a list of local churches with student contacts listed as well. And they would definitely include the book again. It’s short, concise, perfect for this generation of students, and inexpensive to purchase in bulk.

DOOR PRIZE

On New Year’s Eve, with the entire world celebrating the new millennium, a student from Malaysia quietly prayed to receive Christ at an InterVarsity camp in northern Michigan. Chris was attending the International Houseparty at Cedar Campus and was ready to commit his life to Jesus. He had been reading the Bible all semester and God had begun answering his questions during his reading. The houseparty was the final step that allowed him to make a thoughtful choice for Christ.

Chris’s conversion would not have happened the way it did if he hadn’t had a Bible to read. Amazingly, Chris won the Bible at the school carnival at Tri-State University (IN) at the beginning of the school year. The InterVarsity students had contributed it as a prize, hoping whoever won it would also want to meet its Author. And Chris was the big winner.

WAL-MART^® RUNS

The chapter at the University of Nevada–Reno tried some new things last fall to reach students and tell them about InterVarsity. With the help of a local church, they were able to provide a shuttle to Wal-Mart for more than 100 freshmen who were moving into the dorms. They also arranged a ten percent discount for all students and got local businesses to donate merchandise or gift certificates as prizes for those who rode the shuttle.

To start with, students set up four double-sided sandwich boards with posters advertising the free shuttle. They also printed 600 small fliers (¼-sheet) and handed them out in front of the dining commons during meals so that all dorm students could hear about the shuttle. Fliers also went up on every floor of each dorm building.

A local church was willing to loan their 30-seat bus and a driver for the day. Leaders were stationed at each pickup spot to make sure things went smoothly and to answer any questions regarding the shuttle.

Two of the more outgoing leaders rode the bus and used the P.A. system to welcome riders and make the 15-minute ride a fun experience. They told jokes and got people involved in contests and games. The chapter had collected free meal coupons at local restaurants and gift certificates and merchandise (such as new CDs) from local businesses (it’s good advertising for them!) to hand out as prizes.

The hosts also gave a brief “commercial” during the ride to Wal-Mart about InterVarsity’s events and programs for the semester. If riders were interested, or wanted to know more, they could simply stop at the information table set up in front of Wal-Mart where the bus stopped.

One thing they learned is that waiting until Sunday to do the shuttle probably resulted in less student participation because they had moved in on Friday, and already made their trips to get supplies for their rooms. To correct this for next year, they contacted the Residence Hall Association director to see if they could coordinate with R.H.A. next fall. When told about the program, he said he was looking for student groups to help out the first weekend of move-in.

He loved the Wal-Mart shuttle idea and asked if I-V would like to advertise the shuttle in the orientation packets for all incoming dorm students! The I-V group plans to ask the university to pay for two Greyhound buses next time so they can accommodate more students.