Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Bible Comes to Life in Georgia

Jim is a rising sophomore at Emory University. Originally from California, he grew up in a close knit Jewish Messianic family that has journeyed together through life's peaks and valleys. Jim is also a member of the Emory Diving Team and longs to be a witness to his fellow peers and teammates.

Starting this August, Jim will be a freshman small group leader. In order to prepare for this important leadership role, he attended Chapter Camp 2009 to learn crucial skills for reading, interpreting, and applying scripture. While Jim was excited to lead a group of men through the Bible, he had no idea the training would make such an impact on his heart! He says of Chapter Camp:

"I have been reading and learning about the Bible all my life, but for this first time (at camp) it came alive and touched my heart in a transforming way!"

What about you? Are you hungry for scripture study that transforms YOUR life? Check out Transforming Bible Study by Bob Grahmann from InterVarsity Press here: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=1123

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Students Partner with Haitian Fraternity to Serve Villagers

On May 21th – 30th InterVarsity staff members Nick Johnson (GA State), Berry Long (Area Director, North Florida), and Kim Koi (Area Director, Central Florida) traveled with fifteen students to the village of Neply, Haiti on an InterVarsity Global Urban Plunge. The group worked in partnership with Alpha Omega Psi, a local Haitian fraternity (www.AQPsi.org), to bring running water to village families.

Nick and Liz Johnson have been working in partnership with Alpha Omega Psi for three years. This year the crew laid plumbing to bring running water to 10 homes. Along the way students learned the culture and history of Haiti, a theology of justice, and creative options for helping end poverty in the world.

The goals of the Haiti Global Urban Plunge are fourfold:

1) establish partnership with local village and service fraternity by building relationships and providing a valuable service to community
2) understand issues of poverty and God’s heart for the poor
3) challenge American students to become servants and learners while out of their comfort zone
4) empower students to use their majors and influence as vehicles to change the world

James, a student from Georgia State, said of the trip,

“I think we really got a chance to live among the people of Haiti. We were exposed to their hopes, frustrations, and dreams for themselves and their nation. This trip brought some very serious, life shifting realizations about myself. I will go back to my campus and see it as a great resource that has not been used to its full potential.”

James hopes to go on a longer global project and take what he learned back to campus by influencing his friends, getting involved in a local ministry, and using his major to end poverty. James is also considering living with the poor after graduation.

Link to facebook video, footage from inaugural trip in 2007: http://www.facebook.com/events.php?archive=1#/video/video.php?v=556547631947&oid=44841504316