The red plastic cup is ubiquitous on campus because, well, students are thirsty. But students are seldom reflective about their drinking habits. Until InterVarsity’s Red Cup Campaign comes to campus.
This fall the Red Cup Campaign was launched by InterVarsity staff and students on campuses across the country. The students were trained in evangelism and then set up the Red Cup display on campus. Thousands of students are hearing a presentation of the gospel.
The Red Cup Campaign uses an interactive display (called a Proxe station) that asks students what they are most thirsty for: love, purpose, fun, or success. Their response often starts a conversation that leads to an opportunity to discuss Jesus’ statements about Living Water and eternal life.
Red Cup Gets Results
More than 1,300 conversations took place in one week at the Red Cup Campaign Proxe station at UCLA. Students were invited to InterVarsity’s Large Group meeting. At the UCLA chapter’s first Large Group meeting of the school year, 47 students stood to make first-time decisions or recommitments to follow Christ.
Over a four day period at the University of Chicago there were 250 conversations at the Red Cup Campaign Proxe station. At the first Large Group meeting of the year, three students stood to make first-time commitments to Jesus. At the second Large Group, 12 people raised their hands to commit to Christ.
Making contact with incoming students at the beginning of the school year is a priority for every InterVarsity chapter. The Red Cup Campaign not only facilitates contacts, but immediately establishes the evangelical character of InterVarsity’s outreach.
“Almost everyone who went through the Proxe station heard the gospel and was prayed for,” reported Mac Smith, InterVarsity Campus Member at Weber State University in Utah. “We had 161 students show up to Large Group and seven students become Christians during the call to faith. More than 60 students who were already Christian believers stood to give Jesus control of an area of their life where they were trying to get their thirsts met on their own. We have never done so well with contacts during the first week of school.”
Students are Lining Up
A Campus Staff Member at the University of Northern Arizona called it their most effective Proxe station ever. “It’s drawn both Christian believers and seekers,” he said.”Thanks for designing something that students are lining up to interact with.”
An InterVarsity student at West Virginia University said: “It’s very easy to get into conversations with students about what they want out of their college experience and life. I think the transition from talking about our thirsts to talking about the gospel is very natural. I think the Red Cup is effective because it gets college students thinking about how our earthly thirst quenchers never satisfy us.”
Some InterVarsity chapters jumped into the Red Cup Campaign at the very beginning of the school year, others are setting up the display on campus as the year goes on. We praise God for the effectiveness of this tool for reaching students with the gospel message.
