What if community were more about inspiring change than imposing conformity? For three decades, Chris Nichols has been helping InterVarsity small groups and chapters become transformational communities.
Come be transformed.
2/5/10 - 2/7/10
Friday 7:00 pm to Sunday 12:00 pm
At 180, we gather to encounter God - through eclectic worship, transformational community, and relevant teaching for life at Tech. Whether you are growing as a follower of Jesus, a curious sojourner looking for truth, or skeptical about God but looking for quality friends, you are invited to be loved and respected here.
Ever wonder what Scripture sounds like to the culture in which it was written?
Dr. Kenneth Bailey has lived and taught for 40 years in the Middle East. He is the author of several InterVarsity Press books, including the one pictured.
He will be on campus speaking on “The Parable of the Compassionate Father: A Middle Eastern View”.
Monday, March 30th @ 7:00pm Pamplin 30
They purchased the house 22 years ago. Another family had tried and failed to win the contract and, as an act of revenge, set fire to the house.
It still stands today, fire damage still evident. Seven children have grown up in this single-story, white five-room house. The youngest, Paul, is thirteen; his older brother, eighteen.
At some point along the way, Appalachia Service Project came into the picture and began to fix the house. Not only is there fire damage, but water damage and rot and termites and a poor foundation have also taken a toll on the building. The family, of meager means, had no way to adequately repair the house on their own. Through ASP, they depend solely on the love and work of volunteers.
I, along with several others f
rom InterVarsity or other organizations at Virginia Tech, Old Dominion, and Saint Louis Universities, was one of these volunteers. Our team spent the week reinforcing the roof with cross-bracing, tearing out ruined insulation and walls, and demolishing the structurally-unsound front of the house. A second group, from Old Dominion, finished installing a new floor in the main room, as well as adding a new interior wall.
Before we arrived, previous groups had replaced several exterior walls and removed the interior carpeting. The week after our work, a group came to finish the foundation for a new front room and porch.
Each day, we would leave the worksite for lunch, driving a mile down the road to an old farmhouse, built in 1793. Six years after the Constitution was drafted. Two hundred and sixteen years ago. There, we talked to the family about the Civil War, Confederate flags, the C.S.A. Hunley, railroads, and all sorts of things while we ate our peanut butter and jelly (or turkey) sandwiches. They invited us into their lives, showing us some of their prized possessions, allowing us to play with their amazing dogs, evil goose, mellow horse.
We grew to love this family. We grew to love their determined outlook on life, despite the hardship they faced. We grew to love their selflessness and openness. We grew to love all the history in their minds, homes, and yard.
Little in my life has been more fulfilling than spending eight hours a day, for a five day week, giving my all to see this family have a warmer, safer, drier home. Little has been more fulfilling than seeing their appreciation and seeing the change in the house itself. In all of it, I could see Christ. In their hospitality. In the friendships created and strengthened. In the work we did. In the love that sprang up that week. Christ was there.
“…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
-Matthew 25:40
Christ came to serve, not to be served. And we, his followers, are called to do the same. How wonderful it was to serve this family in the spirit of Christ, expecting nothing in return. I shall not forget them.
The next 180 will be March 20 in War Memorial Chapel @ 7:45pm
Lindsey Barts (IV Staff) will speak on Listening to the Spirit
If you had asked me a month ago to describe my faith, I probably would have detailed it as strong and thriving - but largely untested. At the end of last semester, my spirituality seemed to be approaching a definitive high stemming directly from the encouragement I received through Intervarsity, and I began to witness God’s work in most every aspect of my life. I was frequently overwhelmed by His grace, and each day I sought to deepen my relationship with Him, whether through prayer, bible study, or fellowship. But as my faith continued to intensify, I couldn’t help but wonder if and when God would test my strength. And if He did choose to test me, was my faith strong enough to withstand?
That test came on December 25th, 2008, as I was confronted with a simple but devastating Facebook notification. I logged onto my account Christmas morning to find that a dear friend of mine from elementary school, Nick, had committed suicide just one day prior, on Christmas Eve. I literally went numb, and for minutes I stared blankly at my computer, refreshing the screen over and over, hoping that by some miracle the notification would simply disappear…maybe I was reading it incorrectly, maybe it was a joke, maybe someone made a mistake…but it never disappeared. Without thinking, I put down my laptop, closed my eyes, and began to pray. All of my emotions – the grief, the confusion, the frustration – were released in that moment, and oddly enough, despite my anger and sadness, I had never felt closer to God.
Nick was an incredible person with a brilliant sense of humor and a genuinely kind and caring heart. But the summer prior to our entering sixth grade, his father died unexpectedly, and his life descended into a relentless battle with depression, drugs, and alcohol. We slowly drifted apart - it had been a few years since I had last seen him – but not a day went by that I did not pray for his wellbeing. I knew of his struggles, and in my newly revived faith, I trusted that God would take care of him. After the news of his passing sank in, I was overwhelmed with guilt and regret for having not worked harder to maintain our friendship, but I was mostly full of resentment towards God for seeming to ignore my prayers. My anger was furthered when I visited his mother days later. Through shared tears and laughter, we spent an evening looking at old pictures, telling stories, and reminiscing of the time Nick and I had spent together. As the night wore on, however, my thoughts shifted from Nick to his mom. Not only had this woman just lost her eldest son to an unthinkable tragedy, but she had also lost her husband, the love of her life, and a few years prior to that, she had lost her mother to an agonizing battle with cancer. How could God possibly inflict such pain on one woman’s life? I questioned how she found the strength to wake each morning, how she managed to not only care for herself but also care for her remaining son, Ben, Nick’s younger brother. And with this all, when I asked what I could do to help her, what I could provide, if anything, to make her struggle a little bit easier, she selflessly replied: “Pray for Ben”.
Upon Nick’s passing and my subsequent visit with his mother, I was reminded of a recent 180, where the speaker addressed relationships with God in times of sorrow. The speaker explained that it was okay to be angry with God, to be frustrated by the ambiguousness of His plan to our human minds, and to express that anger and frustration through prayer. I had come to appreciate God’s presence in times of joy, but it was not until experiencing sorrow that I truly began to recognize His unwavering love; despite our sinful nature and our lack of understanding, He will always provide comfort in our times of greatest doubt and uncertainty. I hesitate to wonder whether I would have had this sense of security a few years ago, prior to my involvement with Intervarsity and the renewal of faith I experienced as a result. But I thank God each day for blessing me with the support I now have through IVCF, knowing that in even the greatest times of sorrow, I will always have my faith and fellowship to carry me through.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
~*~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ~*~
Thank you IV for the comfort you have provided me. Please keep Nick and his family in your prayers.
Here is the Rockbridge sign up sheet available in PDF format. Download it, print it off, fill it out, and a great time at Rockbridge will ensue.
Remember, if postmarked by February 2, the cost is only $95. If postmarked later than that or if you register at the door, it is $100.
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In bold response to the profound love of the Father, Son, and Spirit, we strive to be a witnessing community growing in love for God, God’s Word, God’s people of every ethnicty, and God’s purposes in the world.