Our DNA: Global Student Transformation
by Becky StephenDirector, InterVarsity Link
Missions, or crossing cultural boundaries with the gospel, has always been at the heart of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES).
In 1928 chapters around England decided to join together as a fellowship called
British InterVarsity Fellowship of Evangelical Unions. One year later students
in the Union sold their sports equipment to send their national vice-chairman,
a medical student named Howard Guinness, with a one-way ticket to Canada to
answer their call for help in developing their own national student movement.
God used Howard as a catalyst wherever he went to motivate students for evangelism
and missions and to plant new campus groups. Howard worked his way across Canada,
then Australia and New Zealand as the Lord brought him money through the generosity
of other students. From that time, students in IFES movements have always prayed
for students in other countries and have themselves become missionaries around
the world to reach students with the gospel.
Missions is at the core of our history, and it’s at the core of our DNA as InterVarsity/USA.
When the Canadian movement came into being, they looked across their borders and saw our need, wanting to reach out to students in the US. In 1938 students from the University of Michigan invited the President of the Canadian InterVarsity, C. Stacey Woods, to come help them to plant an InterVarsity chapter there. And in 1939 Canada sent 3 staff workers to pioneer what became InterVarsity/USA.
In 1946 ten student movements, including our own, banded together to form the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). The purpose of that fellowship?
To establish evangelical student witness in countries where there was none.
To continue our history.
To pass on our DNA.
Since then, over 140 other student movements have been started and more are being planted and established this very day by multinational teams of staff from these 140+ movements.
InterVarsity has always carried on this “family tradition”.
From our inception we have sent staff to answer the call of other countries that have requested help to begin and to develop student work on their campuses. InterVarsity Link was formed in the mid-80’s to facilitate the increasing numbers of staff and recent graduates who were responding to this call.
Right now Link has 55 staff in 21 countries, at the invitation of those countries. And dozens more countries are extending invitations of various kinds. Those with whom we’ve partnered for a long time say that we send them the best staff – and they want more! And God is opening doors for us now through many years of faithful prayer, great Global Projects, and personal relationships. It’s ironic and so like God that during a time in history when it’s less safe to travel and thoroughly unpopular to be an American in the world, God in His mercy on us and to demonstrate His power through every part of the Body of Christ, is giving us opportunity to be His ambassadors on campuses from Canada to Central Asia, Europe to East Asia, Latin America to the Middle East.
Link staff love Jesus, have a heart for students, have a vision for the university, and are gifted to lead, evangelize, teach, train, disciple, and shepherd.
Link staff are motivated by God to do those things
… in another culture and language,
… on campuses that don’t have 10 other campus ministries,
… with students who may not have someone in any part of their lives to show them Jesus,
… who don’t have any staff workers on their campus or in their city but whom God intends to raise up to be the first national staff in a student movement that’s yet to be born.
I believe that God’s purpose for us as InterVarsity/USA is still, in the tradition of our IFES history, to join with others in our global fellowship
… to establish student work where there is none
… to raise up and to work under indigenous leadership
… to empower the next generation to live out the gospel in their own societies as well as in others
… to pass on God’s mission-hearted DNA to students around the world until Jesus comes again.
Interested in applying for Link? The IV Link preliminary application form can be requested through our website http://www.ivlink.org/contact.php or by phone at 608-274-9001.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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