Our InterVarsity chapter was awarded the “Outstanding Diversity Program” for our Race Matters discussion group by Georgia State University this Spring. This was a great honor and accomplishment for us as we seek to be a witness and bring new life to Georgia State. It was also a joy to see Jesus honored as a Christian group won an award in a category not typically represented by Christian organizations.
Upon planting at Georgia State we felt God’s call to plant a multi-ethnic chapter. And God has done just that. Our chapter is roughly 40% White, 40 % Black, and 20 % Asian. What has driven us to pursue multi-ethnicity is the life Jesus modeled and His call for His people to be one.
This semester our class consisted of one white (Euro-American) student, one African, one African-American, two Chinese-Americans, one Japanese-American, one Indian-American, and one Guyanese-American. The picture above includes students from last semester and this semesters group. Over the course of 8 weeks we asked the question “Does Race Matter? Both in terms of our experiences in life and to Jesus?” Activities involved different topics and activities such as sharing our own journeys with understanding racial issues, watching and debriefing a movie, sharing things our families have passed on to us, celebrating our own ethnic identities and what they bring to the Kingdom, studying Scripture, and playing a game that involved looking at issues of privilige and race.
Again and again we here students say that this was probably one of the most life-changing things they have ever been a part of. Many people comment that they never knew Jesus cared about issues of racial reconciliation and justice. Others feel that they now understand and are beginning to accept more of how God has made them, while most left with a sense of calling to stand up for racial injustices and be a part of God’s reconciling work in the world.
We praise God for the reconciling work in our chapter: that He is showing us more and more of His work of reconciling work in the world, that He is giving us a little taste of what Heaven will be like (Revelation 9:9), and for how His name is being made great through this small award on campus. May God continue to use IV at GSU to be a part of reconciling students to one another and to God.
I thought this was wonderful at first, even when I thought the award was from Inter Varsity. But to see it is from the University…WOW! Congratulations to you, Nick & Liz, and to all the kids in the chapter!!! It is great to hear how the name of Jesus Christ is being lifted high at Ga. State!
thanks Karen! Praise Him!